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    You are at:Home»March»March 15»March 15/16, 1952: The Rainiest Day in History!
    March 15

    March 15/16, 1952: The Rainiest Day in History!

    Major DanBy Major DanMarch 15, 2017Updated:February 24, 20201 Comment3 Mins Read
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    A Brief History

    On March 15 and 16, 1952, over a 24 hour period the most rain ever recorded in a 24 hour period fell on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, on the area known as Cilaos.  An unbelievable 73 inches of the wet stuff fell on Cilaos,  a commune first settled by escaped Malagasy slaves known as “Black-Browns.”

    Digging Deeper

    Apparently slaves in that area of the world were referred to as “Browns,” and runaway slaves (I prefer the term, escaped slaves) were called “Black-Browns.”  Believing themselves safe on the highest ground of the island, these people were soon recaptured by their French overlords.  Later, around 1850, this remote part of Reunion became repopulated.  In 1900 about 2500 people lived there, and in 1982 the population had grown to over 5600, so the 1952 population was most likely in between those numbers.  At around 32.59 square miles, Cilaos is about a third the area of Cleveland, Ohio.  Lest you think this gigantic rainfall was a fluke, on January 7/8, 1966 Cilaos was drenched with another 71.9 inches of rain in 24 hours!  The island of Reunion also has the records for 12 hour, 72 hour, and 96 hour rainfall.

    The US record 24 hour rainfall occurred in Alvin, Texas, June 24/25, 1979, when 43 inches fell in that one day period.

    For comparison purposes, here are some annual rainfall numbers for familiar place

    44.73 inches (record for 24 hours, 8,28 inches) New York, New York

    31 inches Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    23 inches London, England

    36 inches Chicago, Illinois

    24 inches Paris, France

    17.13 inches Honolulu, Hawaii

    15 inches Los Angeles, California

    56 inches Miami, Florida

    55.3 inches Tokyo, Japan

    71 inches Calcutta, India

    37 inches Seattle, Washington

    4 inches Las Vegas, Nevada

    Average annual rainfall in the US is around 36 inches per year.  It is almost impossible to imagine the kind of catastrophe over 70 inches in one day would cause!  Question for students (and subscribers): What are your favorite weather records?  Share them with your fellow readers in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Cheke,Anthony and Julian P. Hume.  Lost Land of the Dodo: The Ecological History of Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodrigues.  Yale University Press, 2008.

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    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

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