New York City Weather Archive

February 2015 - One of New York's Coldest Months on Record

Through mid-February it appeared this would be the coldest February since 1979, but as incursions of Arctic cold continued unabated through the second half of the month, it ended up being even colder than that February.  (February 1979 was brutally cold until the last six days of the month when temperatures were eight degrees above average.)  Most who experienced February 2015 probably don't need convincing that it was an unusually frigid month, but for those who need statistical proof, read on:

 

• It was 1) New York's coldest month since January 1977, 2) the coldest February since 1934 (which is NYC's coldest month on record) and 3) the third coldest February overall.  Among all months it was the tenth coldest (see chart below). 

• February 2015 joins four other months in the past 25 years that rank among their respective month's top-10 coldest (all of which have occurred since 2000):  July 2000, January 2004, June 2009 and July 2009.

• There were nine days in a row (Feb. 13-21) in which the mean temperatures were 10 degrees or more below average (the longest streak since one of 11 days in February 1979).  Overall, sixteen days were ten degrees or more below average, the most since December 1989.  Five days were 20 degrees or more below average.

• Despite there being no sub-zero readings the month was characterized by its consistent cold.  The temperature got no higher than 43 degrees (the only Februarys with lower "warmest" temperature were in 1978, when the maximum temperature was just 41 degrees, and 1934, when it was 42.)  This continued a streak that began on January 6 and became the longest such streak on record (and it continued thru the first week of March.

 

Frozen fountain in Bryant Park

 

• Every day had a low of freezing or below; every day but one, Feb. 22, had a below average mean temperature.  Fifteen days had highs of 32 degrees or colder (a typical winter averages eighteen).

• The coldest day of the entire winter was Feb. 20, with a high/low of 19/2, 26 degrees below average.

• There were no big snowstorms, but 11.9" accumulated, three inches above average.  There were three snowfalls in the three to four-inch range.

NEW YORK'S TEN COLDEST MONTHS
	Mean
	Temp	Snow	Coldest	Warmest
Feb 1934	19.9	27.9"	-15	42
Jan 1918	21.7	13.2"	-4	53
Jan 1977	22.1	13.0"	-2	44
Feb 1885	22.7	14.5"	-2	NA
Jan 1888	23.0	11.0"	0	NA
Jan 1920	23.4	8.2"	-1	51
Jan 1912	23.7	13.0"	-3	54
Jan 1893	23.7	16.0"	1	NA
Jan 1875	23.8	14.5"	-3	NA
Feb 2015	23.9	11.9"	2	43
Source: NOAA Local Climatological Data

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sleet - The Most Misunderstood Form of Precipitation?

When it comes to weather phenomena, the general public seems knowledgeable about most types of precipitation, but one they seem to have a blind spot for is sleet, often referring to this wintertime annoyance as hail.  I find this confusion curious since these forms of precipitation, although both are ice formations, are created in very different ways.  (Interestingly, in the summer no one confuses hail with sleet.)  Alas, because sleet is more of a nuisance than hail, which is formed during severe thunderstorms, it doesn't draw attention to itself - like someone who is overshadowed by a sibling who's always getting into trouble or is an overachiever (sisters Jan and Marcia on The Brady Bunch come to mind).

 

The fact of the matter is sleet doesn't cause damage like hail does (or freezing rain for that matter).  The only time it may create a problem is when it's wind-blown and stings your face.  It also can be annoying when it taps incessantly against window panes.  But it doesn't cause damage to vehicles, crush plants or pull down power lines.  One thing sleet and hail have in common is that during heavy periods of either snowplows are needed to clear streets.

 

On rare occasions a heavy sleet storm can result in accumulations greater than a few inches.  When this happens walking through the accumulation is like trudging through crushed glass.  Memorable New York sleet storms have occurred in December 1973, March 1993, January 1994 and two in the winter of 2007 that occurred one month apart, with both causing major airport headaches (Jet Blue was especially affected).  The sleet that fell in March 1993 was part of the historical Storm of the Century.  I was walking outside when the changeover from snow to sleet occurred.  The sleet pellets, propelled by winds gusting over 40 MPH, stung my face, giving me somewhat of a skin burn.  Then once inside I had to contend with the sound of the sleet crashing against my windows for hours.

 

 

 

New York Weather Highlights of 2015

 

JANUARY

5 - The temperature fell steadily throughout the day, from 49 degrees shortly after midnight to 21 degrees 24 hours later.  At the time this was the coldest reading of the winter.

8 - Today was the third day in a row with very cold temperatures, all with highs below 25 degrees.  Today's high/low of 21/8 was one degree colder than the high/low last year on this very date (22/9).  In the years since 1960 this is the only time that a date had a low in the single digits in consecutive years.

9 - Although snow that fell this morning amounted to just 1.5", it was magnified by the fact that it was more than predicted and it fell during the morning commute (6-9AM).  During the afternoon the temperature rose to 33 degrees, the first time it was above freezing in four days.

18 - An all-day deluge from a storm that hugged the coast dumped 2.10" of rain, a record for the date and the biggest January rainstorm since 1999.

24 - A fast-moving system dropped 2.5" of heavy, wet snow overnight that was over by 7AM.  This amount was on the low end as most towns in New Jersey and Westchester Co. received between five and seven inches.  Still, it was the most snow on this date since 1971 when 2.6" accumulated.

27 - The "great" blizzard was not to be as just 4.3" of snow fell after midnight, bringing the storm's total to 9.8".  The National Weather Service issued an apology to NYC, which had shut schools and its transit system based on a forecast of 18-24 inches.  However, just 30 miles east of the City, most towns on Long Island received that amount.  The snow ended mid-morning and the day's temperatures stayed in the 20s. 

 

FEBRUARY

5 - A nasty winter storm brought snow, sleet and freezing rain for much of the daylight hours and then Arctic air blew through during the evening, dropping the temperature into the mid-teens by midnight (with wind chills around zero degrees).  Precipitation began as snow (shortly before midnight) and ended as snow during the afternoon, with a total accumulation of 3.6".  A considerable amount of sleet and freezing rain hampered the morning commute.  (Most nearby suburbs had 5-7" of snow.)  This and three other snowfalls in the past ten days brought 16.9" of snow.

15 - Arctic cold returned, made made even more frigid by winds gusting between 30-45 mph.  Temperatures were in the teens throughout the day and then dropped like a rock into the single digits after 8PM, and down to 4 above zero by midnight.  Wind chills were between 5 and 15 below.  Meanwhile, the latest winter storm was yet another non-event, making it the seventh such under-performer of the past two months.  However, it dumped another fifteen inches of snow on beleaguered Boston.

16 - With a high/low of 21/3, today was the coldest day of the winter (23 degrees below average).  The low of 3 degrees was the coldest reading since the winter of 2004 (when two days had lows of 1 above zero).  Since 1960 only the winter of 1979 has had a colder low temperature this late in the season (zero degrees on Feb. 18).

17 - An overnight snowfall put down 3.3" by the time it ended around 10AM.  Because the air was so cold and dry just 0.14" of liquid produced a lot more snow than would usually be the case.  The day's high was 27, making it the fifth day in a row with a high of 32 degrees or colder.

20 - The morning's frigid low of 2 above zero easily broke the old record of 7 degrees set in 1950.  This was the seventh day this winter with a low in the single digits and was the coldest reading since the winter of 2004 (just four days after the low of 3 above zero got that distinction).  With a high/low of 19/2, the day's mean temperature was 26 degrees below average.  Since 1960 there have been only three winter days more below average (all were 27 degrees below average, in the winters of 1977, 1985 and 1994).

21 - Snow began falling around 1:30 PM and fell steadily through 9:00 when it changed to sleet and freezing rain.  Four inches accumulated, making it the second biggest snowfall of the winter (and the third this month to drop between three and four inches).  Today was also the ninth day in a row in which the mean temperature was ten or more degrees below average, just the fifth time since 1960 that a streak this long has occurred.  Temperatures during these nine days averaged 17 degrees below average.

22 - You know it's been a harsh winter when a high/low of 43/32 in late February is cause for celebration.  But after a nine-day stretch with temperatures that were 17 degrees below average (high/low of 26/10) and three snowfalls that amounted to 8.2", today felt like spring.  I took advantage of the sunny and mild conditions and walked to Hudson River Park to catch a glimpse of ice floating by on the Hudson River.  Today had the first above average mean temperature since Jan. 25.

23 - Yesterday's sunny skies and temperatures in the low 40s felt like springtime in this brutal winter, but it was just a 24-hour reprieve as the relentless Arctic cold returned today.  The temperature tumbled from 38 degrees shortly after midnight to 8 degrees 24 hours later.   And windy conditions produced sub-zero wind chills after dark.

24 - The morning low was just 4 degrees, one of the latest dates for a temperature this cold.  This was the ninth day this winter with a low in the single digits (seven of them occurring in the past twelve days), joining twenty other winters (since 1870).  The last winter to have this many was in 1994.  Today was also the 50th day in a row in which the temperature has failed to go above 43 degrees.

January 2015 - Not as Cold & Snowy as Last Year, But Sill Cold & Snowy

Compared to last January, January 2015 wasn't as cold or snowy, but it was still colder and snowier than average, with a mean temperature 2.7 degrees below average and snowfall more than double the month's average (15.3" vs. 7.0").  It was also the wettest January since 1999.  What follows are the four key stories of the month:

 

• A typical January is five degrees colder than December, but this year it was 11 degrees colder as December was on the mild side (3.2 degrees above average).

• There was a "January thaw" of just one day, on Jan. 5 when it was 56/41.  After that day the "warmest" temperature for the rest of the month was just 43 degrees.  By contrast, January 2014 had a thaw of five days.

• The rainstorm of Jan. 18, which drenched the area with 2.10",  was the biggest rainstorm in January since 1999.

• Of course, the biggest story of the month was the blizzard that fizzled during the last week of the month, giving the City "just" 9.8" rather than 24"-36" that had been predicted the day before the storm moved in.

 

 

JANUARY 2015 v JANUARY 2014
			30-Year
	2015	2014	Average
Average High (+/-)	36.1 (-2.2)	35.4 (-2.9)	38.3
Warmest Reading	59	58	59
Average Low (+/-)	23.6 (-3.3)	21.8 (-5.1)	26.9
Coldest Reading	8	4	8
Mean Temp (+/-)	29.9 (-2.7)	28.6 (-4)	32.6
Highs of 32 or Colder	9	13	9
Precipitation	5.23"	2.79"	4.13"
Snowfall	15.3"	19.7"	7.0"

A History of Snowstorms That Fizzled

The great blizzard of Jan. 26-27, 2015 that was predicted to bury New York under 18-24" of snow (even 24-30") brought just under ten inches, making it a big fizzle.  Although this was a significant accumulation (especially in a winter with little snow to speak of before this storm) it was a pittance compared to what had been advertised.  A contrite National Weather Service even issued an apology to New York's mayor, who, based on its forecast, called the storm one of "historic proportions."  He ordered schools closed and urged businesses to let employees work from home.  Meanwhile the governor of New York ordered the City's transit system shut down as well.  You can add this storm to the list of nine other storms since 1980 that were billed as blockbusters but then petered out (or brought rain instead of snow).

 

 

WINTER STORMS THAT DIDN'T DELIVER

Jan. 15, 1983 - A predicted snowstorm failed to materialize as temperatures stayed above freezing (the day's high/low was 36/33).  The combination of drizzle and wet snow (one inch) that fell between mid-morning and mid-afternoon amounted to 0.65" of liquid precipitation in Central Park.  This would have produced about half a foot of snow had the temperature been a few degrees colder.  Although suburbs north and west of the City received significant snowfall, snow lovers in NYC would have to wait another month for a substantial snowfall (the blizzard of Feb. 11-12).

March 28-29, 1984 - A big coastal storm had potential to dump substantial amounts over a number of days.  And while 3.5" did fall, it fell sporadically and was interspersed with periods of rain.

Dec. 17, 1989 - During one of the coldest and driest Decembers on record this was going to be a big snow producer, but the storm moved too far off the coast.  And what precipitation there was fell mostly as rain, and just 0.7" of the white stuff was measured.

March 13, 1993 - Although 10 inches of snow piled up from the ferocious storm billed as the "Storm of the Century", the predicted 15-18" didn't materialize because of a changeover to sleet and then rain in the early evening.

Jan 17, 1994 - This winter storm sucked in more mild air than expected, resulting in a mostly rain event (after starting as a brief period of snow that accumulated 1.3").  1.34" of precipitation fell in total, a record for the date.  The temperature rose from 12 degrees at midnight to 47 by early afternoon and began tumbling later as another Arctic air mass moved in.  

March 31, 1997 - There was early talk of significant snowfall, but the City received only rain (2.32") as the temperature stayed above freezing (winds gusted between 40 and 50 mph).  Boston, meanwhile, was buried by 25 inches of snow on April Fool's Day.

March 6, 2001 - At one point 12-18" of snow was predicted from what the Weather Channel labeled "The March Lion" and City schools were closed before the storm even began as a precautionary measure.  And while parts of Long Island saw a foot or more, Central Park had 3.5" as the storm developed a bit further north than expected.

Feb. 6, 2010 - A huge weekend snowstorm that buried DC, Baltimore, Philly and Pittsburgh with 20-30" of snow came achingly close to NYC, but it stopped at our doorstep.  Although parts of Staten Island picked up 3 inches of snow, Central Park saw just a few snow flurries.

March 3, 2014 - A winter storm that, a few days earlier, was predicted to dump significant amounts of snow on NYC (6-12"), was pushed to the south by an Arctic high and delivered a dusting of 0.1". 

 

 

 

 

 

Warming Trend: A Decade-by-Decade Analysis

Monthly temperatures for New York go back to 1869.  With this nearly century-and-a-half treasure trove of data in front of me I calculated each decades' monthly temperatures.  As I did this a story emerged - New York was noticeably cooler before 1930, and every month's coldest decade occurred in that period.  A second story was that the 1980s and 1990s were the warmest decades for eight months.  (If the second half of the decade we're presently in continues as mild as the first five years it will become the warmest decade on record for the months of March, April, May, June, July and September.)  Other findings:

 

• Comparing pre-1930 decades with 1930 onward shows that March has warmed the most (+3.5 degrees), followed by February (+3.2).  The least warming has occurred in September (+1.4 degrees) and June (+1.5).

• The biggest difference in temperature between a month's coldest and warmest decade has occurred with February and March.  In the 1880s March's mean temperature was 35.4 degrees while it was 42.9 in the 1980s, a warm up of 7.5 degrees.  In February the pre- and post- temperatures were 29.4 and 36.3.

• While March in the years between 1930 and 1999 was 3.5 degrees warmer than the six decades before 1930, in the 21st century it has been 4.8 degrees warmer.  Interestingly, October in the 21st century has been a bit cooler than the years between 1930 and 1999 (but still milder than before 1930).

• The warmest decades for September and October are not recent, as both were in the 1940s.

• In the first two decades of the 20th century February was colder than January by a significant margin (29.9 vs 32.3).

• Worldwide, the first decade of the 21st century has been the warmest on record, but New York's warmest decade was the 1990s. (However, the 2000s had NYC's mildest Aprils and Novembers.)  

 

COLDEST & WARMEST DECADES BY MONTH
	Coldest		Warmest
		Mean		Mean
	Decade	Temp	Decade	Temp
January	1880-89	28.7	1990-99	34.8
February	1900-09	29.4	1990-99	36.3
March	1880-89	35.4	1980-89	42.9
April	1870-79	48.1	2000-09	53.5
May	1870-79	60.1	1980-89	63.6
June	1910-19	69.0	1990-99	72.2
July	1880-89	74.6	1990-99	77.5
August	1880-89	72.0	1970-79	76.0
September	1870-79	65.4	1940-49	68.8
October	1890-99	55.5	1940-49	58.7
November	1870-79	42.0	2000-09	48.6
December	1870-79	32.8	1990-99	39.5
Source: NOAA Local Climatological Data

 

TEMPERATURE TRENDS OVER THREE PERIODS
	Mean Temperature			Degrees Diff
	Before			2000-14 vs
	1930	1930-1999	2000-2014	Before 1930
January	31.0	32.6	33.0	2.0
February	30.9	33.9	35.2	4.3
March	38.3	41.5	43.1	4.8
April	49.5	52.1	53.8	4.3
May	60.7	62.6	62.9	2.2
June	70.1	71.6	71.8	1.7
July	75.2	76.9	76.9	1.7
August	73.3	75.3	75.8	2.5
September	67.0	68.3	68.9	1.9
October	56.0	57.8	57.5	1.5
November	44.0	47.3	48.0	4.0
December	34.4	36.6	38.2	3.8
FULL YEAR	52.6	54.7	55.4	2.8

Biggest January Rainstorms

Not only was the 2.10" deluge on Jan. 18, 2015 a record for the date, it was New York's biggest January rainstorm in sixteen years (since Jan. 3, 1999, when 2.42" fell).  This makes it the biggest January rainstorm of the 21st century.  And in the years between 1999 and 2015 there were four January's that had about this amount of rain for the entire month.  Since 1970 this was the eighth biggest January rainstorm (ranked ninth if snowstorms are added to the mix).  Other findings:

 

• Of the eleven storms in January since 1970 that produced more than two inches of precipitation, two are snowstorms - the blizzard of Jan. 7-8, 1996 and the snowstorm of Jan. 26-27, 2011.

• Among the rainstorms, 2014's had the coldest temperatures, which ranged between 34 and 42.  Seven of the other rainstorms had temperatures rise into the 50s.

• 1979 has two rainstorms on the list, and they occurred just three days apart. 

• Six of the storms occurred between Jan. 23 and Jan. 28.

• 2014's precipitation was concentrated in 13 hours; only the 1999 storm had a shorter duration, 12 hours.  Most of the other storms lasted 18 hours or more.

 

JANUARY STORMS THAT PRODUCED MORE THAN TWO INCHES OF PRECIPITATION (SINCE 1970)
			Temp
Date	Amount	Hours	Range	Comments
Jan 20-21, 1979	3.98"	19	54/27	Began as 0.5" of snow
Jan 26-28, 1976	2.89"	28	56/35
Jan 4, 1982	2.73"	15	58/36
Jan 23-24, 1998	2.65"	20	47/34
Jan 3, 1999	2.42"	12	51/35
Jan 24-25, 1979	2.32"	16	53/35
Jan 25-26, 1978	2.25"	18	58/35
Jan 7-8, 1996	2.16"	25	23/16	All snow 20.2")
Jan 18, 2014	2.10"	13	42/34
Jan 25-26, 1986	2.07"	23	51/38
Jan 26-27, 2011	2.06"	21	32/29	All snow (19.0")
Source: NOAA, Local Climatological Data

 

 

 

Unlike Rest of World, 2014 Was Far From Warmest Year in New York

Scientists at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported on Friday (1/16) that Earth experienced its warmest year on record in 2014.  However, the story was different in New York City as 2014 was the coolest in five years.  (And in the past 50 years two-thirds of the years were warmer than 2014.)  Seven months last year experienced cooler than average temperatures, with January, February, March and November being especially below average.   And during the summer only eight days saw 90-degree readings (average number is eighteen), with the hottest being just 92 degrees.

 

MONTHLY DEPARTURE FROM AVERAGE: 2014 (DEGREES)
January	-4.0
February	-3.7
March	-4.8
April	-0.7
May	+1.6
June	+1.0
July	-0.4
August	-0.7
September	+1.7
October	+2.7
November	-2.4
December	+3.2
ANNUAL	-0.8

New York's warmest year was 2012 (2.8 degrees warmer than 2014), just 0.1 degree warmer than 1990, 1991 and 1998.  Four of the Earth's ten warmest years are also among New York's top 10.  Despite the overall warming trend, two of our warmest years occurred more than 60 years ago (1949 and 1953).

 

10 WARMEST YEARS IN NEW YORK CITY
	Mean
	Temp
2012	57.3
1998	57.2
1991	57.2
1990	57.2
1953	57.0
1949	56.9
2006	56.8
2010	56.7
1999	56.5
2011	56.4
2002	56.4
30-Year Average	55.3
2014	54.5

Although NYC wasn't as warm as the rest of the world in 2014, it's important to keep in mind that rising ocean levels resulting from the steady warm up will still effect us.  

 

Top 10 Weather Stories of 2014

 

Cold Winter

The coldest temperature of the year was 4 degrees above zero on Jan. 7, which was the coldest reading in New York in ten years.  Then a low of 9 on Feb. 28 was the latest reading in the single digits since 1967.  Finally, in the first three months of the yere there were 27 days with mean temperatures 10 degrees or more below average - the most such days since 1936.

 

 

Snowy Winter

In the 30-day period between Jan. 21 and Feb. 18, 42.1" of snow fell, including three snowstorms of 8 inches or more.

 

 

Super Bowl Miracle

In the midst of the harsh winter, the weather gods delivered springlike conditions when the Super Bowl was played outdoors in northern New Jersey on Feb. 2.  The next day, however, winter returned with a vengeance as the temperature dropped by 25 degrees and eight inches of snow piled up less than 12 hours after the game ended.

Cold But Snowless March

March was the coldest since 1984.  However, just 0.1" of snow fell.  The closest we came to seeing a significant snowfall was at the beginning of the month when a major storm moved south of the region, suppressed by a strong Arctic high pressure system.

April Ends with Huge Rainstorm

4.97" of rain poured down on April 30.  Until this rainstorm this date was one of three that had never recorded an inch of rain.

 

 

Late Arrival of 90-Degree Temperatures

The first 90-degree reading didn't occur until July 2, more than five weeks later than usual, and the latest date since 1985.  (And April had no 80-degree days for the first time in 14 years.)  The hottest period of the summer came at the end of August into early September.  This included the hottest day of the year, Sept. 2, when the high/low was 92/77.  In total there were just eight 90-degree days, well below the average of 18.

 

 

 

Gray Skies Clear in Tme for Fireworks

New York was on the northern fringe of Hurricane Arthur on the 4th of July, creating breezy showery conditions.  However, skies cleared early in the evening and the Macy's fireworks extravaganza went off without a hitch.

Marathon Runners Slowed by High Winds

Winds gusting between 30 and 45 mph were responsible for the slowest winning times in the NYC Marathon in 30 years.  Chilly temperatures (low 40s) felt like they were in the low-to-mid-30s due to the high winds.

 

 

December Nor'easter

A strong nor'easter lashed the area on Dec. 9.  It occurred very close to the date of the even more intense nor'easter of 1992.  Although the amount of rain was half the amount that fell on 4/30, it was a record for the date and was accompanied by gale force winds.

Mild December

December was milder than March.  The coldest reading was 24 degrees.  Since 1970 only two other years had a milder reading for December's coldest temperature.  Christmas Day, with a high of 62 degrees, was two degrees milder than Easter Sunday.  And although just an inch of snow fell, it was more than what fell in snowier cities such as Boston, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, Grand Rapids and Chicago.

 

If you'd like to read about NYC's top 10 weather stories of 2013, double click here.

 

 

When March is Colder Than December

Typically the month of December is five degrees colder than March, but about every five years (based on records since 1960) March is colder.  2014 was one of these years as March, the coldest in 30 years, was three degrees colder than December.  Of the 33 years (since 1869) in which March was colder than December, the most extreme was in 1984 when it was 7.1 degrees colder.  Here are some other tidbits ...

 

• Of the years in which March has been colder than December, both months had below average temperatures in five of them.  The last time this happened was in 1916.  And in 1982 and 2006, despite March being colder than December, both months were milder than average.

• The most consecutive years in which December was colder than March is fourteen, from 1942 thru 1955.  However, there have never been more than two consecutive years in which March was colder than December. Finally, in the last two decades of the nineteenth century March was colder than December in half of the years. 

• Interestingly, one of the coldest March's on record, in 1960, wasn't colder than that year's December, which was also much below average.

 

LAST 10 YEARS WHEN MARCH
WAS COLDER THAN DECEMBER
	Mean Temp		Difference
	March	Dec.	March v Dec.
Average*	42.5	37.5	5.0
2014	37.7	40.5	-2.8
2011	42.3	43.3	-1.0
2006	43.1	43.6	-0.5
2001	39.6	44.1	-4.5
1996	38.9	41.3	-2.4
1994	40.7	42.2	-1.5
1984	36.7	43.8	-7.1
1982	42.0	42.8	-0.8
1971	40.1	40.8	-0.7
1967	37.6	38.2	-0.6
*1980-2010
GREATEST TEMP DIFFERENCE
(MARCH V DECEMBER)
	Mean Temp		Difference
	March	Dec.	March v Dec.
1984	36.7	43.8	-7.1
1891	35.8	42.3	-6.5
1923	36.8	42.0	-5.2
1885	30.6	35.7	-5.1
1911	34.7	39.4	-4.7
1888	30.0	34.7	-4.7
2001	39.6	44.1	-4.5
1956	37.4	40.9	-3.5

Winter Festival: A Celebration of Snow As Portrayed by Covers of The New Yorker

Before it turns to slush, new-fallen snow in New York brings a blanket of serenity even to the great metropolis.  And wintertime covers of The New Yorker perfectly capture the ineffable beauty of the season.  Here are my favorites (captions are mine)...

 

Snow Beautiful (Jan. 16, 1932)

 

Wintry Tableau (Feb. 27, 1937)

 

Little Siberia (Feb. 2, 1946)

 

The Excitement Builds (Jan. 21, 1950)

 

Eager Anticipation (Jan. 20, 1951)

 

Sisyphus In Winter (Jan. 7, 1956)

 

Hibernation, Manhattan Style (Jan. 21, 1956)

 

Manhattan on Ice (March 2, 1957)

 

Polar Express (Jan. 11, 1958)

 

 

Flight Delay (Jan 8, 1966)

 

Old Man Winter's Calling Card (Jan. 7, 1967)

 

Veil of White (March 2, 1968)

 

Mantle of White (Jan. 4, 1969)

 

A Cold Winter's Night That Was So Deep (Jan. 22, 1979)

 

In Winter's Grip (Jan. 7 1974)

 

Cozy Inside (Jan. 12, 1976)

 

Travel Advisory (Feb. 7, 1977)

 

Snow Day (Jan. 29, 1979)

 

Serenity (Jan. 26, 1981)

 

Rush in Slush (Dec. 13, 1982)

 

Neither Sleet nor Snow ... (Feb. 16, 1987)

 

Winter Gridlock (Jan. 28, 1991)

 

Cold Comfort (March 6, 1995)

 

Fashion Statement (March 1, 2010)

 

Cold Reality (Dec. 20, 2010)

 

50 Shades of Gray (Jan. 23, 2012)

 

Double Duty (March 10, 2014)

 

I've written a similar post about my favorite summertime covers.  Large reproductions of these covers, as well as every New Yorker cover (nearly 5,000), are available for purchase on Conde Nast's website.  (And small versions are sold by street vendors throughout midtown Manhattan.)