New York City Weather Archive

New York Weather History: January (1979 - 2013)

Highlights:  72 degrees on Jan. 6, 2007; Blizzard of '96 dumped 20" in early January; bitter cold readings in 1982, 1985, 1994, and 2004; 13.8" snowstorm on Jan. 22-23, 2005; the 36" of snow that fell in 2011 is the all-time January record, including 19" on January 25-26; NYC recorded its wettest and driest Januarys on record two years apart (1979, 1981). 

 

January 1

January 2

January 3

January 4

January 5

January 6

January 7

January 8

January 9

January 10

January 11

January 12

January 13

January 14

January 15

January 16

January 17

January 18

January 19

January 20

January 21

January 22

January 23

January 24

January 25

January 26

January 27

January 28

January 29

January 30

January 31

 

 

Today in New York Weather History: January 31

During New York City's prime snowfall season (Dec. 15 thru March 15), no accumulation of one-inch+ has occurred in Central Park on this date, or on March 10 or Feb. 27 (based on records going back 50 years).

• 1996 - The 0.9" of snow that fell today is the most to fall on this date in the 1962-2012 period.  It fell upon the arrival of an Arctic front that moved through late in the morning.  Today's snow brought the month's total snowfall to 26.1", making it, at the time, the second snowiest January on record (it's now third).   

• 2004 - Although the first five days of the month were 15 degrees milder than average, this ended up being the coldest January since 1977.  Twenty of the past twenty-five days had high temperatures of freezing or colder; this period was 11 degrees below average.  And today was no different, with a high/low of 28/15.

• 2006 - Only three degrees separated today's low and high temperature (42/39).

• 2007 - Today was the 4th day in a row in which measurable snow fell.  This has happened only one other time in the 1979-2013 period (Jan. 27-30, 1986).  However, snowfall during these four days was more of the "nuisance" variety, with 0.6" falling today, one inch yesterday, 0.1" on 1/29 and 0.4" on 1/28.

• 2008 - Only a trace of snow fell this month, tying 1933 as the 2nd least snowy January on record (no snow fell in 1890).

• 2012 - This was yet another month with above average temperatures, the tenth in a row and the longest such streak since 1999 when there was one of twelve months that began in August 1998 and went through July 1999.

• 2013 - A ferocious rainstorm swept through New York overnight, with wind gusts of 45-60 mph common throughout the region.  Besides wind and rain, very mild air surged ahead of the cold front that fueled this storm, pushing the temperature up to 61 degrees shortly before 2:30 AM.  Although the worst of the storm had moved on by 7AM, high winds continued for the rest of the day, and by evening the temperature had fallen by 25 degrees.  The 0.94" of rain that fell in Central Park was the same amount that fell during Superstorm Sandy back on Oct. 29-30 (but over considerably fewer hours). 

 

Today in New York Weather History: January 30

• 1986 - This was the 4th day in a row in which measurable snow fell.  In the 1979-2013 period, this would happen just one other time (Jan. 28-21, 2007).  The snow during these days was more of the "nuisance" variety, with just 0.2" falling today, 0.4" yesterday, 1.4" on 1/28 and 0.2" on 1/27.

• 1999 - This was the 15th straight day with above average temperatures.  During this stretch temperatures were 10 degrees above normal.

• 2002 - For the fourth day in a row the high temperature soared into the 60's (62, 60, 69, and 61 degrees today).  This stretch of days was 17 degrees milder than normal (high of 56/low of 42), making it feel more like Dallas or Atlanta.  It was also the ninth consecutive day in which the mean temperature was 10+ degrees above average. 

A History of Frigid Temperatures in New York City

Temperatures colder than 10 degrees above zero are infrequent in New York.  A typical winter averages three such days (in the 21st century the average has fallen to 2.2 days per winter.)  Not surprisingly, two-thirds of NYC's frigid readings have occurred in January.  The sweet spot is between January 16-22, with the peak day being January 18, which has had readings in the single digits nine times.

 

Since 1970 the earliest date for a single-digit reading has been December 3, which occurred in 1976; the latest was on February 26, 1970. 

 

Temperatures of zero or below have been reported just ten times (since 1970), with the coldest reading of 2 below zero occurring on three occasions: January 17, 1977; January 21, 1985; and January 19, 1994.  The coldest reading so far this century was in 2004 when the temperature fell to 1 above zero twice, on January 10 and January 16.

 

The winters of 1978-79 and 1993-94 have had the most days with single-digit readings, nine, followed by the winters of 1976-77, 2003-04 and 2004-05, which had eight.  The most consecutive days with single digit temperatures is six, which happened between Feb. 9-14, 1979.  By contrast, 13 winters have had no readings below 10 degrees, including four of the past six (and, so far, the current winter as well). 

 

Finally, only one day since 1970 has had a high temperature in the single digits.  It occurred during the great Arctic outbreak of January 1985.  On January 21 the high reached only 9 degrees (after an AM low of -2).  That reading was reached shortly before midnight.  During the daytime hours the temperature hovered around 7 degrees.  This was the coldest high temperature for New York since February 15, 1943 when the high that day was just 8 degrees. 

 

Today in New York Weather History: January 29

 

• 1990 - Today's rainfall was enough to set a record for the date, although it was just 1.03"  Only six other dates have had less precipitation for their daily record: 0.86" on Jan. 9, 1902; 0.89" on April 30, 1963; 0.91" on April 29, 1909; 0.91" on Feb. 8, 1890; 1.02" on March 14, 1956; and 1.02" on June 8, 1890.   

 

• 1994 - This was the only day between January 3 and February 17 that was completely above freezing (high/low of 42/35).

 

• 2002 - The afternoon high soared to 69 degrees, thirty-one degrees above average, and a record for the date.  

 

• 2003 - In the past four days very cold and dry air produced 2.5" of powder/fluffy snow from just 0.04" of liquid precipitation.  Today was the 8th day this month with measurable snowfall, which was notable since only 4.7" of snow fell during the month.  

Today in New York Weather History: January 28

• 1977 - Today's high of 44 degrees was the mildest reading of this brutally cold month.  The last time the temperature was this mild was on Dec. 20.  However, this respite was a brief one as another Arctic front pushed through during the afternoon and by midnight the temperature had tumbled to 13 degrees.  

  

• 1982 - Sixteen of the past twenty-one days had high temperatures at or below freezing, averaging 11 degrees below normal.  12 inches of snow fell during this three-week period.

 

• 1986 - The winter's first 1-inch snowfall came in the wee hours of the morning and the daylight hours were clear and cold with a high/low of 23/14.  (This was also the day the space shuttle Challenger blew up shortly after lift-off down at Cape Kennedy.)   

 

• 1987 - The past five days were 13 degrees colder than average, with a high/low during these days of just 25/12.

 

• 1994 - Today's high temperature leapt to 55 after yesterday's frigid low of zero degrees.  1.87" of rain fell, a record for the date.

 

• 1998 - In the past two weeks, eight of the days had high temperatures of either 38 or 39 degrees. 

 

• 2003 - Fourteen of the past fifteen days had high temperatures that were below freezing.  However, despite this cold snap just 2.6" of snow fell.

 

• 2005 - Today was the eighth time this month with a low temperature in the single digits.  All of them occurred in the past eleven days.  This was the same number as last January but this year's was more concentrated.

 

 

Today in New York Weather History: January 27

• 1976 - Four days after a morning low of one below zero, the temperature at daybreak today was 56 degrees.  It was also a rain-soaked day, with nearly two inches falling (the 1.94" that fell was a record for the date).  After peaking this morning, the temperature slowly fell throughout the day.

 

• 1978 - This was the first of twelve days in a row in which the high temperature was 32 degrees or colder.  The longest such streak during the 1970-1999 period, it would be topped in the winter of 2000-01 when there was one of thirteen days.

 

• 1982 - Today was the seventh day this month with a morning low in the single digits.  It was also the sixteenth day of the past twenty to have a high temperature of 32 degrees or colder.

 

• 1994 - Since January 6 temperatures averaged nine degrees colder than normal, with an average high/low of 30/14 - more typical of January in Chicago.

 

2004 - This was the fifth day in a row in which the high temperature was below 25 degrees.  The highs on these days were 20, 23, 19, 22 and 24 (today).  Snow moved in after 8PM and by the time it ended early the next morning 10.3" inches of powdery snow had accumulated (six inches of it fell tonight).  

 

• 2005 - The morning low of +5 was the coldest reading of the winter.

 

• 2011 - The 6.7" of snow that fell before daybreak was a record for the date and brought the month's total to 36.0", the most ever in January.  (Just one year ago 36.9" of snow fell in February.)  In the past 33 days, beginning with the Christmas blizzard, an incredible 56" of snow fell.  And for the first time NYC had two snowstorms of 19" or more in one winter. 

Today in New York Weather History: January 26

• 1978 - Between Jan. 8 and today, a period of less than three weeks, 8.19" of precipitation fell, including four days that received more than an inch of precip.  0.45" of rain fell early this morning.  Today also saw the mildest reading of the month, 58 degrees, which was reached before daybreak.  This was the mildest reading in more than two months (Nov. 17).  However, after passage of a cold front, the temperature fell for the rest of the day and by midnight it was 22 degrees.     

 

• 1986 - 2.19" of rain fell, a record for the date.

 

• 1994 - 4.5" of snow fell during the morning, the largest accumulation of the month.  It was followed by Arctic air which dropped the temperature from 32 to +5 by midnight.

 

• 2011 - Snow began falling heavily by late afternoon and blizzard conditions developed after nightfall.  By midnight close to 13 inches had fallen and by the time the snow wound down at daybreak 19 inches had piled up.  (This was just one month after the post-Christmas blizzard socked NYC with 20 inches.)  Shortly after midnight I ventured outside to snap photos and found traffic mostly at a standstill on Seventh Avenue South in the West Village with taxis pointed every which way.  The quiet usually associated with a snowfall was broken by the sound of spinning tires.  This furious spinning created an odor of burning rubber that pervaded the air.   

 

2013 - Under clear skies the high temperature struggled to reach 27 degrees, making this the sixth day in a row with a high temperature of 32 degrees or colder.  The last time the City experienced a cold streak of this length was six years ago.  The average high/low during these six days was 25/15, twelve degrees colder than average.  This cold snap followed a 2-week period which had temperatures 9 degrees above average.   

Today in New York Weather History: January 25

 

• 1997 - Rain that fell overnight amounted to 1.59" and was largely over by 4AM.

 

• 2000 - The largest snowfall of the winter, 5.5", caught forecasters by surprise.  The accumulation was held down when sleet and freezing rain mixed in.  The same storm buried Raleigh, NC with 20.3" of snow, the largest snowfall in its history.

 

• 2003 - Today was the 12th day in a row in which the high temperature failed to rise above freezing.  The average high during these days was 27, which was 11 degrees colder than normal.  This streak came just two years after one of 13 days, which was the 2nd longest on record. 

 

• 2004 - Today was the eighth day out of the past seventeen with a morning low in the single digits.

 

• 2013 - A fast-moving clipper system dropped 1.5 inches of snow during Friday evening's rush hour.  Because it was quite cold this week, the snow quickly coated the streets and sidewalks, even in Manhattan. This was the first snow since 12/26, when 0.4" fell (before a changeover to rain).

 

 

Today in New York Weather History: January 24

 

• 1979 - Most of the today's 2.18" of rain fell during the afternoon.  It was the second record-setting rainfall in the past three days.  The month would end up being the wettest January on record, with 10.52" measured.

 

• 1999 - This was the eighth day in a row with temperatures 10 degrees or more above average.  The high/low during these days was 51/38, fourteen degrees above average.  Today's high was 60 with 1.04" of rain falling during the daytime hours.