1983
Today's high was a sizzling 94°, twenty degrees above average, and a record for the date.
2000
1.90" of rain fell during the afternoon and evening with much of it falling between 2-4:30 PM.
Most Popular Posts
- 1. NYC Snowstorms
- 2. A History of Frigid Temperatures in NYC
- 3. Remembering New York's "Snowmageddon"
- 4. New York's Hottest Summers
- 5. Year-by-Year Review of NYC Weather
- 6. Highlights of Holiday Weather
- 7. Memorable Nor'easters That Have Battered NYC
- 8. Christmas Day Weather
- 9. Hurricanes & Tropical Storms That Have Lashed NYC
- 10. Past Weather of NY Yankees Home Openers
August 2017 Weather Recap - Coolest Since 2008
After experiencing the third and fourth hottest Augusts on record in 2016 and 2015, August 2017 cooled down and was 1.2 degrees below average, making it the coolest/most refreshing since 2008 (and its average high was the coolest since 2004, at 1.7 degrees below average). The month began on the hot side, with the only reading in the 90s, (a high of 92° on 8/1), but the rest of the month had twelve days with highs below 80° (the average number is seven). Despite the cooler than average temperatures there were no lows in the 50s (but 8/30 had a low of 60° - and 9/1 a low of 55°). Here are a few other interesting observations:
- August 29, with a high/low of 68/62, was the first August day since 2010 to have a high cooler than 70°.
- This was the first month this year with no days of rainfall of an inch or more. (Through July there were twelve such rainy days.) As a result, not surprisingly, the 3.34" of rain that fell was an inch below average.
- This August joined August 2008 as the only two to have their one 90-degree day occur on 8/1.
- If 8/1 ends up being the last 90-degree day of the year, it will be the earliest date for this occurrence since 1986 (when it happened on 7/26).
- As for the summer, it came in just about at the average (-0.1 degree), with June 0.3 degrees above average, July at +0.6, and August -1.2. This was the fourth summer in a row with no lows in the 50s during July and August, a record streak (by contrast, July/August 1962-1965 averaged nine days in the 50s).
July 2017 Weather Recap: Somewhat "Ho-Hum"
The month of July, temperature-wise, was close to average (+0.3 degree), with slightly below average rainfall (4.19", more than half which fell in the first week). Thru 7/22 temperatures were 2.3 degrees above average, but the final nine days were four below average. Five days had highs in the 90s, which was below the average of eight. Four of these 90-degree days were consecutive, from 7/19 thru 7/22, making this the third heat wave of the year. It was then immediately followed by five days in a row with highs in the 70s, the longest such streak in July since 2009. 7/20's high/low of 94/77 tied 6/13 as the hottest day of the year (so far). Finally, the month's rainfall highlight was on 7/7, when 1.78" fell, much of it pouring down during a two-hour deluge before lunchtime. Here are a few other observations:
- July 4th was the warmest in four years, but its high of 85° was two degrees cooler than Easter Sunday's. However, it started off much warmer, with a low of 70° versus Easter's morning low of 59°. (And it was 24 degrees warmer than Memorial Day.)
- Although the average low for July was 1.0 degree above average, the average high was 0.4 degree below average. This somewhat mirrored June, which had an average high that was 1.1 degree above average and a high that was right at the average.
- July's rainfall could have been considerably more but strong thunderstorms on 7/17 and 7/21 stayed north and south of Manhattan, and a predicted nor'easter on 7/29 stayed too far south and east of the City.
- This was the eighth July in a row with no lows in the 50s, continuing the longest such streak on record (for the month of July).
- July 1940, 1954 and 1963 had more than twice as many 90-degree days than July 2017, but their average temperatures were slightly lower, due to their average low temperatures, which were three degrees cooler:
- July Fun Fact: July 1937, 1938 and 1939 all had the same average temperature (76.6 degrees).
June 2017 Weather Recap: A Cool & Dry Start, Followed by Warm & Wet Second Half
June 2017 was close to average temperature-wise (+0.6 degrees) and rainfall was close to average as well (4.76" vs. average of 4.41"), but as so often happens with averages, they masked the true "personality" of the month. Specifically, the first nine days were six degrees cooler than average, and then the rest of the month was three degrees warmer than average; meanwhile, after less than half an inch of rain fell thru June 16, the remaining two weeks were on the rainy side, with more than four inches measured.
The highlights of the month occurred mostly during two eight-day periods. The first, from June 6-13, pertained to temperature, with two days that were 10 degrees or more below average (highs in the 50s and 60s) quickly followed by three that were 10+ degrees above average (highs in the 90s). The month's coolest and hottest days (based on daily mean temperature) were at the beginning and end of this eight-day period: a high/low of 58/52 on 6/6 (fourteen degrees below average) and 94/77 on 6/13 (fifteen degrees above average). The second eight-day period was rain-related, most of which fell during three downpours of an inch or more on 6/17, 6/19 and 6/24; these periods of heavy rain each lasted two to three hours.
Some additional observations:
- The month's average high of 79.3° was right at the average, but the average low was 1.1 degree warmer than average. This was largely due to ten days having lows of 70° or warmer, double the typical number - only four other years have had more.
- After three days in a row of 90-degree temperatures in May (5/17-19), the next twenty days saw no highs of 80° or warmer. In fact, the first 80-degree day in June, on 6/9, was the deepest into June with no 80-degree days since 2003, when it happened on 6/10.
- Five days in a row had measurable rain from 6/2-6, but only 0.19" was measured, the smallest amount to fall during five consecutive days since March 1982.
- On average there are four or five days with highs of 88° or 89° before the sixth day in the 90s occurs, but this year there were no such days - the first time this has happened since 1995. By contrast, last year had seven such days before the sixth high in the 90s occurred, 2015 had twelve, and 2014 had eight.
- Four days in a row, 6/20-23, had a high of 83°. Then, after a high of 84° on 6/24, there was another high of 83° on 6/25.
- Father's Day (6/18) and Gay Pride Day (6/25) had similar conditions, with partly cloudy skies and highs/lows of 85/70 and 83/68, respectively.
Here are links to previous June recaps:
Days of 95 Degrees+ and "Super" Heat Waves
The majority of days with highs of 90° or hotter in New York fall in the 90-92 range (56% to be exact). And while the average number of 90-degree days each year is seventeen (including readings in the triple digits), the average number of readings that reach 95° or higher is just three (about one out of every four years have had no highs that hot). The most in one year was sixteen, in 1955. What follows are some more hot-Hot-HOT weather observations, best read in a well air-conditioned environment:
- Eleven years (since 1872) have had ten or more days with readings of 95°+, with the most recent being 2002, which had 13.
- Although 1955 is the year with the most days with highs of 95° or hotter, it ranks 19th in total number of 90-degree days (with 25). Incredibly, nearly two-thirds of its 90°+ days were 95°+ (the average is one-in-six).
- 1970 has the distinction of having the most 90-degree days, twenty-two, without any being 95° or hotter. And not far behind are 1959, which had just one of twenty-seven days reaching 95/100+, and 1939, which had one of twenty-four. The most consecutive years with no days of 95°+ is two, which has happened four times, most recently in 2003 and 2004.
- The greatest concentration of years with with well above-average number of days with 95°+ readings was 1952-55, when there were nine in 1952, twelve in 1953 and sixteen in 1955 (1954 had four, two of which were highs of 100°).
- Although 1917 had only six days in the 90s/100s, the last four, on consecutive days, were sizzlers, with highs of 98-100-98-98.
- The earliest excessively hot days occurred on April 18, 1976 and April 17, 2002, both which had highs of 96°, and on May 19, 1962 when the temperature topped out at a blistering 99°. On the late side, the high reached 99° twice on Sept. 11, in 1931 and in 1983; and on Sept. 23, 1895 the high was 97°.
- The most consecutive days with highs of 95° or hotter ("super" heat waves) is eight, in 1944. There has also been a streak of six days (in 1953) and six of five days in a row. The last time we experienced a "super" heat wave of five days or longer was during the summer of 2002 (which is the only one among the eight lengthiest to have no highs in the triple digits).
- The hottest temperature ever recorded in New York, 106° on July 9, 1936, came in the middle of a three-day super heat wave, with the day before having a high of 97° and the day after, 102°.
- The hottest early "super" heat wave occurred in 1925 when highs of 99-99-98-96 were experienced from June 4 to June 7. The latest was in 1895 when there was a streak of three days from Sept. 21 to 23 (95-95-97).
- In 1944, which had thirty-seven 90-degree days, the first twenty-four were below 95°, but then 11 of the next 13 were 95° or hotter (concentrated in the four weeks between Aug. 4 and Sept 2).
- Perhaps the most famous super heat wave was July 1977's, which coincided with NYC's infamous blackout. However, although the blackout began on the first day of a nine-day heat wave, the five days in a row with highs of 95+ began the day after power was restored: 98-98-97-100-102 (July 15-19). And after a one-day respite on the 20th (high of 92°) the next day's high jumped to 104°.
- In less than six weeks in the summer of 1949 (July 3-Aug. 11) there were three three-day super heat waves: 99-102-95 (July 3-5); 97-99-95 (July 28-30); and 100-98-99 (Aug 9-11).
- Finally, the hottest super heat wave of four days or more was in 1993 when the five days from July 7-11 averaged 99.8°, with highs of 98-100-101-102-97. Two years earlier there was another streak of five days in a row, from July 17-21: 96-99-96-100-102. Then after a one-day break, when the high "cooled" to the upper 80s, the high on 7/23 was 99°. (A three-day "super" heat wave on July 1-3, 1966 had an average high of 100.3°.)
(I owe a debt of gratitude to Eugene DeMarco, a follower of NYC Weather Archive, whose spreadsheet showing the 90-degree days of every year, made this analysis so much easier for me to do.)
Weather Highlights of the 'Roaring Twenties' (1920-1929)
In this post I've compiled more than 100 weather events from the 1920s, grouped by year, that captured my attention. But before proceeding to each year, here is a summary of the most noteworthy occurrences by season:
WINTER - The decade began with one of the coldest winters on record as well as the decade's most ferocious winter storm, a 72-hour onslaught of snow (17.5"), sleet and high winds that crippled the City in February 1920; the winter of 1923 was New York's snowiest until the winter of 1947; January 1925 became the snowiest January on record (at the time), followed next winter by the snowiest February (which featured two blizzards of 10"+ less than a week apart).
SPRING - The first 80-degree reading in March was recorded in 1921; a week later the greatest one-hour, daily and 24-hour drops in temperature occurred; the coldest reading ever reported in April, as well as on Easter Sunday, took place in 1923.
SUMMER - The first week of June 1925 had one of the most scorching early-season heat waves; the only triple-digit readings of the decade occurred on consecutive days in July 1926; August 1927 became the coolest August on record (which contributed to the summer being the second coolest); 1929 experienced the second driest summer on record; unlike the 1930s, '40s and '50s, no notable tropical storms or hurricanes buffeted the area during the decade.
AUTUMN - 1921 featured the only September warmer than August; the City's longest dry spell lasted 36 days in October-November 1924; the first 90-degree reading in October occurred in 1927; the coldest day in November happened in 1929.
-1920-
January 16 - Beginning today, when 1.9" of snow fell during the evening, and continuing for the next seven weeks (thru March 4), at least one inch of snow would be on the ground in Central Park. Today was also frigidly cold, with a high/low of only 14/7.
January 27 - After twelve of the past thirteen day had highs of 32° or colder (the average high was 26°), today's high jumped to 51°, which was the first reading of 50+ in six weeks.
January 31 - In less than 24 hours the temperature dropped from 41°, at 4PM yesterday, to zero degrees this morning at 10AM. Temperatures were in the single digits or colder for 31 consecutive hours - and between +1° and -2° (on 2/1) for 17 consecutive hours. This was also the tenth day this month to have a low in the single digits or colder - the most of any January (a mark that still stands).
February 4-7 - One of New York's most extended onslaughts of winter weather of all time brought 72 hours of snow, sleet and freezing rain (beginning after 2AM on 2/4 and ending around dawn on 2/7). During this punishing storm, 4.41" of liquid precipitation fell, 17.5" of it in the form of snow (five to six inches of snow fell on 2/4, 2/5 and 2/6); the rest was sleet and freezing rain. For much of the storm temperatures were in the 20s, and with winds gusting between 35 and 45 mph, the wind chill was in the single digits.
June 11 - Today's high of 94° came the day after the low was 55°.
July 9 - The high today was 84° and followed three days that had highs of 83° (yesterday), 82° and 81°.
August 4 - For the fourth day in a row the high was 80°.
August 17 - Today had the last 70-degree low of the year, just nine days after the first 70-degree low was recorded - the shortest span on record between first and last. During this brief span, eight of the nine days had lows in the 70s.
December 25 - Today had the winter's first high of 32° or colder (there was no white Christmas, but the winter's first measurable snowfall would arrive tomorrow evening).
1921-1921-1921
February 20 - The winter's biggest snowfall amounted to 12.5". Beginning shortly after midnight as rain, it quickly changed over to snow after 1AM and continued until early evening; it was a very wet snow, with 2.68" of liquid precipitation measured. Winds gusted to 41 mph. The temperature fell slowly through the day, from 35° to 22° (on the way to 14° by daybreak on the 21st).
March 21 - Today had New York's first reading in the 80s in the month of March. The high reached 84° shortly after 2:00PM but then a strong cold front passed through around 3PM and by daybreak on 3/22 the temperature had fallen to 37°. Winds gusted to 35 mph during the evening. Another reading in the 80s would occur one week later.
March 28 - After the temperature jumped from 49° to 82° between 5AM and 2PM, New York experienced its greatest one-hour drop in temperature when it plummeted 29 degrees between 4:00 and 5:00, from 81° to 52°. The strong cold front that ushered in this cold air was accompanied by winds that gusted between 35 and 45 mph. By midnight the temperature was down to 34°. This 48-degree plunge is the greatest daily temperature drop on record. And when the mercury bottomed out at 26° the next morning at 6AM, the drop in temperature was 56 degrees in sixteen hours.
April 6 - For the third day in a row the high reached the upper 70s at a time when the average high is in the mid-50s.
July 28 - The high today was 94° and followed three days that had highs of 93° (yesterday), 92° and 91°.
September 3 - Today's high of 96° was the hottest reading of the year, topping three other days that had highs of 95°. This was also the last 90-degree day of the summer.
September 24 - This morning's (and 9/19's) low of 56° was the coolest reading of the month. (The coolest reading in September is typically in the upper 40s.) August had a cooler reading than September (55°). Not surprisingly, this was, at the time, the third warmest September on record (now ranked eighth).
September 30 - This September stands out for being the only one that was warmer than August. In keeping with the warm conditions, today's high was 87°, then a severe thunderstorm between 3:00 and 4:00 dumped a little more than an inch of rain and winds gusted to 40 mph.
November 19 - This was the second day in a row with a high in the low 70s, about twenty degrees warmer than average. This followed an extended period earlier in the month (11/4-16) with highs in the 40s, about ten degrees chillier than average.
December 30 - For the second day this month the temperature dropped to 7° (the first time was on 12/22).
1922-1922-1922
January 26 - This was the fourth day in a row with a high of either 21° or 22°. And three of the four days had lows in the single digits. Although there were colder days this winter, this was the most sustained stretch of Arctic cold. However, there was no snowfall.
January 28-29 - New York was on the northern fringe of a winter storm that became known as the "Knickerbocker Snowstorm" after the roof a movie theater by that name in Washington, DC collapsed from the weight of snow the night of 1/28, killing 98 moviegoers. And although NYC escaped the paralyzing amounts of snow that piled up in Virginia, DC, Maryland and southeastern PA (6.5" fell in Central Park, the biggest snowfall of the winter), gale force winds clocked at between 35 and 50 mph howled for nearly 24 hours, beginning mid-day on the 28th (earlier in the month a nor'easter on 1/11 produced a peak wind gust of 54 mph). Temperatures throughout the storm were in the 29° to 31° range, with chills in the low teens.
(60 years later, on Jan. 13, 1982, another DC-based disaster was tied to a winter storm when a plane crashed after it failed to gain sufficient altitude due to the weight of ice on its wings. That storm brought nearly six inches of snow to New York.)
February 17 - There were ten days with lows colder than 10° this winter, but today was the only one with a reading that was below zero (-2°). This is the second latest date for a sub-zero reading (latest was in the winter of 1873 when a low of -4° was reported on 2/24.)
March 26 - The temperature jumped from 37° to 76° in the span of ten hours.
July 5 - This was the fifteenth day of the past nineteen to have measurable rain (since June 17). Nearly eight inches fell during these days (average rainfall during this period is close to three inches). Seven of the days, including today, had more than half an inch of rain. And with a high/low of 68/60, today was the coolest of the days during this rainy spell.
October 5 - Today's high soared to 89° three days after a high of 88°. (The average high at the beginning of October is in the upper 60s.) Today's high was a record until 1941 (when the high reached 94°, the hottest reading ever reported in October.)
December 14 - Today's 3.2" snowfall from late morning thru the afternoon was the first of ten snowfalls of three inches or more this winter, a winter that would become, at the time, the snowiest on record (60.4").
-1923-
January 3-4 - The biggest snowfall of the winter began this afternoon and continued until daybreak on the 4th, accumulating 9.0". The temperature fell slowly through the storm, dropping from 33° to 29°.
January 14 - Snow began falling after 10AM and by 5PM, 7.8" had accumulated when it changed to light rain for the next three hours as the temperature rose into the mid-30s.
February 12 - 3.1" of snow fell today, the day after 3.0" fell and two days after 3.3" piled up - all from different low pressure systems (and 6.3" fell on 2/6-7). This brought the amount of snow that fell in the past seven weeks to 44.2".
March 6-7 - Snow began falling around 10AM and continued light and steady (along with a mix with sleet and freezing rain after 4PM) for the next 24 hours, accumulating 7.3". This was the tenth snowfall of three inches or more this winter. Besides the snow/ice, winds gusted to 30-35 mph, and temperatures were very cold on the 6th, with a high/low of only 25/19.
March 10 - Although it was snow of the wet, "junk" variety (today's high/low was 41/32), the 0.7" that accumulated brought the winter's total to 60.3", tying it with the winter of 1873 as snowiest on record. Then nine days later it would claim the title of snowiest when 0.1" fell (it held this title until the winter of 1947 and has since fallen to fifth snowiest).
April 1 - Easter Sunday dawned bitterly cold, with a reading of 12°, making this, easily, the coldest reading of any Easter Sunday (and the coldest reading on record for the month of April). Winds gusting to 25 mph produced wind chills around -5°. The afternoon high "recovered" to 36°. (Three days later the high would reach 70°.)
June 6 - Highs today and the previous four days were: 89-88-89-92-91(today), sixteen degrees above average.
August 23 - The morning low was a chilly 51° (which held for three hours), a record for the date (that still stands). This came a year after a record low on 8/21 (53°).
October 23-24 - Rain began falling at daybreak on the 23rd and by the time it ended in the early afternoon the following day nearly four inches had been measured (3.92"). Temperatures during the afternoon of the 23rd were only in the mid-40s, but then rose after midnight to 67° late in the morning on the 24th before falling into the 50s.
1924-1924-1924
January 27 - Yesterday's and today's lows of 7° and 5° came five days after another combination of 7° and 5°.
February 19-20 - A nor'easter dumped nearly five inches of heavy snow the night of the 19th into the wee hours of the 20th; then it changed to sleet and then rain as the temperature rose into the mid-30s by late morning (precipitation ended around noon). Winds gusted between 30-40 mph during the rainy part of the storm. In total, 2.62" of precipitation was measured (2.21" fell today).
April 1 - It was no April Fool's joke as 8.5" of heavy, wet snow fell mostly from mid-afternoon through 9PM. Interestingly, snow fell mostly with temperatures two or three degrees above freezing. Besides the snow, gale force winds gusted to 35 mph.
May 17 - Today's high of 75° was the first 70-degree reading of the month and the warmest reading of the month - the coolest reading to have that distinction in May (79° is the second coolest warmest reading). This reading wouldn't be topped until 6/5.
May 21 - On a showery day the high/low was only 50/47. The high was 22 degrees below average.
June 7 - The temperature reached 80° for the first time this year, the latest date on record and six weeks later than the average date for this occurrence.
July 12 - For the fourth day in a row the high was 86°.
August 7 - In the midst of a five-day heat wave, today's high reached 99° and the heat index approached 110°.
September 2 - This was the seventh, and last, day of a late summer hot spell, with the last four days in the 90s. The average high during this week was 90°, eleven degrees above average. This unseasonable warmth dissipated today after a cold front moved through around 4PM, dropping the temperature from 92° to 60° by midnight.
October 8 - The only rain this month fell today, 0.28". At the time this was the driest October and the second driest month on record. (It's now the second driest October, behind October 1963, and the seventh driest of any month).
November 13 - This was the thirty-sixth day in a row with no measurable rainfall, the longest dry spell on record (a record that still stands). The previous record was 27 days set 40 years earlier in September 1884.
November 18 - Today and yesterday were 21 degrees colder than average, with highs/lows that would be quite cold even by mid-winter standards: 30/19 yesterday and 33/19 today. (The typical date for the first high of 32° or colder typically occurs in mid-December.) Tomorrow would see a slight moderation in temperatures, to 37/21.
November 27 - Sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 30s greeted those who lined the streets for Macy's first Thanksgiving Day Parade. The day's high and low were a seasonable 49/34.
1925-1925-1925
January 2 - A blizzard dumped close to a foot of snow (11.5"). Snow began falling around daybreak and lasted until 11PM. In addition to snow there were also periods of heavy sleet in the early afternoon. Temperatures throughout the storm were in the mid-20s, but howling winds gusting between 35-40 mph produced wind chills in the single digits.
January 26 - Today's high of 45° was the mildest reading this month, and the mildest reading since Dec. 19.
January 27 - The temperature fell steadily throughout the day, dropping from 42° at midnight to 4° twenty-four hours later (bottoming out at -2° at daybreak on the 28th). This came a few days after lows of 2° on 1/23 and 1/24.
January 29 - The 1.3" of snow that fell later in the afternoon brought January's snowfall to 27.4", making this the snowiest January and the second snowiest of any month (now ranked third and eighth, respectively). The month had three significant snowfalls: 11.5" on Jan. 2, seven inches on Jan. 20 and 5.1" on Jan. 27-28. All but 2.2" of the winter's snow fell this month.
April 22 - For the second day in a row the low was 32° (average is mid-40s); today's low was a record which still stands.
April 30 - Rainy and very cool, with a high/low of 45/42. The high was a record for coolest maximum temperature for this date.
May 26 - This was the third day in a row with a low in the low 40s. The low on the 25th was a record (that still stands). This came after a high of 91° on 5/23.
June 7 - Today's high was 96°, the fifth day since 6/1 to have a high of 94° or hotter (the outlier was 6/2, which had a high of "only" 88°). The highs of June 4-7 were all records - which are still standing. This is the most intense early June heat wave of all time. (Highs in the first week of June are typically in the mid-to-upper-70s.)
July 31 - The biggest rainstorm of the year produced 2.14". And although it was an all-day event, much of it fell between 5-10PM, when 1.41" was measured. The rain and clouds kept the temperature in the upper 60s all day.
August 11 - Low temperatures from Aug. 7 thru today: 65-66-67-68-69 (8/11).
October 10 - It was a cold day (high/low of 43/36) with howling winds that gusted to 51 mph around mid-day, producing wind chills in the mid-20s. The high of 43° is the coldest for Oct. 10 and the low was one degree shy of the 1888 record.
October 30 - Today's high of 38° was the earliest date for a maximum daily temperature in the 30s (later topped by Oct. 26, 1962). And 0.8" of snow fell (and wouldn't be topped until 1/9 when 2.3" fell). The next day's low of 29° was also a record, and the third day in a row with a low colder than 32°. And Nov. 1 would be the fourth day in a row with a low of 32° or colder (but it wasn't a record).
December 27 - Today's high/low was a frigid 16/8, twenty-one degrees below average. The high was the coldest ever recorded on this date, and the day's mean temperature was the coldest in December since Dec. 18, 1919, when the high/low was 11/-1.
1926-1926-1926
February 10 - Less than a week after a fierce blizzard brought 10.4" of snow and sleet (accompanied by wind gusts of 40-45 mph) another snowstorm dumped a foot on the City, much of it falling this morning between 3:00 and 9:00 (light snow began last night and accumulated 1.6"). Winds from this storm gusted between 30 and 35 mph. Temperatures in the morning held steady in the low 20s and then fell slowly during the afternoon, reaching 11° by midnight. (In a similar fashion, in early February 1994 two snowstorms of 9.2" and 12.8" struck three days apart.)
February 23 - Today's snowfall of two inches brought the month's total to 26.3", making this the snowiest February on record (now ranked sixth). This came one year after the snowiest January on record (at the time).
March 5 - Today was frigid, with a high/low of only 25/13, eighteen degrees below average.
March 17 - This was the seventh day in a row with highs in the 30s. The average high during these days was 36°, eleven degrees colder than average.
April 19 - A very chilly day, with a high/low of 44/30, sixteen degrees below average.
April 21 - The day after winter's last below-freezing low (28°), today's high was a balmy 75° (and tomorrow's high would rise to 82°).
June 7 - One year after the five days between June 3-7 had highs that averaged 97°, the same five days this year had highs that averaged 65°, ten degrees below average. And 6/4's low of 48° was a record (that still stands).
July 15 - Less than a week after highs of 96° and 97°, today's high on a rainy day was only 67° (more typical of early May). Then a week later broiling heat returned with back-to-back highs of 100° on 7/21 and 7/22 - the first time for consecutive highs in the triple digits since 1901. These would be the only highs of 100°+ this decade.
August 12 - Heavy rain between 4PM thru daybreak on 7/13, totaled 3.73". Much of it poured down at the very beginning, with 2.45" measured from 4-6PM. From today thru 8/18, 6.24" of rain would fell.
September 6 - Three weeks after 6.24" of rain fell from 8/12-18, 4.17" fell from 9/2-9/6, with today seeing the most rain, 2.24". In less than four weeks (8/12-9/6) eleven inches of rain fell. Four days had rainfall of one inch or more.
September 25 - After a high of 89° at 1PM, the warmest reading of the month (and a record until 1970), the temperature fell steadily until it bottomed out at 52° by daybreak the next day.
November 11 - A cold day with a high/low of 37/28, sixteen degrees below average. The low was a record (tied in 1930). Temperatures were below freezing from 1-10AM and after 9PM.
December 5 - 7.9" of snow fell on a very cold day, which had a high/low of 24/11. This was the biggest snowfall of the winter. Snow fell heaviest from 1PM until 7PM. This was the snowiest 12/5 until 2003, when 8.0" fell.
December 7 - This was the sixth day in a row with a low in the teens. And at 10° (a record), today's was the coldest reading of these days.
-1927-
January 27 - The morning low was one below zero, a record for the date (that still stands). The next day would have a high of 44° and would be followed by seven days in a row with highs in the 40s or 50s.
March 19 - Today was the seventh day in a row with highs in the 60s. The average high during this week was 65°, at a time of the year when highs are typically in the upper 40s.
April 20 - The day after the high was a pleasant 64°, today's high was a summer-like 90°, 28 degrees above average, and a record for the date (which still stands). At the time it was the second earliest date for a 90-degree reading (the temperature reached 90° on April 18 in 1896). However, it would be seven weeks before the next 80-degree reading was reached; and the next 90-degree reading wouldn't be until July 13.
April 22 - Beginning today, two days after the high reached 90°, the rest of the month would have highs that ranged between 52° and 61°.
May 24 - Today's high/low was only 51/49. It came in the midst of a 48-hour period in which 2.61" of rain fell (from 1PM on 5/23 until 6AM on 5/25).
June 5 - Today's high of 81° was the first in the 80s (or warmer) since the 90-degree high on 4/20, nearly seven weeks ago.
June 13 - It was a beautiful day for the ticker tape parade held in Lower Manhattan to honor Charles Lindbergh after his non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Skies were mostly sunny, the humidity low and the high/low a seasonable of 77/60.
July 13 - Today's high of 92° was the second reading in the 90s this year, coming nearly three months after the year's first, on 4/20. The next two days would also have highs of 92°.
August 1 - A tremendous rainstorm between 2-3PM inundated the City with 1.68 inches of rain. This was the greatest daily rain total since last September. Today's high of 83° would be the month's warmest reading. In addition to today, there would be only seven more days this month with highs in the 80s (and none after 8/17). Not surprisingly, this became the coolest August on record (a record that still stands).
July 31 - Today's low of 70° was the last low in the 70s of the year, and the earliest date for the last 70-degree of any year in the 20th century. (The last 70-degree low typically occurs in the first week of September.)
August 8 - Strong thunderstorms from noon until sunrise tomorrow brought 3.36" of rain. 0.31" fell from 1-2PM, 0.47" from 4-5PM, 1.34" from 7-9PM and 0.97" from 11P-1AM.
September 1 - The year's biggest rainstorm dumped 3.84", mostly between 9AM and 7PM. After this storm the next 30 days would see just 0.43" of rain (followed by an 18-day period between 10/3-20 with nine inches).
October 2 - Today's high of 90° (following a record high of 88° yesterday) was the first to occur in the month of October (it's happened just four other times since then, the last time being in 1941). After today's summery conditions, the next eighteen days would see nine inches of rain.
October 19 - 48 hours of rain, which amounted to 3.80", ended around 11AM. This rainstorm missed being the year's biggest, which was on 9/1, by 0.05". Incredibly, it was the fourth nor'easter since 10/3, all which dumped more than an inch of rain: 1.60" on 10/3-4; 1.44" on 10/8-9; 2.04" on 10/12-13; and the 3.80" from this most recent one.
November 23 - Today's high of 70° was the fifth 70-degree reading this month (the others were on 11/1, 11/2, 11/12 and 11/16). Interspersed among these warm days were four unseasonably cold days, with lows of 32° or colder: 11/7, 11/8, 11/19 and 11/20.
November 24 - Although it was just 0.14", the light rain on Thanksgiving Day fell during the fourth Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The rain put somewhat of a damper on the debut of the parade's famous helium balloons.
December 1 - During the time of the year when highs are typically in the upper 40s, today and the previous two days had highs of 68 (today)-67-64. Yesterday' high was reached shortly before midnight while today's was in the wee hours of the morning, then the mercury began falling steadily, until it was down to 35° shortly before midnight.
December 4 - The first snowfall of the season, measuring 2.1", was part of a wind-blown sleet storm/nor'easter that began around lunchtime. Temperatures were mostly in the mid-twenties and howling winds gusting close to 40 mph produced wind chills in the single digits.
December 8 - After reaching a record 65° shortly after 10AM, the mercury dropped like a rock and by midnight the temperature was 26°.
1928-1928-1928
January 15 - This was the tenth day in a row with highs of 45° or warmer (warmest reading was 58° on 1/7). The average high during these days was 50°, twelve degrees above average.
February 13 - For the fourth day in a row the high was 37°. Each day's low, however, was different and colder: 33-29-25-22 (today).
February 26 - Today, with a high/low of 23/7, was the coldest day of the winter (twenty degrees below average). This was the only day of the winter to have a reading in the single digits (the low was a record).
March 9 - The 5.3" of snow that fell today (beginning late in the morning) was the biggest snowfall of the winter.
April 29 - Low temperatures ranged from 38° to 40° for the past nine days (average low temperatures in late April are in the upper 40s). Besides cold mornings this period was also rainy, with slightly more than four inches of rain measured.
June 2 - Today's high of 83° was the second 80-degree day of the year and came nearly two months after the year's first on April 5 (a record for the date).
July 4 - Today had the first 90-degree reading of the year, the third year in a row the first 90 was in July (last year it happened on the thirteenth, the year before that it fell on the ninth). Typically, the first 90 occurs around June 1. Today's high was 90°.
July 5 - The biggest rainstorm of the year began this evening and continued thru daybreak tomorrow, dumping 2.87" of rain. The rain was heaviest at the onset, when 0.75" fell from 5-7PM, and then between 3-4AM when 0.78" fell.
July 20 - High temperatures over the past four days: 90-89-90-89 (today). Cooler air moved in this evening after a strong thunderstorm dumped 0.74" of rain between 5-6PM.
October 12 - Today's high of 86°, a record, was the warmest reading in six weeks (since the year's last 90-degree temperature on 8/30).
October 18 - Today's high and low of 82/69 were both records for the date, as was yesterday's low of 67°. These readings were twenty degrees above average.
December 8 - The first measurable snowfall of the winter produced two inches. The next measurable snowfall wouldn't be until 1/13, and the next snowfall of an inch or more wouldn't be until 2/20.
1929-1929-1929
February 21 - More than half of the winter's 13.8" of snow fell today as 8.0" accumulated between 5AM and 2PM. Temperatures were in the low-to-mid-twenties during the storm.
March 9-10 - Two days of roller coaster temperatures. After reaching the low 40s late in the morning of 3/9, the temperature dropped the rest of the day, down to 15° by midnight. Then, after bottoming out at 12° at daybreak on 3/10, the temperature rebounded to 40° by late afternoon. The low on the 10th was the coldest reading since 1/14, when it was 8° (the coldest reading of the winter).
April 7 - The temperature jumped from 46° to 89°, thirty-two degrees above average. (Yesterday's high was 59°.) At the time this was the earliest date for a temperature so warm. The following day's high was equally summer-like (88°), but its mean temperature was much higher as the low was 65°, nineteen degrees warmer than yesterday's.
April 12 - Four days after back-to-back days in the upper 80s, today was the beginning of a week-long period with highs only in the low-to-mid-40s (average high in mid-April is in the upper 50s). Besides a high/low of only 42/37, today also featured a cold rain that amounted to 0.98".
May 31 - Today's high was 93°, and was the seventh day in a row in which the high was warmer than the previous day: 65-72-74-76-77-84-88-93.
August 4 - Jones Beach opened today, but the passage of a cold front late in the morning made it a cool day for beach goers as the high/low was 75/63. A stiff breeze from the northwest gave a fall-like feel to the air. It was probably even chillier at the beach, situated on the south shore of Long Island.
August 30 - Today's rainfall was the last of the month and brought August's total to 1.91", making this the third month in a row with less than two inches. The June-August total of 4.58" was in stark contrast to the 20" that fell during these same three months in 1928 and 1927. This was the second driest summer, following 1894 (it has since fallen to third).
September 4 - This was last day of the third four-day heat wave this summer, and it was the hottest of the three, with highs of 95-96-99-97. The last two highs were records for their respective dates (which still stand). Today was also the twenty-first (and last) 90-degree day of the year, the most since 1900.
October 29 - Wall Street's "Black Tuesday", which presaged the Great Depression, was partly cloudy and chilly with a high/low of 49/37, about ten degrees chillier than average.
November 30 - Today's frigid high/low of 23/12 made this New York's coldest day in November in the 20th century (based on mean temperature); these temperatures would be well below average even in the dead of winter. By contrast, the beginning of the month began with highs of 73° on 11/1 and 76° on 11/2.
December 1 - This was the third day in a row with highs that were below freezing. During these days the highs were: 30-23-31. The average high this time of year is in the upper 40s.
December 2 - The season's first measurable snow fell during the afternoon into the early evening, accumulating 3.9". This amount was a record for the date (which still stands), and it was the biggest snowfall of the winter. Besides snow there were also periods of sleet. Throughout the afternoon temperatures hovered around 29°.
December 4 - This was the sixth, and last, day of an early cold snap. The average high/low of 30/20 was sixteen degrees below average.
To read about weather highlights in New York during other decades:
May 2017 Recap: Cooler Than Average Despite Three 90-Degree Days
After experiencing its second mildest April, May in New York was cooler than average. Despite this cool down, it had three days in the 90s, the first time that's happened in May since 2001. These days were consecutive, from May 17-19, with highs of 90-92-91. However, what made the month unique was the fact that it was the first May to have 90-degree days - but no days in the 80s. It was also the coolest of any May that had three or more 90-degree days (see chart below). Overall, the month was 1.3 degrees cooler than average, making it the coolest May in nine years. Interestingly, despite the 90-degree days, what made the month below average was its average high temperature, which was 2.6 degrees below average; the average low, however, was in-line with the 30-year average.
FURTHER OBSERVATIONS
- After the three-day heat wave ended on 5/19, the remaining twelve days of the month had an average high of just 67° (with with highs on four of the days in the 59°-61° range). Only six days all month had an above-average daily mean temperature. (Without the month's three 90-degree days, the average high would have been five degrees below average.) Memorial Day, with a high of 61°, was the coolest since 2003 (temperatures in the afternoon were only in the upper 50s). And although Mother's Day was somewhat cooler than average, it was milder than Memorial Day (high of 67°).
- A typical May is 9.4 degrees warmer than April, but this year it was just 3.9 degrees milder. Only in 1945 was May's average temperature closer to April's (a 3.6-degree difference).
- The rainstorm of 5/5 flooded the City with 3.02" of rain, a record for the date. Most of it poured down in a three-hour period between 11AM and 2PM. This was New York's biggest rainfall in three years, and May's fifth biggest daily rainfall total (tied with a storm on May 8, 2013). Eight days later another significant rainfall soaked the area, with 1.61" measured, but unlike 5/5's deluge, this storm's rain fell for an extended period, from daybreak until midnight. The day's amount was just 0.05" shy of the record for the date. In total, 6.38" of rain was measured in Central Park during May, making it the wettest May since 2013, and second wettest of the century (and fifteenth wettest among all Mays). The rainstorms of 5/5 and 5/13 accounted for nearly 3/4 of the month's rainfall.
A view of the May 5 deluge from my office.
Other May recaps from previous years:
April 2017 Recap: Second Mildest April, Featuring Second Warmest Easter
With four days in the 80s and no truly cold days (the chilliest was five degrees below average), April 2017 became the second mildest April on record (4.2 degrees above average), pushing April 1941 to third place (57.2° vs 56.9°). This was a rebound from March, which was 3.3 degrees colder than average. April's coldest low was 37° on 4/1, which was only three degrees colder than average. This was the "mildest coldest" reading since April 2010 (the mildest April on record). The warmest reading of the month, 87°, occurred on Easter Sunday (4/16), which was the second warmest temperature every experienced during the holiday.
Interestingly, despite it being the second mildest overall, eight other Aprils had warmer average highs than April 2017. However, this April was the mildest of them all in terms of average low, even ahead of New York's mildest April (2010) by a comfortable margin.
Other observations of interest:
- The four 80-degree days were the most since April 2009, when there were also four (the most for any April is five, which happened in four years: 2002, 1985, 1962 and 1941). This years summery high temperatures occurred on 4/11 (80°), 4/16 (87°), 4/28 (85°) and 4/29 (85°).
- Although there were two days in the mid-80s at the end of April, the most extended period of above average temperatures occurred from 4/10 thru 4/17 when temperatures were 13 degrees above average.
- Although Easter Sunday had the warmest high temperature, the day with the warmest mean temperature (average of the high and low) was 4/29, which had a high/low of 85/64, 1.5 degrees degrees warmer than Easter (87/59).
- The month's two biggest rainstorms produced nearly identical amounts - 1.21" in the pre-dawn hours of 4/4, and 1.25" on the night of 4/25 into the early AM hours of the 26th.
- Finally, for what it's worth, the warmest and coldest readings of April 2005 were the same as April 2017 (87/37), but 2015 is ranked as 14th mildest.
Why So Little Precision When It Comes To Reporting High & Low Temperatures? The Case For Two Decimals
Sporting events like track & field and swimming determine their winners using times that go to two decimals, digital thermometers report body temperature to one decimal place, yet daily high and low temperatures are still reported as whole numbers. Despite improved computer models and advances in radar technology that have enhanced forecasting capabilities, why are we still using whole numbers when reporting highs and lows? (One place where temperature is reported to one decimal place is average monthly or annual temperature). In our statistics-crazed world, changing this quirk would seem to be a no-brainer.
Precipitation has been measured to two decimals since the 19th century, so why not temperature? (I've come across one explanation, but it's not very convincing.) Perhaps the best reason for adopting more precise figures is that it would break many ties in temperature records. For example, two years that share a record high of 90° might actually be 89.6° and 90.4°, which is clearly not a tie. Through the end of 2015 only 23 record highs and 91 record lows stood alone; meanwhile, it's rare to have a tie with daily rainfall or snowfall records. This change would likely help break the log jams on March 31, June 2 and Sept. 8, which have six-way ties for their record lows (in New York.)
In the opening paragraph I mentioned that monthly and annual averages are expressed to one decimal, but these averages might be slightly different if monthly averages were calculated using daily highs and lows that were also expressed to one decimal. This makes me wonder how the ten coldest and warmest rankings for each month might change since a lot of months are just 0.1 or 0.2 degree apart (along with numerous ties). For instance, October 1947 and 2007 are tied as the warmest on record, while just 0.1 degree separates the two mildest Novembers, the two hottest Julys and the two coolest Septembers. Furthermore, there's a tie for the second mildest January (1990 and 1950), second chilliest May (1967 and 1907), and the second, third and fourth coldest Novembers are each 0.1 degree apart. Food for thought.
Weather Highlights of the 1930s
The 1930s stand out in New York's weather history because it is the decade the City experienced its hottest and coldest readings - 106° on July 6, 1936 and -15° on February 9, 1934. Other noteworthy occurrences include NYC's coldest month on record (February 1934); the great New England hurricane, which brushed the City in September 1938; an 18.1" snowstorm in January 22-23, 1935 which, for a while, was the second biggest of all time; October's coldest reading, in 1936 (28°), followed two years later by the same month's first 90-degree reading; and the biggest November snowfall (8.8"), in 1938, which began Thanksgiving evening.
1930
Feb 25 - Today's high soared to 75°, the mildest reading ever recorded in February (duplicated in 1985). Besides today's warmth, there were highs of 69° and 68° on 2/20 and 2/21 (both records) and 65° yesterday. (Average highs during this time of year are in the low 40s.)
April 24 - This was the second cold day in a row, with temperatures that were more typical of the first week of March. Today's high/low of 44/31 followed yesterday's 42/32. Both morning lows were records (which still stand). These were the coldest days of the month.
May 23 - After today's high of 91° the next eight days all had highs of 65° or chillier.
July 3 - Between 7-8PM a thunderstorm dumped 2.11" of rain in just 15 minutes (and 2.75" in half an hour), perhaps the most torrential downpour in NYC history. In the course of the storm the temperature dropped from the upper 70s to the low 60s.
July 21 - Today's high reached 102°, which at the time was the hottest temperature ever reported in Central Park.
July 24 - A thunderstorm between 3-4PM dumped 0.62" in 15 minutes.
July 29 - An early evening thunderstorm (6-7PM) dumped 1.33" of rain in thirty minutes.
August 16 - In just ten minutes' time a half-inch of rain poured down during a mid-afternoon thunderstorm.
August 23 - A nor'easter dumped 3.03" of rain in less than 12 hours (3AM-2PM). Nearly half of this amount fell between 10AM and noon. Temperatures were very cool, only in the upper 50s. Today's rainfall was a record for the date (which still stands).
October 13 - This was the third day in a row with very similar, and well above average, highs/lows: 77/59 (two days ago); 77/58 (yesterday); and 78/57 (today).
November 22 - After today's high of 63°, the next 60-degree reading wouldn't be for another four-and-a-half months (April 4).
November 28 - Today would have been quite cold even by the standards of mid-winter as the high/low was only 27/15, making this the coldest Thanksgiving Day of all time (21 degrees below average). During the morning wind chills were in the single digits. Four days later would be equally cold, with a high of 26/16 (winds gusting to 37 mph produced sub-zero wind chills).
December 23-24 - 3.9" of snow, which ended late in the morning on the 24th, provided a mantle of white for Christmas Day. This would be the biggest snowfall of the winter.
1931
April 4 - Today's high of 61° was the first 60-degree reading in four-and-a-half months (since Nov. 22).
August 30 - For the fourth day in a row 0.05" of rain fell.
September 11 - The day after a high of 97°, today's high soared to 99° - both records for the date. (And in 1983 the same dates had the same high temperatures.)
October 8 - The first eight days of the month had an average high of 81°, fourteen degrees above average. Highs ranged between 76° and 86°, with five of the days reporting highs in the 80s. Today's high was 86°, a record which lasted until 2007.
November 23 - This was the third day in a row with a high of 72°, twenty degrees above average. Yesterday's and today's highs were records (that are still standing).
1932
Jan 15 - This was the third day in a row of extraordinarily mild temperatures. Today's high/low was 67/48, yesterday's was 70/55, and the day before that it was 68/56. Each day's high temperatures were records, thirty-one degrees above average, which are all still standing.
March 15 - Blustery and very cold with a high/low of only 26/16, twenty-two degrees colder than average. And winds from the northwest gusting to 25-30 mph produced wind chills in the single digits. One week before the start of spring, today was colder than any day of the winter.
March 16 - This was the tenth day in a row with low temperatures in the teens or twenties. During this stretch of days lows averaged 21°, which was thirteen degrees below average. Despite the chill during these days, only 0.2" of snow fell, and it occurred today between 11PM and midnight.
June 27 - On a sweltering day (high of 90°, heat index of 100°) strong thunderstorms moved through between 3:00 and 11PM, dumping 2.11" of rain, most of which fell in the two hours between 7-9:00.
September 2 - Today's high of 96° was the hottest temperature of the year, and the year's last 90-degree reading. (The preceding fourteen 90-degree days this summer were either 90°, 91°, or 92°.) The day, which was the Friday leading into Labor Day weekend, was also uncomfortably humid, with a heat index of 108° in the early afternoon.
November 19 - Today saw the fourth rainstorm of an inch or more since Nov. 1. In addition to the 1.95" that fell today (a record for the date), 2.06" fell on 11/9-10, 1.83" on 11/6-7 and 1.21" on 11/1.
November 27 - The morning low of 12° at 6AM was a 40-degree drop from 26 hours earlier. Winds gusting between 15-25 mph produced wind chills around -5°.
December 17 - Snow that began late in the morning continued through the early AM on 12/18 and amounted to 7.2". It was also a very cold day, with a high/low of only 21/10. (The snow was gone by Christmas Day, which had a high of 59°.) The next measurable snowfall wouldn't be for another seven weeks (2/4).
1933
January 23 - This was the eighth day in a row with a high of 50° or warmer. The average high during this streak was 56°, at a time in the winter when the average high is in the upper 30s.
February 8 - The temperature fell from 60° in the early afternoon to 21° by midnight (on the way down to 12° at daybreak on 2/9).
February 11 - In just eight hours (1-9:00 AM) ten inches of snow fell. Sleet mixed in during the final few hours even though temperatures were in the low 20s.
June 9 - Hot and humid, with a high/low of 97/76. The high was a record and the heat index reached 110° during lunchtime.
June 15 - Less than a week after a record high, this morning's low of 48° was half that temperature and also a record.
July 1 - A severe thunderstorm from 7:30-9:30 PM dumped 2.17" of rain. During the storm the temperature dropped from 88° to 72°.
July 3 - The high was only 65°, two days after a high of 94°.
August 2 - This was the fifth day in a row of intense heat that saw highs of 95°, 98°, 102°, 100° and 98° (today). Four of these five highs set records.
August 23 - A rainstorm of 2.37" came just two days after an even bigger rainstorm dumped 3.28". Much of today's rain fell between 3PM-midnight.
September 15 - Yesterday's all-day soaking rain, which totaled 2.84", continued unabated today and flooded the City with an additional 4.16" - and the rain would continue as showers through midday on 9/16. The day was also very chilly, with temperatures mostly in the mid-50s, nearly 20 degrees below average.
October 31 - Today's high of 76° was the warmest reading since 10/1 and occurred less than a week after there were two days with morning lows of 32°.
November 16 - The day after a winter-like high/low of 32/21, today was even colder, with a high/low of 30/17 (twenty degrees colder than average). Today's low, a record for the date that still stands, is the earliest reading in the teens.
December 26 - A little more than 24 hours after temperatures were in the mid-50s, a snowstorm swept into the City shortly after daybreak and by early afternoon ten inches had fallen and temperatures were in the mid-20s. An additional inch of snow fell in the early evening, bringing the day's snowfall total to 11.2".
December 30 - The morning low was six degrees below zero, the coldest reading since February 1918. Temperatures were sub-zero for ten hours (from 11P last night thru 9:00 this morning). And although this was one of New York's coldest readings, it would be topped six weeks later by a low of -15°, New York's coldest reading of all time.
1934
Jan. 29 - The temperature at 9AM was 6° above zero, eighteen hours after the 3PM temperature had reached 58° - one of the greatest temperature drops in less than 24 hours in NYC history. Winds gusting between 20-30 mph in the morning produced sub-zero wind chills.
Feb. 9 - New York's coldest temperature off all time, 15° below zero, was recorded this morning. This was 40 degrees below average. The temperature was -10° or colder for eight consecutive hours (and it was zero degrees or colder for 16 consecutive hours beginning at 9PM last night). By 5PM the temperature had "recovered" to 8° above zero.
Feb. 14 - The morning low of 4° was the eighth in the single digits since 1/29 - and there would be four more this month.
Feb. 25 - On a brutally cold day (high/low of 16/9) light snow began falling mid-afternoon and fell steadily thru the following afternoon, accumulating 9.3". This was the third snowfall of 7.5" or more this month and brought February's total snowfall to 27.9". At the time this was the second snowiest month on record (now ranked sixth) and the snowiest February (since topped by Feb. 2010 and 2014).
March 18 - After peaking at 71° in the early afternoon, the temperature plummeted to 30° by midnight (and 22° by sunrise on the 19th). This was one of the City's greatest temperature drops.
March 23 - Today was very cold even by mid-winter standards as the high/low was only 25/13. Skies became overcast after sunrise, which kept the temperature from rebounding much. These readings were in the midst of a 40-hour stretch in which the temperature was below freezing. This cold day came five days after the high was 71°.
May 6 - This was the second day in a row with a high of 89° (average high is in the upper 60s); however, today's low of 68° was fourteen degrees milder than yesterday's. And today was sunnier.
May 24 - After a a low of 59° the high jumped to 90°, making this the sixth consecutive May with a high in the 90s, the longest such streak on record.
June 29 - Today's high soared to 101° after a low of 68°. At the time this was the earliest date for a triple-digit high (later passed in 1952 and 1966), but the AM low remains the coolest for a day with a high of 100+.
July 31 - Today had the last 90-degree reading of the year, the earliest date for this occurrence since 1904, when it was also on 7/31 (in 1903 it was on 7/30).
September 8 - The strongest hurricane of the season brought heavy rain when it crossed over the eastern end of Long Island. There were two periods of heavy rain, the first between 4:00 and 8AM when 1.23" fell and then much heavier rain fell from 3:00 and 9PM when 3.26" poured down. (An additional 0.37" fell at other times during the day, bringing the day's total rainfall to 4.86".) During the early evening winds gusted between 45-50 mph.
October 6 - Today saw the fifth rainstorm of 1.50" or more in the past 30 days: 5.48" on 9/7-8; 2.01" on 9/16-17; 1.54" on 9/22; 1.51" on 9/29-30 and 1.93" on 10/5-6 (most of it fell today). During this period nearly 14 inches of rain was measured. Then less than an inch of rain fell for the next four weeks.
December 12 - This was the last day of a six-day cold wave that had temperatures that were 18 degrees below average (high/low of 26/14). Three of the days had morning lows of 11°. However, despite the cold there was no measurable snowfall.
1935
January 23 - Today saw the second phase of a major snowstorm that dumped a total of 18.1"of snow. Yesterday had five inches of snow, which began as rain in the morning. Then after a 13-hour break, winds shifted from the northwest to northeast and snow resumed late this morning. Between 1:00 and 7PM it fell at a rate of an inch or more per hour. Flakes fell until the wee hours of the next day. Temperatures fell slowly throughout the day, dropping from 26° to 18° (and they'd continue to fall slowly throughout the following day). This was the first snowstorm of a foot or more in nine years. At the time it was New York's second biggest snowfall (it's now tied for tenth.)
February 1 - Today, with a high/low of 26/4, was the ninth day of the past ten with a sub-freezing high temperature (and seven days had lows in the single digits or colder). The average high/low during these ten days was 23/7, sixteen degrees below average.
March 16 - After a low of 39°, the high temperature soared to 77° (thirty degrees above average), the day after the high was just 43°. It would be six weeks before a warmer high occurred.
July 6 - Today had the first 90-degree reading of the year, the latest date for this occurrence since 1927. (Each of the previous six years had their first 90 in May.)
July 19-20 - For the fourth year in a row the high was in the 90s on these two dates. And on the 20th, 1.07" of rain thundered down in just ten minutes during a severe thunderstorm from 1:50-2PM. And during the storm the temperature tumbled from 85° to 68°.
November 28 - For the third year in a row Thanksgiving Day was very mild. Today's high/low was 62/50 and followed a high/low of 69/50 in 1933 and 60/54 last year. All are still among the ten mildest Thanksgivings.
December 31 - This was the eleventh day in a row with a sub-freezing high temperature. The average high/low during these days was 26/16, fourteen degrees below average.
1936
January 19 - It was a day of heavy snow, sleet and gusty winds. After beginning as light rain late last night, nine inches of snow piled up in the morning (mostly between 3-9:00) and then the afternoon saw an onslaught of sleet that was propelled by 25-35 mph winds, which produced wind chills in the single digits (the air temperature was in the mid-20s). 2.5" of sleet accumulated.
January 23 - The temperature plummeted from 41° at 10:00 last night to -3° by 7:00 this morning. This was the third winter in a row to have a sub-zero reading, the longest such streak.
February 3 - Today was the twelfth day in a row with a high colder than 32° (and the fourteenth of fifteen days since 1/20). The average high/low during this streak was a teeth-chattering 22/9 (sixteen degrees below average). This came one month after a streak of eleven sub-freeing days at the end of December, and a year after nine of ten days were 32° or colder.
July 9 - The temperature at 4PM reached 106°, New York's hottest temperature of all time. (The previous record was 104° in August 1918.) When the temperature reached 106° at 4PM, the relative humidity was 36% - producing a heat index of 119°. The temperature was in triple digits for seven hours but then tumbled from 103° to 94° between 6:00 and 7:00. Tomorrow would also be very hot, with a high of 102°.
September 7 - Today, Labor Day, was the fourth day in a row with a low of 60°, which was a few degrees below average. The highs, however, were different each day.
October 27 - The morning low of 28° was the coldest temperature ever recorded in October (a record that still stands). And for ten consecutive hours the temperature was 32° or colder (from 11PM on 10/26 thru 9AM today). Under clear skies the afternoon high struggled to get to 43°, producing a daily mean temperature that was 16 degrees below average.
December 20 - Today's rainstorm was the third in the past three weeks to produce more than an inch of rain, and the sixth with more than half-an-inch. Beginning last night, more than half of the 2.08" that fell poured down between midnight and 3AM today. In total, seven inches of rain fell during these three weeks, making this, at the time, the wettest December on record (it's now ranked third).
1937
January 20 - A winter storm with snow, sleet and freezing rain produced 5.7" of snow, which fell mostly during the afternoon - it was the biggest snowfall of the winter. During the evening the snow changed to freezing rain. This winter storm followed three days with highs in the 50s. (And the next two days would have highs in the upper 40s.)
January 28 - The morning low of 25°, a seasonably cold reading, was the coldest temperature of the month, making it the mildest coldest reading on record for the month of January.
March 31 - The low today and the previous three days: 31-30-29-28 - all well below average (37°).
May 6 - The crash of the Hindenburg occurred this evening in Lakehurst, NJ, about 75 miles southwest of NYC. It's never been determined what exactly caused the explosion, but thunderstorms were in the area at the time (7:30PM) so there is speculation it was lightning that ignited the helium. A few hours earlier a severe thunderstorm moved through New York between 4:00 and 5:00, dumping nearly half an inch of rain.
July 9 - For the second year in a row the high reached triple digits on 7/9, the first time a high in the 100s occurred on the same date in back-to-back years (and it would be repeated tomorrow - the last time it happened). Although today's high was six degrees lower than last year's 106°, its low of 79° was two degrees warmer.
July 11 - Both this summer and last summer had five-day heat waves that ended on this date. Each year's heat wave also had two days in the triple digits on July 9 and 10. Last year's were highs of 106° (hottest reading on record) and 102° while this year's were both 100°. Today's high was a relatively bearable 91.°
July 12 - In less than 45 minutes an afternoon thunderstorm (2:04-2:56 PM) drenched the City with more than two inches of rain (2.18").
September 4 - This was the last day of the summer's second five-day heat wave. There were also two heat waves of this length in 1936.
September 12 - This was the fourth day in a row with a low of 60° and it came one year after another four-day streak of lows at 60° in September (9/4-9/7). High temperatures on all four days were in the upper 70s.
September 13 - It was a very rainy Monday as the biggest rainstorm of the year (and in three years) dumped 3.07" of rain in just ten hours, from daybreak to late afternoon.
November 28 - For the second time in the past fifteen days the City had a rainstorm of two-inches+. These two storms accounted for 4.52" of the month's 4.73" in precipitation.
1938
March 3 - The temperature fell throughout the day, from 49° shortly after midnight to 11° twenty-four hours later (a record, which still stands).
March 5 - The 0.5" of snow that fell in the pre-dawn hours (before changing to rain) was the first measurable snow since 1/21.
March 23 - Three weeks after a low of 9°, today and the previous two days had highs in the mid-70s: 75-77-74 (today) - twenty degrees above average.
April 6-9 - This was a sloppy four days of weather, with 6.4" of snow falling on April 6 and 7 (the biggest snowfall of the winter) and 0.95" of rain on April 8 and 9. During these days temperatures were mostly in the 30s.
June 1 - This was the third day in a row with a low in the upper 40s, ten degrees chillier than average.
June 28 - Rain that fell over the past three days amounted to 3.70". Today's amount, 1.69", was a record for the date (which still stands). Besides the rain, today was unseasonably cool, with a high/low of just 60/57.
July 23 - 2.40" of rain fell today, which was a record (later broken in 1953 when 2.41" fell). There were three periods of heavy rain that accounted for more than half of the day's total: 0.53" from 8-9AM; 0.46" from 11A-noon; and 0.63" from 4-5PM.
August 8 - Three beach goers were killed by a lightning strike at Brooklyn's Riis Park, a year and one day after three were killed by lightning at the same beach. A severe thunderstorm moved through the City between 5-7PM, dumping 1.43" in Central Park.
September 21 - New York was spared the ravages of the history-making hurricane known as the Long Island Express, which made landfall mid-afternoon 65 miles to the east. Still, the City had to contend with near hurricane-force winds that gusted to 60-70 mph and four inches of rain, half of which fell between noon and 3PM. Besides the wind and rain, it was also chilly, with the temperature dropping slowly all day, from the low 60s to low 50s. Today's deluge followed two days of steady rain that amounted to 3.45".
October 17 - Today's high was a sizzling 90°, the latest date on record for a 90-degree reading - a record that still stands. This high was 27 degrees above average.
November 24 - It was a raw, cold and windy Thanksgiving Day (high/low of 34/21) with snow and sleet moving in late in the afternoon and continuing into the following day. 3.9" accumulated today and 4.9" the following morning.
November 27 - Just six weeks after the latest 90-degree reading on record, back-to-back snowstorms dropped nearly 13 inches of snow in four days. The first, on 11/24-25 measured 8.8" while the snowfall that ended before dawn today (and began late last night) brought an additional four inches. The high/low during these four days was 32/20, which was 18 degrees below average. This was the snowiest month of the winter and the third snowiest November on record (after Nov. 1898 and 1882).
1939
January 13 - Beginning mid-afternoon, a snowfall of 8.8" (1.0" fell on 1/14) tied the Thanksgiving snowstorm of 11/24-25 as the biggest snowfall of the season.
February 15 - The temperature dropped from 62° late in the afternoon to 29° by midnight. And by 8AM on 2/16 it was 15°.
February 23 - Today's high of 29° came three days after a high of 69°.
March 27 - Today's high/low of 73/39 followed one of 72/39 three days earlier. However, while the low on 3/24 was in the pre-dawn hours, the low today was at midnight after winds shifted to the northeast in the PM hours.
April 25 - After rising from 53° at 4AM to 86° for a few hours in the early afternoon, the temperature dropped back to 52° by 11PM. And then three days later the high would would be only 46° (20 degrees below average).
July 31 - This July and the previous two all had the same average temperature - 76.6°. However, 1936 had eight 90-degree days (two in the triple digits), 1937 had three and this year had four. Also, this July had just 0.99" of rain (at the time the fourth driest July) while the previous two had more than five inches.
August 19 - The biggest rainfall of the year occurred today, with 2.31" falling between noon and midnight. It fell heaviest after 8PM when more than half of the rain fell.
August 23 - Seven of the past eleven days had highs in the 90s, but six of them, like today, had a high of 90°.
October 10 - One year after the latest date for a 90-degree reading occurred (on 10/17), the second latest date was set today as the mercury soared to 91°, twenty-five degrees above average.
November 5 - The only measurable rain in November fell today from a nor'easter that produced 1.40" of rain between 9AM and 10PM. Temperatures were chilly, mostly in the low-40s (average high is in the mid-50s).
March 2017 Snaps 20-Month Streak of Above Average Temperatures
The mild conditions that made February 2017 the warmest on record continued at the onset of March as the high reached 70° on 3/1. That would be the mildest reading of the month. Through March 10 temperatures were three degrees above average, but then the next three weeks were six degrees below average, resulting in the entire month being 3.3 degrees colder than average - putting an end to New York's record streak of twenty months in a row with above average temperatures. March was also colder than February, which, in the years since 1900, had happened only twice before (in 1984 and 1960). And March's average low was colder than that of February, January or December.
ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
- True winter-like conditions were experienced during a six-day stretch from March 11-16, when temperatures were fifteen degrees below average and a snow and sleet storm snarled the City on 3/14. 7.6" accumulated, but most northern and western suburbs, which didn't have sleet, were buried by 15" to 24". (If the 1.97" in liquid precipitation that was measured at Central Park had been all snow, about 20" would have piled up.) The day after the storm the high was just 26°, which was 24 degrees below average.
- The month had five days with highs of 32° or colder, which was more than December (two), January (three) or February (one), as was the number of days with lows in the teens. The low of 14° on 3/5 tied 1/10 as the coldest reading of the winter.
- After a a two-week period (March 10-23) that saw below average temperatures on all but one day (and averaging nine degrees below average), the rest of the month was mostly uneventful.
- The last week of the month received half of the month's 5.25" of precipitation, with all but one day reporting measurable rain. This was the wettest March in six years.
- In a reverse of the time-worn saying, March came in like a lamb rather than a lion (70°), which is how it went out as an all-day rain brought 1.51" along with very chilly temperatures (high/low of 43/37).
- Finally, this was the fourth of the past five Marches to be significantly colder than average. The March that wasn't colder than average, in 2016, was the fourth mildest on record.
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