This happened 12 years before Al Roker started as a weather anchor for a CBS affiliate in Syracuse. Dianne Elizabeth Johnson was born in St. Louis, Missouri on Dec. 28, 1938.  She was the daughter of Milton and Nettie Johnson and a descendant of a Civil War general’s slave mistress. There was an actual audition process for the weather girl job at KSD in St. Louis.  As a matter of fact, among the many competitors was a woman by the name of Mary Frann who was another St. Louis native, but it was also Mary Frann would go on to play Bob Newhart’s wife on his hit 1980s sitcom, “Newhart.”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was 2 features that combined for this tour de force that blanketed this massive area of North America.  There was a surface and a supporting upper level feature that merged in this one.   This one-two punch combined the power of the "Saskatchewan Screamer" vs that of the "Southwest Desert Destroyer"!! (Ding! Ding!)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On February 1st, 2003, 17 years and 3 days since the Challenger was lost with all of her crew 73 seconds after lift-off, the world was blind-sided when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it reentered the atmosphere, killing all seven crew members. To help out with specialized perspective, I am joined by: Scott Sutherland, Space Writer and Meteorologist, theweathernetwork.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The earthquake immediately triggered a destructive tsunami that claimed the souls of 500 people who were along the coast of Colombia. This was not the only event of this kind that century. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The City of Boston set sail from Halifax, Nova Scotia for Liverpool on 28 January Se was commanded by Captain Halcrow with 191 people on board. But the SS City of Boston never reached her final destination and there has never been any trace of her since.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just some of the destruction that you'll hear about in the full podcast:

The destruction:

**The Great Olympic Blowdown felled eight times more trees than the eruption of Mount St. Helens back on March 27, 1980!!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This was as much a Canada story as it was a US story.  But the worst of it did definitely hit Western NY.  Through the 5 days of this, there were daily peak wind gusts ranging from 74 to 111 km/hr. Snowfall totals were as high as 254 cm in the worst hit areas!! And we had winds creating drifts blowing 30 to 40 ft (9 to 12 m) high.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Niagara Falls!  It has been the honeymoon capital of the world on and off for centuries.  Royalty have stayed there, rockstars, movie stars and other elite. The bridge was an international passage that connected Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, with Niagara Falls, New York, United States that crossed the Niagara River.  It was originally built back in 1897 and it was finished in 1898. At that time it was the greatest steel arch bridge in the world.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Important to note that the previous record snowfall for the city was 19 inches (48cm) on March 25th and 26th, of 1930. So to beat it by a clear 10cm is really something!! This storm had it all: wind, snow and even a thunderstorm! Desperate for places to put the stuff, they dumped it in any vacant lot they could find...then something truly warm and wonderful happened.....

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

16 countries gathered to compete in sports like figure skating, speed skating, hockey, curling and a whole lot more. But the opening ceremonies were on this day in weather history.  On the morning of the Opening Ceremony, there was a huge lift of relief, because it had been pairing rain for days leading up to this day, not good at all for a site that needs to be covered in snow.  It was looking pretty dire.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices