Manhattanhenge on Cow Flying Anniversary

Oh dear. Not only is today Friday the 13th, and the thirtieth anniversary of the 1977 lightning-caused Blackout, it is also time for another Manhattanhenge. Could it just be astronomical coincidence or evidence of something more sinister?

Today is also the anniversary of the 1895 Woodhaven tornado. The reporting is a bit scattered, but from what we read a tornado first touched down in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, killing three, then skipped over to Harlem, followed by Woodhaven, where one teenage girl was killed, forty people were injured, and much of the then village was destroyed.

According to a contemporary report in the Times, Mrs. Samuel Mackey was in a pasture untethering a cow when the tornado struck. "The cyclone at that moment lifted the cow from its feet, blew it away, and it has not since been seen." Mrs. Mackey survived by digging her hands into the ground. The Times article also mentions that at least a hundred thousand "New-Yorkers and the Brooklynites" showed up in Woodhaven the day after the storm to clear debris, grab mementos and consume "all the visible supply of beer in Queens County".

Today's weather should not match that level of excitement. We should see partly cloudy skies with highs in the upper-80s in Manhattan and the Bronx and a couple degrees cooler elsewhere in the city. Perfect for watching a Manhattanhenge sunset. Tomorrow will be slightly more humid but otherwise a repeat of today. A slight chance of rain sneaks into the picture starting tomorrow night and there's a better chance of showers or a thunderstorm on Sunday afternoon. It currently looks like temperatures will remain seasonable through next week with a chance of rain each day.

robert moses dune with fair weather cumulus clouds by kenyee on Flickr.