September 1 in weather history is marked by a diverse range of extreme events, from destructive wildfires and hurricanes to heatwaves and severe thunderstorms. Key dates and locations with significant weather occurrences include:

Hurricanes and tropical systems

• 1954: Hurricane Carol made landfall in Long Island and New England, resulting in 68 deaths.
• 1974: Lt. Judy Neuffer became the first female to fly a “Hurricane Hunter” aircraft into the eye of a hurricane.
• 2021: The remnants of Hurricane Ida caused widespread damage as they moved northeast across the U.S..
  • Significant flooding, flash floods, and tornadoes occurred in the Mid-Atlantic region.
  • Multiple strong tornadoes were reported in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
  • The storm caused 22 tragic deaths in the local Mount Holly forecast area alone.

Fires

• 1894: The Great Hinckley Fire burned at least 200,000 acres in Minnesota, consuming the town of Hinckley and killing 418 people.
• 1928: Leslie Gray of the Weather Bureau in San Francisco became the first weather forecaster assigned to a wildfire.

Temperature extremes

• 1955: Los Angeles, CA, recorded an all-time high temperature of 110°F during a prolonged heatwave.
• 1987: Record low temperatures hit the Midwest, including a 44°F reading in Indianapolis, IN. That same day, record high temperatures continued in the Northwest, with Hanover, WA, hitting 106°F.
• 2017: San Francisco, CA, reached an all-time record high of 106°F.

Thunderstorms, hail, and tornadoes

• 1931: An F2 tornado in St. Louis County, MO, unroofed a small home and barns.
• 1961: An F4 tornado in Butler and Bremer Counties, IA, destroyed several farms. Fruit jars were reportedly “sucked out of the basement” of one house that was swept away.
• 1988: Ely, MN, received 3 inches of rain in two hours, leading to manhole covers being blown off by the resulting high water pressure.
• 1990: Severe thunderstorms in northwest South Dakota dropped hail as large as 4 inches in diameter, causing widespread structural damage.
• 2014: An EF1 tornado in Kalkaska County, MI, featured 100 mph winds that toppled numerous trees.

Other notable events

• 1859: The Carrington Event, one of the largest geomagnetic storms on record, occurred.
• 1862: The Battle of Ox Hill was fought during a severe storm, making it the only major Civil War battle to occur during such weather.
• 1897: Washington County, IA, reported six-foot-deep hail drifts.
• 1914: Bloomington, MI, recorded 9.78 inches of rain in 24 hours, a state record.
• 1979: A home in Centerville, TN, was destroyed after being struck by lightning for the third time since it was built in 1970.