Category Archives: Acts of God

Floods, Storms, Earthquakes and Natural Disasters

1980, Record High Temperatures Noted

Posted on by December 22, 2013

When the heat wave of July 1980 was still in force, this article appeared in the Marion Daily Republican notating previous heat waves in the area’s past.

Mercury Hit 115 in 1901

While the present heat wave in Southern Illinois has some aspects that put it into the running as the worst ever, it has not yet topped the record for the hottest day. That distinction, according to old files of the Daily Republican, goes to a day in July, 1901 when the official reading at a weather station in Centralia was 115 degrees. Continue reading →

1980 Late Spring Windstorms

Posted on by December 21, 2013

July 2, 1980 Windstorm
July 2, 1980 Windstorm
July 2, 1980 Windstorm
July 2, 1980 Windstorm
July 2, 1980 Windstorm

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The end of June through July 1980, found most of the country, including Southern Illinois in the grip of a massive heat wave that brought about drought conditions, searing inescapable heat and periodic high winds and storms.

In Southern Illinois, a damaging windstorm on Sunday, June 29th was followed, only a few days later, on Wednesday, July 2nd, by another damaging windstorm, which was reported to be, several times the intensity of the first, causing major damage throughout Southern Illinois. Continue reading →

1980 Killer Heat Wave

Posted on by December 21, 2013

Heat July 16 1980The July 1980 United States heat wave was a period of intense heat and drought that wreaked havoc on much of the Midwestern United States and Southern Plains throughout the summer of 1980. It is among the most devastating natural disasters in terms of deaths and destruction in U.S. history, claiming at least 1,700 lives and because of the massive drought, agricultural damage reached $20 billion dollars. It is among the billion-dollar weather disasters listed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Continue reading →

1833, The Night the Sky Fell

Posted on by November 23, 2013

Leonids-1833Even though Marion wasn’t officially in existence until 1839, there were already a considerable number of pioneer families occupying various locations throughout Southern Illinois in 1833.

Events occur periodically that seem to “freeze moments in time” and ever after serve as markers for every other event in one’s life. An example, for us today, would be the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 or the events of 9/11/2001. To the very, early pioneer settlers in this section of the U.S., two of those markers would have been the New Madrid earthquake of December of 1811 through February of 1812, for those few pioneers that were around, or, for the next wave of pioneers, the memorable event was the night the sky fell in 1833. Continue reading →