New York City Weather Archive

Today in New York Weather History: February 23

 

• 1987 - 4.2" of heavy, wet snow fell between 2-11AM, accounting for half of the month's precipitation.  The temperature rose into the low 40's in the afternoon.   

 

 

• 2010 - A cold rain fell throughout the day, totalling 1.20".  Just three degrees separated the day's high/low (38/35).  The rain continued until daybreak on the 24th, adding 0.42".

Today in New York Weather History: February 22

 

• 1981 - This was the 7th day in a row in which the mean temperature was at least 12 degrees above average.  The high/low during these days was 58/45, seventeen degrees milder than normal.  This streak came in the midst of seventeen days of above-average temps (February 14-March 2). 

 

• 1986 - For the 4th day in a row the high temperature was 40 degrees.

 

• 1997 - Today's springlike high of 69 was a record for the date and three degrees warmer than two days ago when another record high was set.  

 

• 2001 - 5.5" of snow fell tonight between 5-11PM, the fourth snowfall of 4 inches or more this winter.  It was a fluffy snow with just 0.31" of water content.

 

• 2008 - Six inches of slushy snow fell during the morning thru early afternoon, the biggest snowfall of the winter - and the largest accumulation since New York's biggest snowstorm of all time two Februarys ago.  Today's snow was also a record for the date.  

Today in New York Weather History: February 21

 

• 1981 - Just two degrees separated today's high and low of 49/47.

 

• 1993 - 4.3" of wet snow fell on this Sunday evening, mixing with some freezing rain and some rain near the end as the temperature hovered around the freezing mark.  This was the largest accumulation of the winter so far, but it would be easily topped three weeks later by the March Superstorm.

 

• 2003 - Today's high of 50 was the mildest temperature of a very cold month (the coldest since 1979).

 

• 2007 - At just 49 degrees, today was the mildest reading of a February that was even colder than 2003 (above).

 

• 2010 - Today's high of 46 was one of the lowest readings to be the mildest temperature of a winter month.    

Today in New York Weather History: February 20

 

• 1981 - A rainstorm that began yesterday dropped 0.85" in the bucket last night and 1.77" today for a total of 2.62".  This was the biggest rainstorm in seven months.

 

• 2005 - The first measurable snow of the month fell today and over the next ten days three mini-snowstorms of five inches+ would pass through, dumping a total of 18.7" of snow.  The first storm moved in this evening after 9:00 and five inches had accumulated by the time the snow ended at 10AM on the 21st. 

Today in New York Weather History: February 19

 

• 1979 - A fast-moving snowstorm buried the City on Presidents' Day with 12.7" of snow between 4AM-noon.  However, the storm's deepest snows, of 18-24", fell in Virginia, DC, Maryland and Delaware.  Additionally, 15 of the past 19 days had high temperatures that were at the freezing mark or below, averaging 14 degrees below average.  Including today's snowfall 20.1" of snow fell duing these nineteen days.  Another President's Day storm with even more snow would strike the area 24 years later. 

 

• 1997 - Today's high of 66 was a record for the date.

 

• 2000 - Today's high/low was 32/29 with freezing rain (0.24" of liquid precipitation).

 

• 2006 - Today was the second coldest day of a mild winter as the high reached 30 after a low of 15.  (The coldest day of the winter was back in mid-December).

 

• 2007 - Thirteen of the past sixteen days had morning lows in the teens and eleven had highs at freezing or below.  Average high/low during these days was 30/17, 10.5 degrees colder than normal.

 

New York Weather History: February (1979 - 2011)

Highlights:  Presidents' Day snowstorms in 1979 and 2003; two snowstorms three days apart in 1994 dumped 22"; biggest snowfall of all-time on February 11-12, 2006; Valentine's Day ice storm in 2007; zero degrees on Feb 18, 1979; 75 degrees on Feb. 24, 1985; 20.9" of snow on February 25-26, 2010.

 

Feb 1                Feb 11                Feb 21

Feb 2                Feb 12                Feb 22

Feb 3                Feb 13                Feb 23

Feb 4                Feb 14                Feb 24

Feb 5                Feb 15                Feb 25

Feb 6                Feb 16                Feb 26

Feb 7                Feb 17                Feb 27

Feb 8                Feb 18                Feb 28

Feb 9                Feb 19                Feb 29

Feb 10              Feb 20   

Year-by-Year Review of New York City Weather Highlights (1979 - 2011)

Whether it be extremes of heat or cold, blizzards or hurricanes, drought or wind, each year has some noteworthy weather events that make that year memorable..  Below are topline summaries of each year's highlights (1979 to 2011).  For more details for any given year doubleclick its hyperlink. 

 

2011 - Headlines: 55 inches of snow fell in five weeks; wettest March on record; 104 degrees on July 22; nineteen inches of rain made August the rainiest month ever; tropical storm Irene; unprecedented pre-Halloween snowstorm

2010 - Headlines: two twenty-inch+ snowstorms, one in February, the other at Christmastime; February's 36.9" of snow was most ever for any month; a powerful nor'easter struck in March; April 7 was the earliest date for a 90-degree reading; July tied July 1999 as hottest month on record; 103 on July 6; a ferocious tornadic storm swept thru Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens in September; for the first time since 2002 less than 50 inches of precipitation fell.    

2009 - Headlines: an early heatwave in late April was followed by one of the coolest summers on record; snowstorm on December 19-20 dumped 10.9"

2008 - Headlines: with just a trace of snow January tied 1933 as the least snowy January on record; 6-day heat wave in July; tropical storm Hanna dumped 3.54" of rain on Sept 5-6

2007 - Headlines: 72 degrees during first week of January; coldest Easter since 1940; 8.41" of rain fell during April nor'easter; tropical storm Barry passed through in early June; pre-dawn tornado struck Brooklyn in August; warmest October on record

2006 - Headlines: 26.9" of snow on Feb. 11-12 is NYC's biggest snowstorm of all time; 4th winter in a row with 40 inches+ of snowfall; driest March on record; last 90-degree day on August 3 

2005 - Headlines: 13.8" snowstorm on January 22; 17 inches of rain fell in less than 3 weeks in October

2004 - Headlines: 10" of snow from late January snowstorm; two days in January had lows of 1 degree above zero, coldest reading in ten years; no 90-degree days in July and only two all summer; tropical storms Frances, Ivan and Jeanne all in September

2003 - Headlines: President Day's blizzard; April snowstorm of 4"; coolest May in 36 years; rainiest June on record; 12 days in a row with rain, 7/31-8/11; two-stage snowstorm in early December dumped 14" 

2002 - Headlines: just 3.5" of snow during winter of 91/92 made it second least snowy winter of all time; mildest February on record; an unprecedented 4-day heatwave in mid-April; summertime heatwaves of 8 and 9 days; snow fell on Christmas Day (5 inches) for the first time in 33 years

2001 - Headlines: 103 on August 9; mildest November and December on record; the driest year since 1970

2000 - Headline: a foot of snow fell on December 30

1999 - Headlines: 11-day streak of 90-degree days; hottest and driest July on record; tropical storm Floyd flooded area with 5 inches of rain in September

1998 - Headlines: only 0.5 inches of snow fell in January/February; one of mildest winters on record; the last five days of March all had highs in the 80s, 26 degrees above average; 75 degrees on December 7 came three days after a high of 74

1997 - Headline: out-of-season nor'easter in July

1996 - Headlines: blizzard on Jan 7-8 dumped 20 inches, paralyzed area for days; 77 inches of snow during 95/96 winter is most ever; just three 90-degree days all summer; nor'easter rained out Game 1 of World Series at Yankee Stadium

1995 - Headines: nearly all of the winter's snow fell from an 11" snowstorm in early February; 102 on July 15; just 0.18" of rain in August

1994 - Headlines: 2 below zero on Jan. 19; 22 inches of snow from two storms three days apart in early February; a hot June 

1993 - Headlines: March Superstorm; thirty-nine 90-degree days tied all-time record set two years earlier; twenty 90-degree days in July; very dry May-June-July; 80 degrees on November 15 

1992 - Headlines: a ferocious nor'easter struck on December 11

1991 - Headlines: Warmest May on record; thirty-nine 90-degree days is most ever; 102 on July 21

1990 - Headlines: mildest January on record; 85 degrees on March 13, earliest ever 80-degree reading; 10 inches of rain in a 10-day period in August

1989 - Headlines: one of wettest years on record; 4.7" of snow on Thanksgiving; one of coldest Decembers on record, but very little snow

1988 - Headlines: thirty-three 90-degree days; a.m. low of 5 degrees on December 12 

1987 - Headlines: late January snowstorm; heat wave during late May; 1.1" of snow on Veteran's Day

1986 - Headlines: last snowfall of the winter was on February 14; coolest 4th of July morning on record; last 90-degree reading at end of July; four very chilly mornings at the end of August

1985 - Headlines: 2 below zero on Jan. 21; 75 degrees in late February; 1st 90-degree reading not until July 14; Hurricane Gloria struck in late Sept; a dry year overall

1984 - Headline: March was one of coldest ever; strong nor'easter in late March; early June heat wave

1983 - Headlines: snowstorm on February 11-12 buried NYC under 17.6" of snow; a hot summer with thirty-six 90-degree days culminated with 99 degrees on Sept. 11; a frigid Christmas Day with a high/low of 13/+4; more than 80 inches of precipitation fell during the year, an all-time record later called into question

1982 - Headlines: a very cold January; early April blizzard dumped 9.6" of snow the week before Easter; the summer's eleven 90-degree days were concentrated between July 8-27; Christmas Day tied Christmas 1889 as mildest ever 

1981 - Headlines: Hudson River ice-choked in 1st half of January; driest January on record

1980 - Headlines: hottest August on record; thirty-two 90-degree days, the last of which was on Sept. 22; 1 below zero on Christmas morning

1979 - Headline: wettest January on record; a very cold February, including zero degrees on Feb. 18; President's Day snowstorm; tropical storm David in early September; 88 degrees on October 22; Christmas Day was milder than Easter Sunday

Today in New York Weather History: February 18

 

• 1979 - This morning's low of zero degreeswas the coldest reading in February since 1943.  It was also the eighth day of the past ten with a low in the single digits.  During these ten days the low averaged a brutal +6, twenty-two degrees colder than average.

 

• 1981 - Today's balmy high of 68 was a record for the date, twenty-six degrees above the average.  This was four weeks after the Hudson and East Rivers around Manhattan were largely ice covered.

 

• 2000 - A slushy three inches of snow fell in addition to freezing rain and sleet.  This was the last significant snow of the winter.

 

• 2003 - Eight of the past thirteen days had highs at freezing or colder and twenty-six inches of snow fell.  Temperatures were 9 degrees below average. 

 

 

• 2006 - Although today turned sharply colder, temperatures in the upper 50's the previous three days completely melted away the record-setting 26.9 inches of snow that fell less than a week ago (Feb. 11-12).   

Today in New York Weather History: February 17

 

• 1990 - The temperature nosedived from 58 to 23 by midnight.

 

• 2003 - After last night's initial snowfall of 3.5" the brunt of the Presidents' Day blizzard kicked in this morning and dumped an additonal 16.3", making this NYC's fourth biggest snowfall on record.  (Since then three snowstorms during the winters of 2005/06, 2009/10 and 2010/11 have surpassed it.)  40 to 50 mph winds created snow drifts of 3-5 feet.  The day's high/low was just 26/14.    

Today in New York Weather History: February 16

 

• 1996 - Snow fell throughout the day and 10.7" piled up (9.9" of it today, the rest after midnight).  This was the fourth snowstorm this winter of 7.5" or more.

 

• 2003 - This was the coldest day of the winter, with a high of just 15 and a low of 8, twenty-two degrees below average.  Then a fierce blizzard moved up the coast tonight and by midnight 3.5" of snow had fallen.  Winds gusted over 40 mph producing below zero wind chills.  And a lot more snow fell the next day, which was President's Day.

 

 

• 2010 - It was a snowy day as five inches of wet snow fell, more than had been predicted.  The afternoon high was 31.