Dear Tom,
Could our nation's 200th birthday- July 4, 1976 been a day without precipitation
anywhere in the country? I seem to remember no adverse weather. Can you check it out?
Ge Breu
Dear Ge,
Though sprawling high pressure brought much of the nation beautiful weather on its
bicentennial, there was still plenty of rain. Showers and thunderstorms fell from eastern
New Mexico to the Carolinas, then north to New York. Rain was heavy in many areas,
with 1-inch plus totals in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.
Severe thunderstorms produced damaging winds in Georgia, and least five tornadoes
were reported, three in Texas and one in Wyoming and Colorado. Light showers also
dampened the Pacific Northwest. Rain-free periods across the entire lower 48 are
extremely rare and would last only for a few hours--not an entire day.
