NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

JULY 2018

1-7: Some of the week’s heaviest rain fell across the Deep South and the far upper Midwest. However, in places where moisture was lacking, ongoing warmth maintained heavy water demands for crops, especially those entering the reproductive stage of
development. Some of the driest regions included the southern High Plains; the mid-South; the southwestern Corn Belt; and the Northeast. Daily-record rainfall totals topped 2 inches in several communities, mainly across the South. Specific amounts
included 4.39 inches
(on July 6) in Tuscaloosa, AL, and 2.70 inches (on July 7) in Alma, GA. Most (2.50 inches) of Alma’s rain fell from 7 to 8 pm, setting a 1-hour record for July in that location. Farther north, locally heavy showers also dotted the upper Midwest. In
Polk County, IA, communities such as Ankeny, Johnston, and Urbandale received as much as 6 to 8 inches of rain in a 24-hour period on June 30 – July 1. At mid-week, heavy rain in the western Gulf Coast region led to a record-setting total for July 4
at Houston’s Hobby Airport, where 6.00 inches fell. Other Independence Day rainfall records in Texas included 3.75 inches in Beaumont-Port Arthur and 2.27 inches in Galveston. Elsewhere, late-week showers in the Four Corners States led to a daily-
record sum (0.70 inch) for July 7 in Escalante, UT. However, other areas of the West remained mostly dry. By July 8, Western blazes that had destroyed more than two dozen structures included the Spring Creek fire (202 homes and other buildings) near
Fort Garland, CO; the Dollar Ridge fire (90) near Heber, UT; the Klamathon fire (81) near Hornbrook, CA; and the County Fire (26) near Guinda, CA.

8-14: Showers associated with the monsoon circulation dampened the Four Corners States and environs, locally reducing irrigation demands, curbing the threat of wildfires, and aiding drought-stressed rangeland and pastures. Locally heavy showers peppered
the nation’s southern tier. Daily-record rainfall totals were established in locations such as San Antonio, TX, with 2.54 inches on July 9, and Alexandria, LA, with 2.37 inches on July 11. Isolated totals in excess of 10 inches were reported in Bexar
County, TX, during a 120 hour period ending on July 10, with 13.04 inches measured near Timberwood Park. A separate area of heavy rain in northeastern Texas produced 9.08 inches in the Collin County city of Nevada from July 9-12. Meanwhile, monsoon-
related showers edged into southern California, where record-setting totals for July 11 reached 1.08 inches in Palm Springs and 0.93 inch in Campo. (Normal July rainfall values are 0.25 inch in Palm Springs and 0.32 inch in Campo.) Bishop, CA, easily
exceeded its normal July rainfall of 0.16 inch with consecutive daily-record totals (0.72 and 0.74 inch, respectively) on July 11-12. In the Four Corners States, selected daily-record amounts included 2.20 inches (on July 14) in Kanab, UT, and 1.01
inches (on July 9) in Tucson, AZ. Some of the Southwestern thunderstorms were accompanied by high winds; on July 9, Phoenix, AZ, recorded a peak gust to 71 mph, along with rainfall totaling 0.56 inch. Farther north, weekly rainfall in Brainerd, MN,
totaled 2.29 inches, aided by a daily-record sum (1.56 inches) on July 12.

15-21: Near- or slightly below normal temperatures covered the Midwest and East, accompanied by scattered to widespread showers. Some of the heaviest rain soaked the Southeast, where weekly totals of 2 to 4 inches or more were common. Heavy showers
also drenched the Mid-Atlantic States and southern New England, sparking flash flooding but largely eradicating drought concerns. Elsewhere, showers and thunderstorms dotted the northern and central Plains, generally benefiting pastures and summer crops.
However, pockets of severe weather accompanied the thunderstorms, resulting in local wind and hail damage across the northern and central the Plains, as well as the Midwest and East. Thundershowers across the West were isolated but produced a few daily-
record rainfall totals. In California, Alturas and Mount Shasta City each received 0.13 inch on July 15—a record for the date in both locations. On July 17, Grand Junction, CO, measured only a trace of rain, but clocked a wind gust to 70 mph. Four
days later, on the 21st, Salt Lake City, UT, also had a trace of rain—along with a gust to 55 mph. Strong to severe thunderstorms also raked portions of the central and eastern U.S. with high winds. Tragically, a severe thunderstorm crossing Table
Rock Lake, MO, on the evening of July 19 resulted in 17 fatalities. Just to the north, a gust to 74 mph was reported in Springfield, MO. Also on the 19th, Greenville, MS, clocked a peak gust to 73 mph, while at least a dozen tornadoes were reported in
central Iowa. Two of Iowa’s twisters—one in Marion County and the other in Marshall County—were catalogued as EF-3 tornadoes with estimated peak winds in excess of 140 mph. Some of the storms also produced heavy rain, with daily-record totals in
excess of 2 inches in locations such as Greenwood, MS (3.72 inches on July 16); Baltimore, MD (3.35 inches on July 17); Montgomery, AL (2.82 inches on July 15); Boston, MA (2.68 inches on July 17); and Louisville, KY (2.35 inches on July 20). Late in
the week, a northward surge of moisture along the Atlantic Coast also led to heavy rain. On July 20, daily-record rainfall totals included 3.28 inches in Wilmington, NC, and 2.87 inches in North Myrtle Beach, SC. The following day, record setting
rainfall totals for July 21 included 4.79 inches in Baltimore, MD, and 4.00 inches in Washington, DC.

22-28: Significant Western rainfall was largely confined to the central and southern Rockies and parts of the Desert Southwest. Heavy showers, triggered by the interaction between cold fronts and moisture associated with the Southwestern monsoon
circulation, also soaked the central High Plains and environs. Drenching rains fell in the Atlantic Coast States, where weekly totals of 4 to 8 inches or more were common from eastern North Carolina into southern New England. The Northeastern rain
eased or eradicated drought but sparked flash flooding. In contrast, only light showers dotted the Midwest, while little or no rain fell from central and eastern Texas to the Mississippi Delta. Late-month downpours pushed Mid-Atlantic locations such as
Baltimore, MD, and Harrisburg, PA, to their wettest July on
record. Baltimore followed a 4.79-inch deluge on July 21 with a 4.07-inch downpour on July 24. Through July 28, Baltimore’s month-to-date rainfall of 16.40 inches was 447 percent of normal, easily breaking its July 1889 record of 11.03 inches.
Harrisburg’s July 1-28 total of 11.66 inches was 278 percent of normal, eclipsing 9.72 inches in 1969. Widespread Eastern showers lingered through July 25, when daily-record totals included 4.51 inches in Cape Hatteras, NC, and 2.02 inches in Saranac
Lake, NY. Later, the focus for heavy rain shifted to the central Plains, where Imperial, NE, collected a daily-record total (2.69 inches) for July 28. In contrast, July 128 rainfall in Missouri totaled around an inch or less in locations such as Saint
Joseph (1.05 inches, or 22 percent of normal); Springfield (0.98 inch, or 29 percent); and Vichy Rolla (0.74 inch, or 18 percent).

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