December 1996 LaVale MD Weather Summary
Observer Nate Mullins

Special Observations:
F=fog
T=thunder
H=hail
DW=damaging wind
S=sleet
G=glaze

	Temperature, F	Precip
Date	Max	Min	Liquid	Solid	Special Obs

1	49	33	1.80		F,T
2	39	31	   T	   T
3	40	19
4	37	34	   T	   T
5	34	22	 .52	 5.0
6	41	29	 .06	   T
7	38	27
8	43	22	 .03	 0.5
9	36	27	 .02	 0.5
10	39	27	   T	   T
11	39	27	 .09
12	39	37	 .13		F
13	43	39	 .49		F
14	39	34
15	34	21
16	35	26
17	49	35	   T		F
18	42	31	 .07	 0.5
19	31	17	 .08	 1.0
20	22	10
21	23	3
22	27	15
23	41	27
24	49	35	 .04
25	28	20
26	31	19
27	48	28	 .01
28	52	32	 .03
29	52	36	 .09
30	63	37
31	48	31

Tot	39.7	26.8	3.46	 7.5
Ext	63	3	1.80	 5.0
Date	30	21	1	   5

Mean Monthly Temp:  33.2 F
Fog days 4
Thunder days 1

Significant Events

1: Occasional rain, foggy.  A surprise thunderstorm this evening with intense lightning/thunder,
   strong gusty winds, torrential downpours.  Small hail reported nearby.  Over an inch of rain
   fell from the evening storms, bring the day's total to a record 1.80" and the storm total
   from Nov. 30 - Dec. 1 to 2.63".
5: Steady snows today, 5" fell.  Mixed with some rain late in the day/early on the 6th.  One of
   the heavier early season snow events and a new daily record for snow on Dec. 5 but the record
   went down in 2002 and was tied again in 2003 when, in both years, 7" of snow fell on Dec. 5.
13: Steady rain this morning tapering off this afternoon .49" fell.
18-19: Temperatures dropping overnight with light snow (1.5").  Cold & blustery.
20: Cold low 10 F high only 22.  Cold, windy & blustery
21: Cold low 3 F but misses the 1989 record of 1 F.  High only 23.  Cold/blustery.
22: Continued cold high 27/low 15
24: Milder with a light shower
30: Very mild high 63 F

Summary:

December continued the 1996 trend of above normal precipitation.  Temperatures were seasonal to
chilly at times, particularly around the Winter Solstice (21st) after a cold front brought light
snows on the 18th-19th, but this storm didn't live up to expectations.  Temperatures then
moderated around the holidays, with a mild 63 on the 30th.  The warm-up at the end of the month
brought temperatures to near normal, in fact 0.3" above normal, owing to above normal mins.  No
temperature records were set; 1 daily precip record was set (1st, 1.80") and 1 daily snow record
was set (5.0" on the 5th).

1996 was the wettest year ever on record with 59.05" of precipitation, shattering the old record
of 53.17" in 1972.  It was also one of the snowiest calendar years ever, with 69.8 inches.  This
ranks a close 2nd behind 1994 which had 71.1 inches.  Later 2003 broke that record with 71.3".

1996 was also the 2nd coolest year on record with a mean temperature of 49.5 F.