March 6 Weather History

...1723... The famous Colonial High Tide occurred in Massachusetts Bay. The tide, which was described by Benjamin Franklin and Cotton Mather, was unequaled until the Lighthouse Storm of 1851.

...1872... A cold wave hit the East coast sending the mercury plunging to 8 degrees below zero at Boston. It was the most severe March cold wave in modern history.

...1900... A Chinook wind blowing down the slopes of the Rockies through Havre MT raised the temperature 31 degrees in just three minutes.

...1954... Florida received its greatest modern-day snowfall of record, with 4.0 inches at the Milton Experimental Station. Pensacola FL equaled their 24-hour record with 2.1 inches of snow.

...1959... Newport, Rhode Island recorded a wind gust of 61 miles per hour, breaking the record of 43 miles peer hour in 1943.

...1962... The Great Atlantic Coastal Storm of 1962 destroyed over $200 million worth of property from Florida to New England. The storm caused major shoreline erosion from North Carolina to Long Island. A 3 mile long boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland was wiped out. The storm caused greater alteration of the coastline from Cape Hatteras northward than any previous storm, including hurricanes. A new inlet was cut through Hatteras Island and more than 10 miles of outer banks barrier dunes were obliterated. Winds of up to 75 mph raised waves to heights of 40 feet. 42 inches of snow fell at Big Meadows, located in the mountains of Virginia -- a state record.

...1963... The low barometric pressure of 28.80 inches was recorded at Newport, Rhode Island, breaking the previous record of 29.13 set in 1959.

...1974... The high temperature at Newport, Rhode Island rose to 62 degrees, breaking the record of 61 degrees set back in 1935.

...1984... Heavy rains soaked Florida for 24 hours with rainfall totals reaching as high as 9 inches at Whigham and 9.55 inches at Marianna.

...1987... Twenty-eight cities in the north central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. Pickstown SD was the hot spot in the nation with a reading of 83 degrees. The high of 71 at Saint Cloud MN smashed their previous record by 21 degrees.

...1988... Wintry weather developed in the Rockies and the Plateau Region as arctic air swept in from the northwest. Blizzard conditions in southeast Idaho claimed the lives of two teenagers. Thunderstorms developed in Utah and Idaho.

...1989... A winter storm in the south central U.S. left parts of Missouri and Arkansas buried under more than a foot of snow. Heavier snowfall totals in Missouri included 14 inches at Springfield and 16 inches at Lebanon. Totals in Benton County AR ranged up to 14 inches.

...1990... Colorado's strongest winter storm of the season moved northeastward across the state producing 50 inches of snow at Echo Lake, 46.5 inches on Buckhorn Mountain, and 46 inches near the top of Coal Canyon. Snow fell at the rate of several inches per hour during the height of the storm, while winds gusted above 50 mph. Several hundred rush hour commuters, including the state governor, were stranded in blizzard conditions along Highway 36 between Denver and Boulder. Drifts up to twelve feet high had to be cleared southeast of Boulder.

...1992... Severe thunderstorms dumped large amounts of hail over sections of Georgia and Florida. Hail accumulated to a depth of 6 inches at Marietta, Georgia. Hail the size of goofballs covered the ground 3 to 4 inches deep uniformly at Longwood and Altamonte Springs, Florida. Hail damage was extensive with broken windows and vehicle and roof damage widespread. Total damage in Florida amounted to 25 million dollars, the most damaging hailstorm in Florida's history (until 25mar92).

...1996... An early morning strong (F3) tornado killed 4 people and injured 40 on a 19 mile track through Dallas County in Alabama. Damages totaled $8 million.

...1999... Rochester, New York recorded its deepest snow cover on record with 36 inches on the ground.

...2003... 8.2 inches of snow fell at Newport, Rhode Island, breaking the record of 4.6 inches set back in 1914.

...2007... The low temperature fell to 8 degrees at Newport, Rhode Island, breaking the record of 9 degrees set back in 1948.

...2015... Yesterday's 8.5 inches of snow was added to the snow depth at Newport, Rhode Island, bringing the total to 25 inches, breaking the record of a 16 snow base set in 1960. It also marked the highest snow depth for the month of March.

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