It is hard to believe that 1996 was 28 years ago. January 1996 was wild in East Tennessee. January 1996 had snow, ice, heavy rain, and a mild period. I remember January 1996 very well. One reason 1996 winter was wild was a La Nina pattern was active. The 1995-1996 La Nina was a 20 Month La Nina. The La Nina did not fade until fall of 1996. I am now a Meteorologist so I will be analyzing and taking a trip down memory lane.

The new year 1996 started off very cold in East Tennessee. A dip in the jet stream pulled very cold air down. A powerful storm system developed in the Gulf. This Storm System would produce 0.2 inches of ice and 2-6 inches of snow in the valleys of East Tennessee. This storm later strengthened off the Carolina Coast and produced 3 feet of snow in Maryland and Eastern Pennsylvania.

A few weeks later temperatures warmed up in East Tennessee and we got heavy rain. The ground was soppy. But a few days before January 22nd cold air returned. Another storm system moved across the South. This storm system produced 2-5 inches of snow across East Tennessee

On January 21st and 22nd another storm system moved over East Tennessee. With temps above freezing it was all rain. This storm system was coming up from the Gulf. Thus, it had a lot of moisture to work with. The warmer temps and the heavy rain melted the snow.

Rainfall ended up being 2-4 inches on top of the 2-5 inches of snow. In addition, the ground was very saturated from the other winter and rain storms. Water quickly rose in a lot of counties. Creeks, streams and rivers started to flood not just from the rain but the excessive run off.

In the hither elevations the heavy rain and rapid snow melt from the rain caused rock slides. By the time this event was over millions dollars of damage was done.

Now as a meteorologist it was easy to see why there was so much flooding. As I stated the ground was so saturated from the January 5th snowstorm, the Middle January heavy rains, and the winter storm before the 22nd rains. When the storm system developed in the Gulf it pushed warmer air into Kentucky. Then it pulled very rich gulf moisture. This lead to several waves of heavy rain going over the same areas. The warmer temps and rain melted the snow that was still on the ground. 2-4 inches of rain fell but in some locations the snow melt added another 0.5-0.75 inches of rain water. The ground could not take it. Also due to very cold temperatures a lot of the grasses that could soak up the heavy rain was dormant. This just lead to pounding.

I can remember the ground just turning to all mud and being like a wetland or marsh. It just seemd like when you stepped on it you could feel the water underneath.

In summary, this was a weather event that I remember very well. First it occurred on my birthday. Second, it impacted my area in a severe way. Third, I have a photgraphic memory I can remember events going way back. 1996 would be a wild year for the South due to the ongoing La Nina. January 1996 was only the beginning. The rest of the year would see more ice storms, near record cold, a violent spring, a very active hurricane season, and a violent fall.