NEWS: 2001

As 2001 begins, it's clear and 26 degrees F at Baltimore's official National Weather Service station at BWI Airport. The wind is from the west at 7 miles per hour.

It's the start of the United Nations Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations; the International Year of Volunteers; and the International Year of Mobilization Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance; as proclaimed by the United Nations.

Catonsville weather: Clear, then becoming cloudy; High temp. 35 F; Low temp. 18 F; Precip: None.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then becoming cloudy, then partly cloudy; High temp. 37 F; Low temp. 18 F; Precip: None.  No snow on the gorund.

Catonsville weather: Cloudy, then clearing; High temp. 32 F; Low temp. 20 F; Precip: None.

Baltimore weather: Mostly cloudy, then clearing; breezy from late morning to afternoon (24 mph gust at 4:54 pm); High temp. 32 F; Low temp. 20 F; Precip: None.

Catonsville weather: Clear, then partly cloudy, then mostly cloudy; High temp. 30 F; Low temp. 9 F; Precip: None.

Baltimore weather: Clear, becoming mostly cloudy; briefly breezy (16 mph gust at 1:54 pm); High temp. 34 F; Low temp. 14 F; Precip: None.

Catonsville weather: Mostly cloudy, then partly cloudy, then clear; High temp. 38 F; Low temp. 16 F; Precip: None.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: High temp. 38 F; LOw temp. 20 F; Precip.: None.

Catonsville weather: Clear, then cloudy; snow (1.5 inches) in the afternoon; High temp. 32 F; Low temp. 13 F; Precip: 0.15 inch (liquid). 1.5 inches of snow on the ground.

Baltimore weather: Clear, becoming cloudy, then mostly cloudy; snow (one inch) from late morning to mid-afternoon; High temp. 31 F; Low temp. 17 F; Precip: 0.09 inch (liquid).  One inch of snow on the ground.

The U.S. Congress formally certifies George W. Bush the winner of the 2000 presidential election.

Catonsville weather: Clear, then mostly cloudy, then clear; High temp. 38 F; Low temp. 22 F; Precip: None.

Baltimore weather: Alternating clear skies and cloudiness; High temp. 39 F; Low temp. 24 F; Precip: None.  One inch of snow on the ground.

The Baltimore Ravens win their American Football Conference divisional playoff game, 24-10, over the Tennessee Titans in Nashville.  The Titans score a touchdown on the first drive of the game, but the Ravens score a touchdown in the second quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by Jamal Lewis.   Each team has a field goal in the third quarter.  In the fourth quarter, the Ravens score two touchdowns: on Anthony Mitchell's 90-yard touchdown run after recovering a blocked field-goal attempt, and on Ray Lewis' 50-yard interception return.

Catonsville weather: Parlty cloudy; High temp. 42 F; Low temp. 17 F; Precip: None.

Baltimore weather: Partly cloudy, then mostly cloudy; High temp. 43 F; Low temp. 21 F; Precip: None.

Catonsville weather: Cloudy; mixed rain and snow from afternoon to early evening, ending as snow; High temp. 35 F; Low temp. 23 F; Precip: 0.23 inch (liquid). A trace of snow on the ground.

Baltimore weather: Cloudy, then mostly cloudy; rain showers from late morning to afternoon with a trace of snow; High temp. 37 F, Low temp. 26 F; Precip: 0.19 inch (liquid).  No snow on the ground,

Catonsville weather: Variably cloudy; windy until evening; High temp. 33 F; Low temp. 22 F; Precip: None.

Baltimore weather: Variably cloudy with snow flurries; breezy/windy much of the day (30 mph gust at 4:54 pm);  High temp. 34 F; Low temp. 25 F; Precip: Trace (liquid).  No snow on the ground.

Catonsville weather: Clear; High temp. 42 F; Low temp. 29 F; Precip: None.

Baltimore weather: Partly cloudy, then clear; breezy/windy until mid-afternoon (24 mph gust at 1:54 am); High temp. 43 F; Low temp. 28 F; Precip: None.

The Baltimore Ravens win the American Football Conference (AFC) championship game, 16-3, over the Oakland Raiders at Oakland, California.  The Ravens keep Oakland scoreless in the first half.  Shannon Sharpe of the Ravens runs 96 yards for a touchdown after catching a pass from Trent Dilfer.  Matt Stover kicks 3 field goals for the Ravens.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Light rain; High temp. 42° F; Low temp. 21° F; Precip.: 0.01 inch.

The Baltimore Ravens win Super Bowl XXXV, 34-7, over the New York Giants.  Trent Dilfer, the Ravens' quarterback, leads the offense.  The Ravens' defense, led by Ray Lewis, has four interceptions.  It is the first NFL championship for a Baltimore team since 1971 when the Baltimore Colts won Super Bowl V.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: High temp. 43° F; Low temp. 25° F; Precip.: None.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: High temp. 55° F; Low temp. 34° F; Precip.: None.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during January 2001 is 2.68 inches, including melted snow and ice, below the normal amount of 3.08 inches. The average daily high temperature for Baltimore during January 2001 is 41.3 degrees F, below the normal of 43.2 degrees.  The average daily low temperature for Baltimore during January 2001 is 24.8 degrees F, below the normal of 25.4 degrees. A total of 3.7 inches of snow falls at Baltimore's official weather station at BWI Airport during January 2001, below the normal amount of 6.4 inches.

The Orioles open their season by defeating the Boston Red Sox 2-1 in 11 innings at Oriole Park. Brady Anderson hits a single off Red Sox pitcher Derek Lowe with none out in the bottom of the 11th inning, driving in Jerry Hairston, who had doubled. Ryan Kohlmeier is the winning pitcher for the Orioles in relief, although Pat Hentgen starts the game for the Orioles and pitches 8-2/3 innings, giving up just one run. Attendance is 46,547.

Ichiro Suzuki makes his American major-league debut, playing for the Seattle Mariners against the Oakland Athletics. He hits two singles in 5 at-bats as Seattle defeats Oakland 5-4 at Seattle.

Arlene Francis dies at age 93 in San Francisco, CA. She was an actress, radio and television talk show host, and game show panelist. She's known for her long-running role as a panelist on the television game show What's My Line?, on which she regularly appeared for 25 years, from 1950 to 1975, on both the network and syndicated versions of the show. She also appeared on Match Game, Password, To Tell the Truth, and other game shows. She was born on October 20, 1907 in Boston, MA.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during May 2001 is 5.34 inches.

In the morning, three flaming freight-train boxcars containing paper and plywood are removed from the Howard Street Tunnel in Baltimore and their contents are extinguished, putting an end to the Howard Street Tunnel fire.

The 40-inch water-main break at Howard Street and Lombard Street is repaired. The water main broke on July 18, 2001, as a result of excessive heating during the Howard Street Tunnel fire.

The final first-run episode of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood", a children's TV show starring Fred Rogers, airs on PBS (Public Broadcasting System). It began its national run on 19 February 1968.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during August 2001 is 5.74 inches.

Pitcher Bud Smith of the St. Louis Cardinals becomes the 16th rookie in modern major-league history (since 1900)  to throw a no-hitter and the second to do it to San Diego this season in St. Louis'  4-0 win. Smith makes his 11th career start in the game and raises his win-loss record to 4-2.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Clear, then gradually becoming cloudy; High temp. 78 F; Low temp. 56 F; Precip: None.

The intersection of Howard Street and Lombard Street in downtown Baltimore is finally reopened to traffic after being closed since July 18, 2001, when a massive water-main break flooded the area and caused major damage to the roadbed. The water-main break was caused by the Howard Street Tunnel train fire that also began on July 18.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Mostly cloudy, then clear, then partly cloudy, then clear; breezy in the morning and early afternoon (18 mph gust at 11:54 AM); High temp. 79 F; Low temp. 59 F; Precip: None.

Hijackers take over four passenger jetliners in the morning and crash them: one each into the two tallest buildings (Twin Towers) of the World Trade Center in New York, NY; one into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia; and one into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The World Trade Center towers both catch fire and then collapse an hour or two later. Later in the day, 7 World Trade Center, a 40-story building, also collapses from fire.  The west side of the Pentagon suffers significant damage, including a fire, which is put out. A total of 2,996 people die in the attacks: 265 on the four planes (including the 19 hijackers/terrorists), 2606 in the World Trade Center and in the surrounding area; and 125 at the Pentagon. In addition, more than 6,000 people are injured.

Very soon after the attacks, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration grounds all civilian aircraft within the continental United States. Aircraft in the air are told to land immediately at the next available airport. International flights bound for the U.S. are either turned back or told to land at airports in Canada or Mexico. International flights are barred from landing in the U.S. for the next three days.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Clear, then partly cloudy, then clear; breezy in early afternoon (16 mph gust at 12:54 PM); High temp. 83 F; Low temp. 58 F; Precip: None.

On the South Lawn of the White House, U.S. President George W. Bush says in a speech that there is "no question" Osama bin Laden and his followers are the prime suspects in the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Clear, then partly cloudy, then clear; breezy in early afternoon (16 mph gust at 12:54 PM); High temp. 74 F; Low temp. 45 F; Precip: None.

U.S. stocks plunge to their lowest levels in nearly three years, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffers its worst point-loss in history as stock trading resumes for the first time following the September 11th terrorist attacks. Big losses in aircraft maker Boeing and aviation parts supplier United Technologies helped send the Dow down 684 points or over 7 percent. That loss, while severe, doesn't make the index's top 10 worst declines in percentage terms. The reopening of the stock market is emotional, as people wave U.S. flags.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Clear, then partly to mostly cloudy; High temp. 77 F; Low temp. 48 F; Precip: None.

Two letters which later test positive for anthrax are sent to the New York Post and to NBC news anchorman Tom Brokaw.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Cloudy, then gradually becoming clear; breezy in early afternoon (16 mph gust at 12:54 PM); High temp. 78 F; Low temp. 51 F; Precip: None.

An F3 tornado passes through parts of Laurel, Maryland, causing extensive damage to the roof of Laurel High School and damage to some other buildings.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Clear, then becoming cloudy; a thundershower in late afternoon; breezy from late morning to mid-evening (15 mph sustained wind and 30 mph gust at 6:19 PM); High temp. 79 F; Low temp. 60 F; Precip: 0.16 inch.

The war in Afghanistan begins. The U.S. and Britain launch air attacks against military targets and Osama bin Laden's training camps, in respomse to the terrorist attacks in the U.S. of September 11, 2001.

Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hits his 73rd home run of the season, adding to the record for most home runs hit by a Major League Baseball player in a season.

The low temperature in Baltimore reaches 35 degrees F, a tie for the lowest temperature ever recorded for Baltimore on any October 7th (up to this point) since recordkeeping began in 1871. This low temperature ties the 35 degrees F that was recorded in Baltimore on October 7, 1964, and again on October 7, 1991.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Cloudy, then clear, then mostly cloudy, then partly cloudy; breezy from late morning through early afternoon (22-mph gust at 11:54 am); High temp. 33 F; Low temp. 15 F; Precipitation: None.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during December 2001 is 1.73 inches.

Total precipitation for Baltimore in 2001 is 34.57 inches, about 7 and a half inches below normal.