NEWS: 2018

As 2018 begins, it's clear and 9 degrees F at Baltimore's National Weather Service station at BWI Airport. The wind is from the west at 7 miles an hour.

California begins allowing the legal sale of recreational marijuana at stores that are licensed by the state to sell it.

Gretchen Carlson is named chairwoman of the board of directors of the Miss America Organization. She was Miss America for 1989 before becoming a Fox News Channel anchor. Three other past Miss Americas -- Laura Kaeppeler Fleiss, who won for 2012; Heather French Henry, who won for 2000; and Kate Shindle, who won for 1998 -- also join her on the board.

The leader of the New York City Ballet, Peter Martins, announces his retirement. An investigation is ongoing regrding accusations of sexual misconduct.

In the Rose Bowl, Georgia defeats Oklahoma 54-48 in overtime, the first overtime Rose Bowl game ever. In the Sugar Bowl, Alabama defeats Clemson 24-6.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Clear, then mostly cloudy, then clear, then partly cloudy; breezy in the afternoon and evening (23-mph gust at 7:54 pm); High temp. 23° F; Low temp. 3° F; Precipitation: None.  A trace of snow on the ground. (Note: "BWI Airport" is used in this table as shorthand for Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, which has the official National Weather Service weather station for Baltimore.)

U.S. Senator Al Franken of Minnesota formally resigns from the U.S. Senate. He had been alleged to have engaged in sexual misconduct on several occasions.

Republican U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah says he will not seek re-election, ending a stint in the U.S. Senate that began in 1977. (Mitt Romney later wins the Senate seat vacated by Hatch.)

NBC News announces Hoda Kotb as the new co-anchor of the first two hours of the “Today” TV show. She replaces Matt Lauer after NBC fired him for alleged sexual misconduct.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Clear; breezy through early afternoon (23-mph wind gust max.); High temp. 24° F; Low temp. 11° F; Precipitation: None.  A trace of snow on te ground.

U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order to abolish a voter fraud commission he earlier set up to investigate the 2016 presidential election.

A storm brings snow and ice to coastal areas of the U.S. Southeast. Tallahassee, Florida, receives a tenth of an inch of snow. Ice is also common, with a half-inch of ice reported in Brunswick, Georgia. The storm then proceeds up the U.S. East Coast.  Blizzard warnings are issued from Norfolk, Virginia, to Maine.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Clear, becoming cloudy; light snow late in the evening (a trace of snow); High temp. 30° F; Low temp. 5° F; Precipitation: Trace (liquid).  A trace of snow on the ground.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration moves to greatly expand offshore drilling for oil.

A blizzard affects coastal areas of the mid-Atlantic states and into New England and eastern Canada. Seventeen inches of snow fall at Cape May Court House, New Jersey. In Canada, 20 inches of snow fall in Bathurst, New Brunswick. Winds gust to more than 70 mph in eastern parts of Masachusetts, including 76 mph on Nantucket. Winds are even stronger in parts of eastern Canada: a gust of 126 mph is reported in Saint-Joseph-du-Moine, Nova Scotia, causing widespread power outages. At the peak of the storm, nearly 130,000 Nova Scotia Power customers were left without power. Also, Bermuda has wind gusts of up to 54 mph and thunderstorms that drop 1.84 inches of rain.

U.S. stock markets have a good day as the Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches a closing level of over 25,000 for the first time. It had broken the 24,000 level just five weeks earlier.

U.S. President Donald Trump says that the forthcoming book "Fire and Fury" by Michael Wolff is full of “lies, misrepresentations and sources that don’t exist.” 

Ray Thomas dies at age 76 in Surrey, England. He was an English multi-instrumentalist, singer, founding member and composer in the English progressive rock band the Moody Blues. His flute solo on the band's 1967 hit single "Nights in White Satin" is regarded as one of progressive rock's defining moments. In 2018, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Moody Blues. He was born on December 29, 1941 in Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire, England.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Light snow (0.9")  through mid-afternoon, then cloudy, then clearing; breezy/windy from early morning onward (23-mph sustained wind & 41-mph gust at 5:54 pm); High temp. 26° F; Low temp. 14° F; Precipitation: 0.10 inch (liquid).  One inch of snow on the ground.

Officials report that in 2017, there were 290 murders in New York, NY, the fewest in the modern era. Crimes and shootings also declined. By contrast, there were 343 murders in Baltimore in 2017, a city with less than one-tenth the population of New York.

“Fire and Fury”, a book by by Michael Wolff, is first published. In the book, former Donald Trump aide Steve Bannon is quoted as having doubts about President Trump’s competence.

John Young dies at age 87 in Houston, Texas. He was an astronaut, naval officer and aviator, test pilot, and aeronautical engineer. He became the ninth person to walk on the Moon as commander of the Apollo 16 mission in 1972. He flew on four different classes of spacecraft: Gemini, the Apollo command and service module, the Apollo Lunar Module, and the Space Shuttle. He was born on September 24, 1930 in San Francisco, CA.

Jerry Van Dyke dies at age 86 in Malvern, Arkansas. He was an actor, musician and comedian, and the younger brother of actor Dick Van Dyke. Jerry Van Dyke made his television acting debut on The Dick Van Dyke Show with several guest appearances as Rob Petrie's brother Stacey (in which he played a four-string banjo). While his infrequent starring roles were typically in poorly received sitcoms (My Mother the Car, one of the shows where he was the lead actor, is considered one of the worst sitcoms of all time), he enjoyed a long and successful career as a character actor in supporting and guest roles. From 1989 to 1997 he portrayed Luther Van Dam in 199 episodes of  Coach. Jerry Van Dyke was born on July 27, 1931 in Danville, Illinois.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Partly cloudy, becoming clear; breezy/windy (25-mph sustained wind & 36-mph gust at 11:54 am); High temp. 19° F; Low temp. 10° F; Precipitation: None.  One inch of snow on the ground.

U.S. President Donald Trump tweets that he is “like, really smart” and “a very stable genius”, in response to the book "Fire and Fury" by Michael Wolff in which former Trump aide Steve Bannon is quoted as questioning Trump's competence.

Automotive air bag maker Takata announces the recall of an additional 3.3 million faulty air bag inflators.

A cold wave accompanied by strong wind occurs in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic U.S. following a snowstorm, affecting about 100 million people.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Clear, then partly cloudy, then clear; breezy/windy (31-mph wind gusts max.); High temp. 18° F; Low temp. 7° F; Precipitation: None.  A trace of snow on the ground.

A cold wave in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic U.S. sets low-temperature records in the morning in some places from Maine to West Virginia.

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” wins the Golden Globe Award for best film. Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell, who acted in the film, also win awards, as does its writer-director, Martin McDonagh.

At the Golden Globe Awards ceremony, Oprah Winfrey says, “Their time is up!” referring to men who use their power to abuse women.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Clear, becoming cloudy, then partly cloudy to mostly cloudy; High temp. 21° F; Low temp. 1° F; Precipitation: None.  A trace of snow on the ground.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Mostly cloudy to cloudy; light rain, freezing rain, snow, and sleet (precipitation beginning at 1:31 pm) through mid-evening (a trace of snow); then cloudy to mostly cloudy; High temp. 35° F; Low temp. 13° F; Precipitation: 0.06 inch (liquid).  A trace of snow on the gorund.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: High temp. 38° F; Low temp. 16° F; Precip.: None.  No snow on the ground.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during January 2018 is 1.00 inch, including melted snow and ice, about 1/3 of the normal amount for January (3.08 inches). The average daily high temperature for Baltimore during January 2018 is 42.1 degrees F, below the normal of 43.2 degrees. The average daily low temperature for Baltimore during January 2018 is 21.9 degrees F, below the normal of 25.4 degrees.  A total of 2.2 inches of snow falls at Baltimore's official weather station at BWI Airport during January 2018, below the normal amount of 6.4 inches.

It is very windy nearly all day in the Baltimore region. Wind gusts of up to 71 mph cause some damage, especially to trees.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Cloudy to mostly cloudy; light rain just after midnight and light snow early in the morning; very windy from 2:51 AM onward (40 mph sustained wind & 59 mph gust at 4:54 PM); very low barometric pressure (29.26 inches at 1:08 AM); High temp. 48° F; Low temp. 36° F; Precipitation: 0.01 inch (liquid). No snow on the ground.

Extremely heavy rainfall occurs in Catonsville and in Ellicott City, caused by persistent thunderstorms over the area. Rainfall is measured at up to 10.38 inches in Catonsville and 8.40 inches in Ellicott City. The rainfall causes major flooding in the middle and lower Main Street area of Ellicott City, with several water rescues performed, and major destruction of property.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Cloudy, then mostly cloudy, then cloudy; heavy thunderstorms in the late afternoon and early evening; breezy/windy at times (38 mph gust at 4:00 pm); High temp. 85 degrees F, Low temp, 63 degrees F, Precipitation: 2.00 inches.

Police in Las Vegas, Nevada, say they are closing their investigation into the October 1, 2017 shooting at a country music festival without a definitive answer for why Stephen Paddock fired more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition from a hotel suite into the concert crowd.

The body of singer Aretha Franklin is laid to rest after an 8-hour funeral at a church in Detroit, Michigan. (She died on August 16, 2018.)

The total precipitation for Baltimore during August 2018 is 3.84 inches.

Rainfall and windy conditions continue from the previous day. Rainfall is 2.23 inches at BWI Marshall Airport.

2.23 inches of precipitation falls in Baltimore, the most in Baltimore on any September 9th (up to this point) since recordkeeping began in 1871.

Heavy rainfall continues in the Baltimore area. This day's precipitation at BWI Airport is 2.22 inches. A total of 3.70 inches (for the 2-day storm) is recorded near Baltimore.

2.22 inches of precipitation falls in Baltimore, the most in Baltimore on any September 18th (up to this point) since recordkeeping began in 1871.

U.S. President Donald Trump says that the United States will withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a 1987 nuclear arms treaty with Russia.

The Los Angeles Dodgers return to the World Series after a 5–1 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers in game 7 of the National League Championship Series.

Four U.S. tourists are killed in Costa Rica in a rafting accident on a swollen river.

Saudi Arabia announces that journalist Jamal Khashoggi had been killed in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. There is immediate skepticism over the Saudi account that Khashggi had died during a "fistfight."

More than 600,000 people gather at Parliament Square in London, England,  as protesters from the People's Vote campaign call for a second Brexit referendum deal between the United Kingdom and the European Union.

After a delay of three years, voters in Afghanistan head to the polls to elect members of the nation's parliament. The election is marred by violence and suicide attacks which leave over 170 dead or wounded nationwide. Because of technical issues in some constituencies, voting is extended through the next day, October 21.

A spat in a market in Nigeria's northern Kaduna State results in 55 dead. After the brawl, 22 people were arrested.

Unidentified armed men shoot and kill nine sugarcane farmers in Sagay, Philippines.

Baltimore weather: Light rain in the morning and late evening, cloudy to mostly cloudy at other times. High temperature 65 degrees F, low temperature 50 degrees F., Precipitation: 0.06 inch.

An intense line of thunderstorms affects the Baltimore area. Two tornadoes are reported. One tornado is EF-1 with winds estimated at 100 mph that strikes Mount Airy and causes tree and property damage along with downed power lines. The other tornado, EF-1 with winds estimated at 105 mph, hits Dundalk, causing two fatalities and an injury when a severely damaged building's wall collapses.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Cloudy with occasional light rain showers, then thunderstorms with heavy rain in the evening; windy/breezy in the evening (24 mph sustained wind & 37 mph gust at 9:35 PM); High temp. 73° F; Low temp. 55° F; Precipitation: 0.75 inch.

An American official says that the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi (on October 2, 2018) had been ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Baltimore gets a trace (less than one-tenth of an inch) of snow.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during December 2018 is 6.54 inches, including melted snow and ice. This amount is about double the normal amount for December.

Total precipitation for 2018 at Baltimore is 71.82 inches, about 30 inches above normal. This is the most precipitation for any year at Baltimore (up to this point) since recordkeeping began in 1871. The point of record for measuring Baltimore precipitation and other weather data is Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, as it has been since July 1950 (although it was called Baltimore-Washington International Airport from 1973 to October 1, 2005, and Friendship International Airport from 1950 to 1972).