Soggy Saturday Ahead

  

April 21, 2006 (WPVI) -- The heavy rains will start late Friday evening and will continue all day on Saturday. The wet weather should clear out by Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, in the East, showers and thunderstorms developed across the Southeast, Deep South, and Tennessee Valley. Strong to severe thunderstorms were reported in Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Alabama, and Georgia. Hail to 2 inches in diameter fell in Caledonia, Mississippi, with trees down and damage to homes near Sparta, Tennessee.

Rainfall amounts were heavy, with Birmingham, Alabama recording over 2-point-50 inches of rain, prompting flash flooding of low-lying areas in the city. Further north, light rain showers developed in Michigan, otherwise skies were partly cloudy with dry conditions.

Across the central region, a stationary front triggered showers and thunderstorms across Texas and the Lower Mississippi Valley region. Hail 3 inches in diameter was reported in both Lockhart, Texas and Austin, Texas. Heavy rainfall also fell in the area. Over 2 inches of rain was reported in San Marcos, Texas. Gusty winds damaged trees and road signs near Giddings, Texas. Light rain showers with a few isolated thunderstorms developed over the Upper Midwest and portions of the northern Plains. Rainfall amounts generally stayed under one-half inch. Skies were partly cloudy with dry conditions across the central Plains and Mid-Mississippi River Valley.

In the West, a few showers and thunderstorms developed in eastern New Mexico before moving into Texas. Penny size hail was recorded in Chaves county. Across the rest of the region, skies were mostly clear with dry conditions in the Rockies, Great Basin, Pacific Northwest, California, and the Desert Southwest. A record morning low temperature of 13 degrees was set in Randolph, Utah.

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY:

In 1967, a super outbreak of tornadoes occurred in the Midwest. An F4 tornado struck Belvidere, Illinois as the high school was letting out for the day. Students who waiting for the bus were blown across a field and buses were overturned. 13 students were killed and 300 were injured. In all, 48 tornadoes were spawned that day.

Also in 1967, a tornado ripped through the Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn, Illinois during rush hour. 33 people were killed in their cars, with more inside a supermarket when the walls collapsed, and still others at a skating rink. It was the worst tornado to move through the Chicagoland area to date.

In 1988, a double-header was rained out at Dodger Stadium. In the previous 26 years, only 12 games were rained out, but this was the third time in as many days.

FRONTS ACROSS THE NATION:

A stationary front extends across southern Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, northern Louisiana, Texas, and eastern New Mexico.

A cold front is moving over Washington, Oregon, and northern California.

A cold front lies across northern Indiana, Illinois, southern Missouri, and across the Kansas/Oklahoma border.

A stationary front extends across northern Ohio, Pennsylvania, and into southern New Jersey.

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