Place: Rochester, MN
Year: 1979
Event: 2.73 inches of rain fell in 50 minutes making this the wettest August on record. (9.52 inches of rain so far this month). The heavy downpour flooded the streets of Rochester, stranding about 1,500 cars.

Place: Midwest
Year: 1979
Event: A five-state tornado outbreak in Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, Iowa and Missouri occurred on this date. In all, 20 tornadoes were reported. Nine were in Iowa. One near Farragut, IA, in the extreme SW corner of the state, caused several fatalities and numerous injuries.