NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY
AUGUST 2021
1-7: Late in the week, stormy weather returned to portions of the Corn Belt, with the heaviest rain falling in Wisconsin and portions of neighboring states.
As the week began, a few monsoon-related showers lingered across the interior Northwest. In Idaho, record-setting totals for August 1 reached 0.42 inch in Pocatello and 0.31 inch in Stanley. Daily-record amounts for August 2 included 0.49 inch in
Livingston, MT, and 0.25 inch in Idaho Falls, ID. Meanwhile, locally heavy showers dotted the South and East, resulting in daily-record amounts in locations such as Watertown, NY (2.36 inches on August 1), and Greenwood, MS (1.58 inches on August 2).
Soon, heavy rain developed along the Atlantic Coast. Wilmington, NC, received 6.36 inches of rain during the first 7 days of the month, aided by a daily-record sum of 2.97 inches on August 3. Elsewhere in North Carolina, August 1-7 rainfall totaled 8.46
inches on Cape Hatteras, 7.92 inches in New Bern, 6.62 inches in Beaufort, and 5.99 inches in Elizabeth City. More than two-thirds of the rain on Cape Hatteras—5.73 inches—fell on August 4, representing the wettest day in that location since May 30,
2016, when 7.09 inches fell. In contrast, a 20-day (July 16 – August 4) spell without measurable rain in Cedar Rapids, IA, ended with a 0.28-inch total on August 5. Sioux City, IA, also experienced a 20-day (July 15 – August 3) streak without
measurable rain, followed by a 0.76-inch total from August 4-7. At week’s end, heavy rain erupted across Wisconsin and environs. On August 7, daily-record totals in Wisconsin included 3.81 inches in Eau Claire, 2.77 inches in Marshfield, and 2.25
inches in Wisconsin Rapids, while La Crosse (5.59 inches) observed its highest calendar-day total on record. Previously, the wettest day on record in La Crosse had been September 6, 1884, when 5.55 inches fell.
8-14: monsoon-related showers temporarily withdrew but soon returned across the Southwest. Farther east, spotty showers and thunderstorms across the central and southern Plains contrasted with mostly dry weather farther north.
Early-week downpours soaked a few areas in the Midwest, with more than 3 inches falling on August 8 in Green Bay, WI (3.42 inches), and Sisseton, SD (3.26 inches). La Crosse, WI, received 7.36 inches on August 7-8, marking its wettest-ever 2-day period (
previously, 7.27 inches on October 27-28, 1900). By August 9 in Illinois, daily-record totals included 2.52 inches in Rockford and 2.18 inches in Springfield. On August 10-11, strong thunderstorms in the Great Lakes region produced wind gusts to 60 mph
in Rockford, IL, and 62 mph in Michigan locations such as Detroit and Grand Rapids. Meanwhile, a few showers dotted the Northwest, where Ephrata, WA (0.71 inch on August 8), noted its wettest day since May 18, 2020, when 1.11 inches fell. The same cold
front responsible for the Northwestern showers also produced high winds; in Wyoming, gusts on August 8 were clocked to 69 mph in Buffalo and 58 mph in Greybull. Farther south, the latest surge of monsoon-related moisture contributed to a daily-record
rainfall total of 1.38 inches (on August 10) in Flagstaff, AZ. Cloudiness and showers briefly overspread southern California, where recordsetting totals for August 11 reached 0.23 inch in San Diego and 0.16 inch in Thermal. Late in the week, locally
heavy showers peppered the East, where daily-record amounts for August 13 included 2.39 inches in Jackson, TN, and 1.57 inches in Vero Beach, FL. Burlington, VT, collected a daily-record amount (1.26 inches) for August 14.

15-21: Tropical Storms Fred and Henri made U.S. landfalls on August 16 and 22, respectively. Fred crossed the Gulf Coast near Cape San Blas, FL, with sustained winds near 65 mph. Six days later, Henri—packing winds near 60 mph—passed over Block
Island, RI, before reaching the U.S. mainland near Westerly, RI. Both storms sparked heavy rain and local flooding, with Fred delivering more than 8 inches of rain in parts of the southern Appalachians.
Late in the week, an upper-level disturbance moving into the East enhanced rainfall in several areas. In Tennessee, for example, heavy rain (locally a foot or more) erupted across a small area on August 21, leading to catastrophic flooding in parts of
Dickson, Hickman, Humphreys, and Houston Counties.

In advance of Tropical Storm Fred’s arrival, heavy showers dotted the East. Record-setting rainfall totals for August 15 reached 4.08 inches in Charleston, SC; 2.79 inches in Roanoke, VA; and 2.29 inches in Chattanooga, TN. Heavy rain also fell on
August 15 in parts of Texas, leading to daily-record amounts in San Angelo (1.77 inches) and Waco (1.60 inches). Waco received another deluge on August 18, when 4.76 inches fell. Prior to that event, Waco’s wettest August day had been August 24, 1958,
with 4.10 inches. On August 16, the day of Fred’s arrival on the Gulf Coast, Apalachicola, FL, collected a daily-record sum of 3.71 inches. Unrelated to Fred, daily-record amounts on the 16th included 2.02 inches in Jackson, KY, and 1.55 inches in
Columbus, OH. By August 17 in Rosman, NC, the French Broad River crested 5.18 feet above flood stage, the second-highest level on record in that location behind the October 1964 high-water mark. As the week progressed, occasionally heavy showers
persisted across the southern and eastern U.S. Daily-record amounts topped the 2-inch mark in Del Rio, TX (2.17 inches on August 17); Mount Pocono, PA (2.74 inches on August 18); and Zanesville, OH (2.99 inches on August 18). Meanwhile, the latest surge
of monsoonal moisture spread northward from Arizona. On August 16, Phoenix, AZ, clocked a thunderstorm wind gust to 69 mph, along with blowing dust. During a 48-hour period from August 17-19, rainfall in Utah totaled 3.51 inches at Bryce Canyon Airport
and 2.85 inches at Deer Creek Dam. In Montana, Great Falls received rainfall totaling 1.62 inches on August 17-18. In Idaho, August 18-19 rainfall reached 1.26 inches in Pocatello and 1.24 inches in Idaho Falls. Elsewhere, heavy showers continued to
pepper areas from the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys into the East. Frankfort, KY, collected a record-setting sum (3.97 inches) for August 19. Before dawn on August 21, severe flooding developed in parts of middle Tennessee, resulting in more than 20
fatalities. Unofficial 24-hour rainfall totals of 10 to 18 inches were reported in several Tennessee communities, including McEwen (Humphreys County), Dickson (Dickson County), and Centerville (Hickman County). Piney River near Vernon, TN, crested at a
record-shattering 17.8 feet above flood stage on August 21, with the water level rising more than 28 feet in just a few hours. In advance of Tropical Storm Henri’s arrival, heavy rain overspread the northern Atlantic Coast. On August 21, New York’s
Central Park netted 4.45 inches, marking the city’s wettest day since April 30, 2014.
22-28: Hurricane Ida became the third tropical cyclone to make a U.S. landfall in less than 2 weeks, and the strongest storm on record—tied with Laura in 2020 and the Last Island hurricane of 1856—to strike the Louisiana coastline. In fact, with
sustained winds estimated at 150 mph, category 4 Ida’s August 29 landfall at Port Fourchon, LA. Hurricane Ida’s impacts, which included flooding rains, damaging winds, power outages, and a coastal storm surge
The week had begun with heavy rain (from Tropical Storm Henri) in the Northeast and later featured multiple rounds of heavy showers and locally severe thunderstorms in the upper Midwest.

On August 22, Tropical Storm Henri—packing winds near 60 mph— passed over Block Island, RI, before reaching the New England coastline near Westerly, RI. On the day of Henri’s landfall, dailyrecord rainfall totals ranged from 2 to 5 inches in
locations such as Mount Pocono, PA (4.53 inches); Hartford, CT (2.82 inches); Newark, NJ (2.51 inches); and Binghamton, NY (2.18 inches). From August 21-23, New York’s Central Park received rainfall totaling 8.19 inches. Farther south, heavy showers
lingered in the southern Atlantic States, where Columbia, SC, netted 5.13 inches on August 22. It was Columbia’s wettest August day on record, surpassing the 5.03-inch total of August 18, 1965. Heavy rain associated with the remnants of Henri lingered
into August 23 across Maine, where daily-record amounts reached 1.15 inches in Millinocket and 0.95 inch in Houlton. Meanwhile, numerous showers and locally severe thunderstorms dotted the upper Midwest, especially on August 24 and 26-28. On the 24th,
Waterloo, IA, received 1.80 inches of rain and clocked a thunderstorm wind gust to 61 mph. Two days later in South Dakota, gusts reached 75 mph in Watertown and 72 mph in Huron. On August 28, a gust to 75 mph was recorded in Spencer, IA. Record-setting
rainfall totals in South Dakota included 3.35 inches (on August 28) in Sioux Falls and 1.88 inches (on August 27) in Huron. Elsewhere on the 27th, daily-record totals topped the 3-inch mark in Marshfield, WI (3.55 inches), and Rochester, MN (3.51 inches).
Unsettled weather also persisted in the East, where daily-record amounts included 3.26 inches (on August 28) in Martinsburg, WV, and 3.17 inches (on August 27) in Philadelphia, PA. Heat across the central and southern Plains generally peaked from August
23-25. In Kansas, daily-record highs for August 24 soared to 106°F in Garden City and 104°F in Russell. With a high of 100°F, Burlington, CO, also posted a triple-digit, daily-record high on August 24. Dalhart, TX, notched consecutive daily-record
highs (103 and 101°F, respectively) on August 24-25.

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