NATIONAL SUMMARY                   
Dolly slammed South Texas and neighboring northeastern Mexico with 
torrential rain and strong winds on Wednesday. The storm, as a 
Category 2 hurricane, made landfall on South Padre Island, Texas, at 
1 p.m. CDT with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph. The storm has 
since been downgraded to a tropical storm. Dolly's outer bands of 
rain and thunderstorms dampened the rest of the Texas coastline, 
which also had to endure pounding surf. Showers and thunderstorms 
overspread the remainder of the Gulf and East coasts ahead of a cold 
front. Some of the thunderstorms turned severe with damaging winds 
and hail. The combination of rich moisture pouring in from the 
Atlantic and the slow pace of the front allowed heavy rain to 
inundate eastern parts of the Northeast. The rain set daily records 
and caused numerous flooding problems. An area of high pressure 
following the front provided the western Great Lakes with comfortable 
temperatures and low humidity. The warm and moist air that flowed on 
the backside of the high aided in the development of severe 
thunderstorms over the northern High Plains. The tail end of a cold 
front provided the trigger for the thunderstorms. Another disturbance 
sparked thunderstorms across the interior Northwest, while monsoonal 
moisture brought another round of afternoon thunderstorms to the Four 
Corners region. With the moisture to the east, California and Nevada 
remained free of the thunderstorms.
 
 
 
SPECIAL WEATHER                    
Dolly Slams South Texas            
--Dolly roared onshore Wednesday, slamming South Texas and 
neighboring northeastern Mexico with torrential rain and howling 
winds. Dolly made landfall on South Padre Island, Texas, at 1 p.m. 
CDT as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 100 
mph. The storm was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane an hour 
later, then weakened to a tropical storm at 10 p.m. CDT. As the storm 
battered South Padre Island, the Associated Press reported a 
17-year-old boy fell from a seventh-story balcony. The boy, who 
sustained head injuries, a broken leg and hip, is receiving treatment 
on the island until conditions improve and authorities can get him to 
the mainland. The causeway connecting the mainland and the island is 
closed any time winds reach 39 mph. Wind gusts peaked at 68 mph in 
Brownsville as Dolly passed by. The strong winds tore off the roof of 
a mobile home and blew high-tension power lines over to a 45-degree 
angle. Officials had to rescue a family of eight as runoff from the 
storm's heavy rain surrounded their home, located in a small 
community north of Brownsville. Dolly's winds in Harlingen, which 
peaked at 74 mph, downed power poles onto buildings. Structural 
damage occurred in Port Mansfield, where Dolly's winds gusted to 76 
mph.                               
 
 
 
WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS                 
Severe Weather Reports From Wednesday:
-Lightning struck a man in West Greenwich,  R.I.
-A man suffered minor injuries after being hit by lightning while 
working at a tire store in Normandy, Fla.
-Lightning started a house fire in Brockton, Mass., and East 
Bridgewater, Mass.                 
-A tree, downed by strong thunderstorm winds, landed on a car near 
Alexandria, Va.                    
-Thunderstorm winds near Edgemont, S.D., leveled a cement grainery 
and blew down a 20-foot barn.      
-A tree, downed by a gusty thunderstorm, covered the right lane of 
Interstate 66 near Centreville, Va.
-Thunderstorm winds downed trees in Rome, Ga. One of the trees landed 
on a home, the other fell onto a vehicle, trapping the two occupants.
-A thunderstorm dropped hail, just shy of tennis ball-sized, and 
produced winds of at least 50 mph near Rapid City, S.D. The winds 
downed tree branches measuring 4 inches in diameter.
-Golf ball-sized hail pounded Montrose, Neb., and Cranston, R.I.
-Half dollar-sized hail lasted for ten minutes and covered the ground 
in Fairlawn, Va.                   
-An area 21 miles north of Hyannis, Neb., was deluged by 3.0 inches 
of rain in only 40 minutes.        
-Two feet of flood waters closed the New York state Thruway's 
eastbound lanes near Hoffmans, N.Y.
-Runoff from heavy rain washed out a bridge in Princetown, N.Y.
-Flash flooding forced officials to perform water rescues on the 
southwestern part of Baltimore Co., Md.
-Urban flooding ensued on the westside of Rochester, N.Y., after 2.1 
inches of rain fell in an hour.    
-Cars, one with three kids, became stuck in flood waters in Coventry, 
R.I. Three car accidents also occurred.
-Flooding took place in East Providence, R.I., after 4.5 inches of 
rain poured down in only 45 minutes.
-Cars floated in the flood waters that inundated an intersection in 
Warwick, R.I.                      
 
 
Record Rainfall From Wed.:           
City: (Old Record)/New             
Albany, NY (1.54"/2003)          2.49"                              
McAllen, TX (0.45"/1942)         3.09"                              
Harlingen, TX (0.54"/2007)       3.42"                              
Williamsport, PA (1.98"/1979)    3.00"                              
Brownsville, TX (2.01"/1929)     6.35"                              
Corpus Christi, TX (1.47"/1919)  2.80"                              
Baltimore, MD (1.75"/1988)       2.42"                              
 
24-Hour Rainfall Totals, Ending at 2 a.m. EDT Thurs.:
Brownsville, TX     6.33"                              
Kingsville, TX      4.13"                              
Harlingen, TX       3.39"                              
Grand Forks, ND     3.29"                              
Williamsport, PA    3.00"                              
Glens Falls, NY     2.71"                              
Chamberlain, SD     2.64"                              
Albany, NY          2.58"                              
Weslaco, TX         4.55"                              
Corpus Christi, TX  4.06"                              
Chicopee Falls, MA  3.37"                              
McAllen, TX         3.09"                              
Port Isabel, TX     2.73"                              
Falfurrias, TX      2.67"                              
Sanford, FL         2.62"                              
Norfolk, VA         2.53"                              
 
 
 
DAILY EXTREMES                     
National High  Yesterday 118 at Death Valley, California
 
National Low   Yesterday 30 at Bodie State Park, California
 
 
 
         COPYRIGHT 2008 ACCUWEATHER, INC