NEWS: 1996

As 1996 begins, it's cloudy and 38 degrees F at Baltimore's weather station (at BWI Airport). The wind is from the northeast at 3 miles an hour.

It's the start of the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty, as declared by the United Nations.

Noah Sierota is born in California. He's the bassist and a backup voalist for the indie pop band Echosmith, which includes two of his siblings, Sydney Sierota and Graham Sierota. The band is best known for the song "Cool Kids" which reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA with over 1,200,000 sales in the United States and also double platinum by ARIA in Australia.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Cloudy; a light rain shower late in the morning; High temp. 41 F; Low temp. 37 F; Precipitation: 0.01 inch.  No snow on the ground.

Baltimore gets 15.8 inches of snow in a blizzard that begins just after midnight and continues into the next day.

BWI Airport gets 15.8 inches of snow, the greatest snowfall on one day for BWI Airport in 1996.

2.51" of (liquid) precipitation falls in Baltimore, which is the largest-ever amount in Baltimore for any January7th since recordkeeping began in 1871.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Cloudy; snow nearly all day (15.8 inches); breezy/windy from mid-morning onward (25-mph sustained wind & 38-mph gust at 8:00 pm); High temp. 22 F; Low temp. 15 F; Precipitation: 2.51 inches (liquid).  16 inches of snow on the ground.

Baltimore gets another 6.7 inches of snow from the blizzard that began the previous day. The snowstorm lasts until about noon. Total snowfall in Baltimore from the blizzard is 22.5 inches.

An overloaded Zairese Air Africa Antonov An-32B aircraft, bound for Kahemba Airport, overshoots the runway at N'Dolo Airport in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) after failing to take off and then plows into Kinshasa's Simbazikita street market. Four of the six crew of the aircraft that had been wet leased from Moscow Airways, manage to survive. On the ground, however, there are between 225 and 348 fatalities and about 253 significant injuries.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Cloudy, becoming clear; snow in the morning (6.7 inches); breezy/windy (20-mph sustained wind and 36-mph gust at noon); High temp. 30 F; Low temp. 20 F; Precipitation: 0.82 inch (liquid).  22 inches of snow on the ground.

Baltimore gets 4.1 inches of snow, mainly in the afternoon. Some parts of the Baltimore area, especially north and west of the city, have more than 30 inches of snow on the ground. This second burst of snow is considered to be part of the blizzard of the previous two days (i.e., all one storm), for a total of 26.6 inches of snow.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Partly cloudy, then cloudy; snow in the afternoon (4.1 inches); breezy in the early morning; High temp. 26 F; Low temp. 14 F; Precipitation: 0.30 inch (liquid).  25 inches of snow on the ground.

Baltimore gets 6 inches of snow in a storm that lasts from about 6:00 in the morning until about 3:00 in the afternoon.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Moatly cloudy, then cloudy, then partly cloudy; snow from mid-morning to mid-afternoon (6 inches); High temp. 31 F; Low temp. 19 F; Precipitation: 0.78 inch (liquid).  25 inches of snow on the ground.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Snow fluries; High temp. 40° F; Low temp. 22° F; Precip.: Trace (liquid).  No snow on the ground.

A total of 32.6 inches of snow falls in Baltimore in January 1996, making it the snowiest January in Baltimore (up to this point) since recordkeeping began in 1871.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during January 1996 is 6.80 inches, including melted snow and ice, more than double the normal amount for January (3.08 inches). The average daily high temperature for Baltimore during January 1996 is 39.5 degrees F, below the normal of 43.2 degrees.  The average daily low temperature for Baltimore during January 1996 is 23.9 degrees F, below the normal of 25.4 degrees.  A total of 32.6 inches of snow falls at Baltimore's official weather station at BWI Airport during January 1996, well above the normal amount of 6.4 inches.

Gene Kelly dies at age 83 in Beverly Hills, CA. He was an actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style, his good looks, and the likable characters that he played on screen. He starred in, choreographed, or co-directed some of the most well-regarded musical films of the 1940s and 1950s until they fell out of fashion in the late 1950s.  Kelly is best known for his performances in films such as Cover Girl (1944), Anchors Aweigh (1945), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, On the Town (1949), which was his directorial debut, An American in Paris (1951), Singin' in the Rain (1952), Brigadoon (1954), and It's Always Fair Weather (1955). Kelly made his film debut with Judy Garland in For Me and My Gal (1942), and followed by Du Barry Was a Lady (1943), Thousands Cheer (1943), The Pirate (1948), Summer Stock (1950), and Les Girls (1957) among others. After musicals he starred in two films outside the musical genre: Inherit the Wind (1960) and What a Way to Go! (1964). In 1967, he appeared in French director Jacques Demy's musical comedy The Young Girls of Rochefort opposite Catherine Deneuve. Kelly solo directed the comedy A Guide for the Married Man (1967) starring Walter Matthau, and later the extravagant musical Hello, Dolly! (1969) starring Barbra Streisand, recognized with an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. Kelly co-hosted and appeared in Ziegfeld Follies (1946), That's Entertainment! (1974), That's Entertainment, Part II (1976), That's Dancing! (1985), and That's Entertainment, Part III (1994). He was born Eugene Curran Kelly on August 23, 1912 in Pittsburgh, PA.

Baltimore receives 4.4 inches of snow from snowfalls in the morning and in  the evening. The evening snowfall continues into the next day.

The low temperature in Baltimore reaches 40 degrees F, the lowest temperature ever recorded in Baltimore on any May 31st (up to this point) since recordkeeping began in 1871.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during May 1996 is 5.68 inches.

An F0 tornado hits northeast Baltimore, having a 2-mile-long path but not much damage.

At 1:42 in the afternoon, a strong (F3) tornado hits Gamber, Maryland, in Carroll County. It destroys one house and damages 65 others; three people are injured. One person is in an upstairs bedroom when the tornado rips off the top floor of the house and deposits the person in their yard, uninjured.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is sworn in as the second female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

In the Baltimore Ravens' second preseason game, they defeat the New York Giants 37-27 at Giants Stadium. The Ravens are 2-0 this preseason.

U.S. President Bill Clinton signs a bill that ensures that all new mothers and their babies have at least a two-day stay in a hospital.

An EF1 tornado hits Dundalk, Maryland, southeast of Baltimore. Damage is estimated at $750,000.

Heavy rain occurs throughout the Baltimore area, with 2.65 inches of precipitation recorded at BWI Marshall Airport.

Baltimore receives 2.65 inches of precipitation, the most in Baltimore on any November 8th (up to this point) since recordkeeping began in 1871.

This November is the coldest November in Baltimore (up to this point) since recordkeeping began in 1870. Temperatures average 40.2 degees F which is 6.6 degrees F below normal.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during November 1996 is 3.77 inches, including melted snow and ice.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Partly cloudy, then cloudy, then partly cloudy; breezy at times in the afternoon (20-mph gust at 3:54 pm);; High temp. 51 F; Low temp. 32 F; Precipitation: None.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during December 1996 is 6.77 inches, including melted snow and ice. This amount is about double the normal amount for December.

Total precipitation for Baltimore in 1996 is 58.31 inches, about 16 and a half inches above normal.