Looking Back at New York Weather: May 15

 

1964

Today and the previous two days were the only days with measurable rain this month, which became the third driest May on record (0.57" was measured). 

2004

After a sultry high of 87° (sixteen degrees above average), the day ended with heavy rain between 9 PM and midnight that amounted to 1.16".  Although it wasn't a tremendous amount, it set a record for the date, breaking 1898's record by 0.02".

 

 

2018

The afternoon was very warm and humid, with a high of 88°, and ended turbulently as a quick-moving line of severe thunderstorms struck as the evening rush hour was beginning.  This caused long delays for train commuters waiting at Grand Central Station and widespread cancellations for air travelers (like me, trying to return from Pittsburgh).  In a little more than two hours 0.58" of rain poured down. Wind gusts of 55, 54 and 53 mph were clocked at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports; by contrast, Central Park was protected and a had a peak gust of only 30 mph.

 

 

 

 

 

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April 2022 Weather Recap - Rainy, Then Dry

 

April was 0.9 degrees chillier than average and somewhat rainier (despite there being practically no rainfall in the month's last 11 days).  The chilliest reading was 38° (on 4/2), the mildest was 79° (4/14).  The last time the chilliest reading was this mild was in 2012.  Only two other Aprils have had a milder reading for their coldest reading: in 1878 (42°) and 2010 (40°).  The month's temperature range was 41 degrees, well below the usual range of 50 degrees (since 1980, 32° to 82°).  On the day the high reached 79° in Central Park, the high at Newark Airport soared to 88° (and it was in the low 70s at LaGuardia and Kennedy airports).  

 

The month's rainfall of 4.53" was similar to that of April 2020 (4.49") and April 2019 (4.55").  Much of the rain fell from two storm systems that brought 1.15" on 4/7-8, and 2.09" on 4/18-19.  Just 0.02" of rain fell between 4/20-30, which was the least to fall in the last third of April since 1942, when no measurable rain fell after 4/11 (that April is the second driest on record).   

 

Six days had highs in the 70s, an average number, with five of them on consecutive days (4/12-4/16).  The average high of 73° during the streak was twelve degrees above average.  This was the lengthiest such streak in April in 11 years.  The streak ended the day before Easter Sunday, which, with a high/low of 51°/41°, was the chilliest since 2009.  

 

Finally, the last three days of the month had afternoon humidity levels that bottomed out at 11%, 9%, and 14%.  The 9% reading on 4/29 tied for the third lowest in the years since 2000.  This was the most arid three-day streak since March 28-30, 2007.  Very low humidity was also reported on the 15th and 22nd (13% and 15%, respectively).  

 

Here are April recaps of the past six years:

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

 

 

Months With Warmest & Coldest Readings Just A Few Days Apart

 

 

For the purposes of this analysis, I've gathered together months that had their coldest and warmest temperature one or two days apart.  On average, this has happened about once every two-and-a-half years.  The difference between the coldest and warmest reading has been, on average, 42 degrees (ranging between swings of 29 and 61 degrees).  I've limited the months in this analysis to those with "solo" occurrences, i.e., months in which the hottest and coldest temperature occurred on just one date.  Through March 2022, there were 58 months that met this criterion.  The last time it happened was in Nov. 2009, when the month's coldest temperature occurred on 11/7 (35°), and mildest reading on 11/8 (69°).  Here are a few other observations:

 

• By month, February has had the most instances (nine), while September had the fewest (one).  By season, winter has had 20 such months, spring and summer have each had 14, and fall has had 10 months.
  

 

• Although the average time between occurrences has been 2-1/2 years, in 1961 it happened in consecutive months (May and June).  And there have been three instances in which this type of month was just a month apart from the other:  Oct./Dec. 1871; Dec. 1882/Feb. 1883; and Aug./Oct. 1894.  (There are no instances in which a month's temperature extremes occurred on the same day). 

 

• We're presently in the midst of the longest hiatus, which started in December 2009.  This is in contrast to the 15-year period between 1887-1901 when there were 13 months which had their warmest and coldest readings 1-2 days apart.  (Including five consecutive years, 1891-1895.)
  

 

GREATEST SWINGS IN A MONTH'S WARMEST-COLDEST TEMPERATURE WHEN 2 DAYS APART

>  March 1987/ 61 degrees/ from 76° to 15°

>  March 1988/59 degrees/ from 17° to 76°

>  Dec. 1871/ 57 degrees/ from -2° to 55°

>  Feb. 1967/ 56 degrees/ from 4° to 60°

>  April 1880/ 54 degrees/ from 26° to 80° 

 

GREATEST SWINGS IN A MONTH'S WARMEST-COLDEST  TEMPERATURE WHEN 1 DAY APART

>  Jan. 1934/ 52 degrees/ from 58˜ to 6°

>  Jan. 1913/ 45 degrees/ from 18° to 63°

>  June 1961/43 degrees/ from 96° to 43°

>  Feb. 1947/ 43 degrees/ from 50° to 7°

 

Finally, there have been nine months in which the temperature extremes occurred on the first and last day of the month, most recently in June 2009.

 

 

 

 

March 2022 Weather Recap: Somewhat Mild & Dry

 

 

March 2022 was the 16th mildest March on record in New York.  (March 2020 and 2021 are among the 16 that were milder.)   The month was 2.5 degrees above average, with the high and low being 3.7 and 1.2 degrees above average, respectively.  This March would probably have ranked among the ten mildest if it weren't for four cold days:

 

•             March 4 -  37°/21°, 11 degrees below average 
•             March 13 - 35°/22°, 13 degrees below average
•             March 28 - 33°/23°, 19 degrees below average 
•             March 29 - 38°/24°, 15 degrees below average

      

March 28th's high was the coldest this late into the year in 40 years, since a high of 30° on April 7, 1982.  (Temperatures rebounded on the 31st, and from late morning into the wee hours of 4/1, they were in the 60s.)  And the last time a low of 23° occurred later than 3/28 was in 1995, on 4/6.

 

 

March 7 and 18 were the mildest days of the month, with both having the same high/low of 74°/50°.  The eight-day period from March 15-22 was 12 degrees above average (high/low of 64°/46°).  This was followed five days later by a four-day stretch of unseasonably cold temperatures, from March 27-30, 13 degrees below average (41°/26°).

 

Below average precipitation, 2.39" (about two inches below average), made this NYC's 29th driest March (tied with March 1897).  Much of the rain, 1.99", fell on three days (0.56" on 3/9, 0.50" on 3/12, and 0.93" on 3/24).  Only 0.4" of snow fell (3/9), but it was the most in March in three years.  33 other Marches have had less snow.

 

There was a wind gust of 49 mph the night of 3/7, the highest gust recorded in Central Park since one of  62 mph during superstorm Sandy on Oct. 29, 2012.   

 

Finally, on 3/22 afternoon humidity drop to 11% (fourth lowest of this century).

 

Here are March recaps from previous years:

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 2022 Weather Recap: Minimal Snow, Wide Variation in Average High & Low

 

Last winter, February had much more snow than January (26.0" vs. 2.1"), but this winter the tables were turned as February had just 2.0" compared to January's 15.3".  Although snowfall was minimal, there have been 31 other winters with even less snow in February (and two-thirds of those had less than an inch). 

 

Temperature patterns were also reversed, as February of last year was 1.7° below average and  January was 1.1° above, while this winter February was 1.4° above average and January was 3.4° below.  Feb. 2022 was the 21st mildest on record.  Five recent Februarys in 2020, 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2012, were milder.

 

 

Another very big difference between Feb. 2022 and 2021 was in its diurnal variation, i.e., the difference between the daily high and low temperature.  Last February's was just 9.5 degrees, which tied for the second smallest reported in February.  This year's however, was 16.9 degrees, which was the widest variation in February since 1990, and the third widest for any February (average variation is 12.7 degrees).  Part of the reason was that it had three days with temperature variations of 30 degrees or more; only February 1918 has had more (four). 

The difference between the average high and low of Feb. 2022 and 2021 is fascinating, as this February's average high was 6.9 degrees milder than last February, but its average low was 0.5 degrees chillier.

 

 

February's above average temperature was driven by the average high, which was 3.5 degrees above average; by contrast, the average low was 0.6 degrees below average.  Eight days had highs of 55° or milder, with four of them above 60°, including two climbing to 68° (on 2/17 and 2/23).  The first 68° was a record for the date. 

 

Looking at cold conditions, eight days had highs in the 30s or colder, and four of these days had highs of 32° or colder.  Similar to the month's warmest reading, the coldest reading (16°) was also reported on two days, 2/14 and 2/15.   (January's coldest reading also occurred on back to back days).

 

Eleven days were 10 degrees or more above or below average (seven were above, four were below).  The most above average was +23 degrees on 2/17, when the high/low was 68°/49°; the most below average day came three days before that, with a high/low that was 15 degrees below average (25°/16°).  

 

During the three weeks between Feb. 4-24, four dramatic swings in temperature occurred:

• Feb. 4-5: From 8° above average (high/low of 57°/26°), to 11° below average (27°/19°)
• Feb. 12-14: From 16° above average (59°/42°), to 1° below average (42°/25°), to 15° below average (25°/16°)
• Feb. 15-17: From 13° below average (30°/16°), to 3° above average (49°/28°), to 23° above average (68°/49°)
• Feb. 23-24: From 15° above average (68°/35°), to 6° below average (35°/29°) 

 

Finally, precipitation was very close to average, with 3.23" measured (vs. an average of 3.19").  The days with the most precipitation were Feb. 3 and Feb. 20, with 0.72" and 0.74", respectively.  The month's measurable snow fell on two days: 2/13 (1.6") and 2/25 (0.4").  Of the Februarys with two inches of snow or less, Feb. 2022 had the fourth biggest drop-off from January.

 

 

Here are other February recaps:

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2015

 

 

Greatest New York Weather 'Hits' of 2021

 

 

 

Nationwide, 2021's top weather events included Arctic cold in Texas in mid-February that shut down much of the state's power grid; searing heat at the end of June never before experienced in the Pacific Northwest; and a deadly tornado outbreak that Kentucky bore the brunt of on Dec. 10-11.  Meanwhile, New York's biggest story was the  consecutive months of unprecedented rainfall in July-August-September, which culminated in flooding downpours from the remnants of hurricane Ida on the night of Sept. 1, a deluge that was responsible for the deaths of nearly 50 residents of NYC and outlying suburbs (comparable to superstorm Sandy's death toll in Oct. 2012). 

 

The year was the eighth mildest and tenth wettest on record.   Eight of 2021's months were warmer than average, led by December (+4.7°, third mildest) and October (+4.1°, sixth mildest).  These months book-ended the most below average month of the year, November (-1.8°). 

 

Although the year's nearly 60 inches of precipitation was 10 inches above average, seven of the months had below average rainfall.  More than half of the year's precipitation (52%) was in July, August, and September.  And nearly half of the rain in those three months came from tropical systems Henri (8.19") and Ida (7.13").  Here are other highlights of 2021:

 

• A snowstorm that began Jan. 31 and continued into Feb. 2 dumped 17.4”.  Most of the accumulation, 16.8", fell in less than 24 hours (Sunday night, Jan. 31 thru late afternoon on Monday, Feb. 1).  After this snow event, an additional 10" of snow fell during the rest of the month, bring February's total to 26.0", making it the 8th snowiest February on record.

• March had its first temperature in the 80s since 1998, occurring on 3/26 (82°).

• In addition to the excessively wet months of July-Aug-Sept, there were also periods of very low humidity during the year.  For example, nearly half of the days in March had low humidity (below 25%); extremely low humidity was reported on April 6 (7%); and December had it lowest humidity on record on 12/17 (14%).

• The coolest Memorial Day weekend on record (average high/low of 57°/48°) was followed by the ninth warmest June.  A high of 98° on 6/30 was NYC’s hottest reading in nine years years, and the hottest reading in June since another reading of 98° in June 1994.  But just three days later, July had its first reading in the 50s since 2009, and its coolest high temperature (66°) since 2005.

• July, August, and September each had more than 10 inches of rain (July's amount was above 11") – not only the first time in nine years any month had that much rain, but the first time ever that three consecutive months had this much.  This was also the first year to have two rainstorms that produced seven inches+.  They were associated with downgraded hurricanes Henri and Ida , and they were less than two weeks apart (Aug. 21-23 and Sept. 1).

• On the night of  9/1, Ida's rain poured down in just five hours time (and 3.13" in one hour).  More rain fell between 9-10 PM than fell in all of November and December.

As an aside, this one-hour amount was trumpeted by the National Weather Service as being Central Park's greatest one-hour amount on record - but this claim was in error, as NWS's own records show a greater 60-minute amount on Sept. 5, 1913, when 3.31" of rain was measured between midnight and 1 AM - 0.18" more than Ida's 60-minute gully washer.  (11 days earlier, a one-hour amount of 1.94" during Henri also had the NWS claiming it was an all-time record, which was even more in error, as there have been at least a dozen instances of greater amounts in an hour, most recently in July 2018.)

• October had a record streak of lows in the 60s - thirteen days in a row.  It also set a record (for any month) of days with high/lows stuck in the 60s.  There were six such days, concentrated in the nine-day period between Oct. 3-11.  Finally, October's coolest reading of 47° was the mildest reading to have this distinction.

• The final week of October was the rainiest on record (4.71" fell).  That week accounted for more than half of the precipitation measured from October thru December.  This rainy week was followed by the driest November-December on record.  These two dry months prevented the year from reaching the sixty-inch mark in precipitation, coming in at 59.73".  After 31.44" fell in July-September (32.09", if rain on 6/30 is included), 12 of the 13 weeks in October-December had less than 1/10 of that amount (3.06").

 

Here are recaps of previous years:

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

January 2022 Weather Recap - Coldest in 7 Years, Snowiest in 6

 

 

After a December that was the third mildest on record, the first two days of January 2022 saw a continuation of these mild conditions, with highs of 56° and 59°.  Then the jet stream shifted, winter-like conditions arrived, and the month became the coldest January since 2015.  At 3.4 degrees colder than average, it was the most below average of any month in more than two years, since November 2019 (which was 4.1 degrees below average).  Subtracting the first two days of the month, which were 16 degrees milder than average, the rest of January was 4.5 degrees below average. 

 

Besides cold temperatures, snowfall was also above average, with 15.3" measured (after just 0.2" fell in December); most of it was produced by two snowstorms, as 5.8" fell on Jan. 7, and 8.3" was measured on Jan. 28-29.  This was the snowiest January since 2016 (which is the second snowiest January), and tied for 20th snowiest January overall.  Its snowfall was greater than the combined amount of the three preceding Januarys (5.5").

 

 

January was 13.5 degrees colder than December.  Only three other Januarys have had a bigger drop in  temperature from December: Jan. 2016, Jan. 1912, and Jan. 1985.  (On average, January is five or six degrees colder than December.)

 

January's average low of 23.5° was 4.4 degrees colder than average, while the high was 2.4 degrees colder.  January's average high of 37.1° was 1.2 degrees colder than December's average low.  The coldest reading was 10° on 1/15 and on 1/16.  The coldest day (based on mean temperature), was on 1/15, when the high/low was 21°/10° (17 degrees colder than average).  Overall, there were 12 days that were 8 degrees or more below average; half of them were 12 or more degrees below average.  

 

Finally, 11 days had highs of 32° or colder, including the last six days of the month, the longest streak since one of 14 days during the winter of 2017-18.  This streak's average high/low was 30°/19° (nine degrees below average).

 

Here are previous January recaps since 2014 (there was no recap published for Jan. 2016).

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2015

2014

 

 

 

 

Weather of 2022 in New York

 
JANUARY

1 - It was a rainy and mild start to the new year, with a high/low of 56°/50°, and 0.79" of rain (most of which fell after dark).   This was the first low of 50° or milder on 1/1 since 1979, and just the third time overall with a low in the 50s on this date.  The high of 56° was the tenth warmest reading (tied with 2007).  After a record dry November and December, today was the rainiest day since late in October.

7 - A fast-moving winter storm produced 5.8" of snow, most of it falling before sunrise.  This was the winter's  first snowfall of one-inch or more, coming about two weeks later than the average date of this occurrence.  Curiously, although Central Park and LaGuardia Airport (which are just seven miles apart) had similar amounts of liquid precipitation (0.38" and 0.33", respectively), CPK's accumulation of snow was 3.9" less than LGA's (9.7"). 

With today’s snowfall, the month’s precipitation for the first week of January reached 1.44”, which was.05” more than what fell in all of December.

8 - With a high/low of 30°/20°, today had the winter's first high of 32° or colder.  This was three weeks later than the typical date, and was the latest date for this occurrence since the winter of 1986-87, when it happened on 1/20.  This "first of the winter" milestone happened the same week as the first low in the teens (1/4), and the first snowfall of an inch or more (1/7).

15 - With a high/low of 21°/10,° today was the coldest day of the winter.  The day's low was the coldest reading in Central Park in nearly three years, since a low of 2° on Jan. 31, 2019.  (10° is on par with the average coldest temperature of winters going back to 1990.)  At sunrise, wind chills were in the 0° to -5° range.  Tomorrow's low would also be 10° (but with a high that was 16 degrees warmer than today's).

17 - 1.53" of precipitation fell during a winter storm that moved in yesterday evening, beginning as snow for a few hours (accumulating 0.8"), and then continuing as rain until mid-morning today (when 1.16" fell).  The storm's total was  was more than what fell in either November (1.12") or December (1.39").  Furthermore, this amount of precipitation doubled what had fallen in the first 15 days of January, and at 3.07" in total, was more than what fell in November and December combined.

29 - Snow that began after 8 PM last night continued thru mid-afternoon, accumulating 8.3".  The 7.3" that fell today was a record for the date and was the first snowfall of an inch or more on 1/29 since 1973.  Visibility was less than 1/2 mile for much of the morning.  The temperature dropped sharply overnight from upper 20s to mid-teens after daybreak; winds that gusted between 25-35 mph produced wind chills of 0° to 5° above zero.  This snowstorm had the coldest temperatures since the snowstorm of Jan. 21, 2014 , when 11.5" piled up and temperatures dropped to the low teens in the final hours of the storm.  Today was the 4th consecutive day with a high of 32° or colder, the longest streak in Central Park since the winter of 2018, when there was a 14-day streak (Dec. 26-Jan. 8).

The City was spared much worse conditions as it was on the western edge of an intense nor'easter that brought blizzard conditions  and 15"-30" of snow to Long Island and southeastern New England.

 

FEBRUARY

5 - The temperature at daybreak was 21°, which was a drop of 36 degrees from yesterday's high reading of 57° that occurred in the morning.  The last time the City experienced a drop this great in such a short period of time (25 hours) was in April 2018, when the mercury fell from 77° during the afternoon of 4/14, to 38° at daybreak on 4/15. 

13 - 1.6" of snow fell the day after the high reached 59°.  And although it was quite a turnaround, it pales in comparison to Feb. 9, 2017, when a 9.4" snowfall followed a high of 62° the day before.  And on Feb. 3, 2014, 8.0" fell the day after a high of 56°.  This was the second year in a row in which snow fell on Super Bowl Sunday.  4.5" fell last year, which was the most to fall on the NFL's big day (the game was played on 2/7); this year's amount was the second biggest accumulation.

17 - Today had the year’s first reading in the 60s.  At 68° it was the warmest reading in three months (since 11/18), and a record for the date.  The last time a reading this mild happened in February was in 2018, when the mercury soared to 78° on 2/21 (the warmest temperature ever reported in February).  Today’s spring-like reading, 25 degrees above average, came just two days after a low of 16°.  (There was also a low of 16° on 2/14,  two days after a high of 59°.)

23 - For the second time in past six days the high reached 68°; however, unlike 2/17’s high, today’s was not a record.  Then after dark, a cold front moved through, and the temperature dropped to the mid-30s by midnight (however, there was no precipitation).  This was the third day this month with a diurnal variation of 30 degrees or more - just the second February with three or more such days (February 1918 had four). 

 

MARCH

7 - The temperature rose into the 70s, topping out at 74°, tying the record for the date.  This followed another record tying high yesterday (68°), and was the first reading in the 70s this year, about two weeks ahead of schedule (by contrast, the first day in the 60s, on 2/17, was two weeks behind schedule).  The temperature was still at 71° at 10 PM, when a cold front blew through with winds that gusted to 49 mph in Central Park.  Today's reading was the fourth high of 68+ in the past three weeks, joining 2/17, 2/23, and 3/6 (which all had highs of 68°).   

9 - It was a sloppy day with wet snow occasionally mixed with rain and temperatures that hovered between 33° and 35°.  The 0.56" of liquid that fell (between 8:30 AM and 6 PM) produced just 0.4" of snow - but this was more snow than what fell in March 2020 or 2021 (both saw only a trace). 

22 - On average, relative humidity in March between 2PM and 9PM is in the 55%-60% range, but today it was between 11% and 13%.  Only four other dates in the 21st century have had lower readings: 6% on March 30, 2007; 7% on April 6, 2021; 9% on April 20, 2016; and 10% on April 20, 2006.   Skies were sunny and temperatures above average for the ninth day in a row (high/low of 58°/43°).  This was the fifth day in the past four weeks to  have an hour or more with humidity at 25% or lower. 

28 - An Arctic front moved through last night, and today's high/low of  33°/23° would have been cold even in the depths of winter.  Although the day's low was far from the record for the date (13°), the high broke the record from 1893 for coldest daily maximum.  This was the coldest high temperature this late in March/early April in 40 years, since April 7, 1982, when the high/low was 30°/21°.  Today had the coldest mean temperature of the month as well as the past six weeks (0.5 degree colder than 3/13, which had a high/low of 35°/22°, and 2/20, which had a  high/low of 36°/21°).

Making the cold even more biting was the wind, which gusted between 20-30 mph.  Finally, the air was quite dry, with afternoon humidity falling to 20%; dew points were in the -5° to +5° range throughout the day.

 

APRIL

7 - Rain moved in at around noon and continued for the rest of the day.  1.12" was measured , with a large portion of it (0.40") falling between 11 PM-midnight (an additional 0.04" fell on 4/8).  Meanwhile, suburbs in northern NJ, the Hudson River valley, and western Connecticut reported between two and four inches.  Besides the rain, it was also windy, with gusts between 20-30 mph.  This inclement weather forced the Yankees to postpone their home opener - the fifth home opener postponed since 2003.

8 - The day after rain postponed the Yankees' home opener, today's rescheduled game was played under sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s (the high of 65° was the mildest reading so far this month).  Additionally, the air was quite dry, with the relative humidity dropping to 23% in mid-afternoon.  (Perhaps best of all, the Yankees beat their arch-rivals, the Red Sox, in extra innings.)    

15 - Conditions for the Mets home opener were a near replica of last week's Yankees first game as skies were sunny and the day's high reached 70°.  And the visiting team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, probably felt at home because of the very low humidity, which dropped to 13% when the first pitch was thrown.  But the hospitality ended there as the Mets easily won the game, 1o-3.   Today was the fourth day in a row with readings in the 70s - the first time for a streak of this length since late September.

16 - Today, with a high of 73°, was the fifth day in a row with a high of 70°+.  The average high during this streak was 73°, 12 degrees above average. The last time there was a streak of this length in April was eleven years ago (but it occurred 12 days later than this April's streak). 

17 - With a high/low of 51°/41°, this was the chilliest Easter Sunday since 2009 (49°/36°).  This followed five consecutive days with highs in the 70s.  And similar to last Easter, the air was quite dry, with the humidity bottoming out at 25% in mid-afternoon. 

19 - A fast-moving nor'easter that moved in late last night was over by daybreak today.  2.09" of rain poured down, mostly between 10 PM and 3 AM.  Winds gusted to 37 mph at Central Park, with 45-65 mph gusts common on Long Island and in Connecticut.  This was the biggest rain total from a storm system since a nor'easter dumped 3.53" of rain nearly six months ago (on 10/25-26 ).   

28 - For the second time this spring humidity in the middle of the afternoon dropped to 11% (the other day was 3/22; 4/15 had humidity of 13%).  The day also featured clear skies, gusty winds (25-35 mph), and temperatures that were ten degrees below average (high/low of 58°/40°). 

 

MAY

9 - It was a day with very low humidity, which bottomed out at 13% at 1o PM -  the lowest humidity reported for this time of day in the years since 2000 (daily humidity is usually lowest mid-afternoon).  Additionally, this was the seventh day this year with humidity falling to 15% or below, which is the greatest number of days going back to 2000 (breaking a tie with 2021).  Furthermore, this was the lowest humidity reported in May.  Finally, humidity of 15% between midnight and 2 AM on 5/10 was the lowest humidity reported so early in the day. 

 

 

 

December 2021 Weather Recap: Mild & Dry

 

 
December 2021 was the third mildest on record (behind 2015 and 2001, and 0.1 degree ahead of 1984), and tied for fourteenth driest.  At 4.7 degrees above average, it was the most above average month of 2021 (passing October, which was 4.1 above average).  Although it ranked third for mean temperature (average of high/low), the month had the second mildest average low, and was tied for seventh mildest average high.

 

Seven days had mean temperatures that were 10+ degrees above average, and eight days had highs of 55° or milder (half of these days were in the 60s).  The mildest reading was 66° on 12/11, which was a record for the date.  Two extended periods of mild temperatures were largely responsible for the month being so mild, as Dec. 11-18 was 11 degrees above average (high/low of 56°/44°), and the last week of December was 8 degrees milder than average (48°/40°).  This was just the seventh December to have no temperatures of 32° or colder in the last seven days of the month. 

 

Six days had lows of 32° or colder (average number for December is 14), with the coldest reading being 25° on 12/20.  Only three other Decembers have had a milder reading as their coldest reading:  2015 (34°); 2012 (28°); and 1974 (26°).  And Dec. 1984's coldest reading was also 25°.  (On average, the coldest reading in December is in the upper teens; before 1970 it was in the low teens). 

 

Like November, December was quite dry, with just 1.39" of precipitation  measured.  Combined, these two months became Central Park's driest Nov.-Dec. on record.  Ironically, this dry combo occurred in one of the ten wettest years on record.  By contrast, the nine driest November-Decembers behind 2021 had about twenty inches less annual precipitation than 2021.

 

 

With the exception of the last week in October, which had 4.71" of rainfall (the wettest last week of October on record), the other 12 weeks between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 had only 3.06". 

 

December had just 0.2" of snow, which occurred in the pre-dawn hours of 12/24.  However, meager snowfall in December isn't uncommon, as smaller amounts (or none at all) have occurred in five Decembers  since 2001, and nine since 1994 (once every three years).

 

Unusually low humidity was reported on two dates - 20% on 12/14, and 14% on 12/17 (both in the afternoon).  Going back to the early 1940s, 14% is the lowest humidity ever reported in December (the previous low was 16% on Dec. 8, 1981).  Humidity levels below 25% are very rare in December (most instances of low humidity occur in March and April).

 

Finally, the month, and year, ended on a mild note as the temperature at the stroke of midnight was 51° (after a high of 55°).  This was the mildest reading during the ball drop at Times Square since 2004 (and the fifth mildest ball-drop reading on record).

 

 

Other December recaps:

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

 

 

November 2021 Weather Recap: Dry & Chilly

 

With just 1.12" of rain, November 2021 was the driest November since 1976 (the driest November on record).  The month was also 1.8 degrees chillier than average, making it the most below average month of the year (February and July were  1.7  and 1.5 degrees below average, respectively).  This November was significantly chillier than last November (the mildest on record), as it was 6.8 degrees colder - the biggest temperature drop from the previous November since Nov. 2012.  Only eight other Novembers have had a bigger drop in average temperature compared to the November immediately preceding it.

 

 

Despite its big difference from last November, Nov. 2021 was far from the ranks of the coldest, as it tied for 80th chilliest.  (Fun Fact: Every November between 1869-1894 was colder than Nov. 2021.)  Still, it had 14 days that were five or more degrees below average.

The month's warmest reading was 69° on 11/18, followed six days later by the coldest reading (30°).  Although this was the latest date for a temperature this mild in six years, it was the first time since 2014 that the warmest November reading failed to be in the 70s.  Of note is that this warmest reading didn't occur during the 6-day period Nov. 8-13, which was six degrees milder than average.

In October, the first low in the 40s wasn't until 10/18, which was the second latest date on record.  In November, however, the fall's first reading of 32° or colder (32° on 11/23) was close to the average date of this occurrence. 

Most of the month's 1.12" of rain fell during two rain events on consecutive days:  0.48" on 11/12, and 0.33" on 11/13.  On the 13th, an uncharacteristic precipitation type for November, hail, fell for a few minutes during a quick-moving thunderstorm.  Another type of frozen precipitation, snow flurries, was reported on the last three days of the month  - but there was no accumulation in Central Park (Newark Airport reported 0.1" on the 28th).

Here are recaps of previous Novembers:

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

 

 

 

 

Days With Temperatures Stuck in the 60s

 

October 2021 was distinguished by having six days with highs and lows that were both in the 60s - the most such days in one month.  On average, two or three of these days occur each year, and they've occurred between May and November (ranging from 5/11 to 11/21).  September is the month most likely to have such days, and the date most likely to have one has been 9/17 (in nine years).  The year with the most  of these "stuck" days is 1903, with 13 of them (five other years have had between seven and eleven).  19 years have had none of these days, the last time being in 2019.

 

 

Nearly 80% of these days have had measurable rain, with 18% receiving more than an inch, and 75% a half inch or more.  The greatest rainfall on one of these days was 3.84" on Sept. 1, 1927.  (The last time three inches or more fell on a day stuck in the 60s was on Oct. 27, 2017.)  Despite the high likelihood of rain, only two of the last 15 days with temperatures stuck in the 60s had rain.  

Other observations:

• Average high/low is 67°/62°, with average rainfall at 0.50". 
• The most prevalent high/low is 68°/60°.  Nearly 70% of the days had highs of 67°, 68° or 69°, while  nearly 75% of the days had lows of 60°, 61°, or 62.°.
• The warmest low on one of these days is 67°, which happened twice:  Oct. 1, 1902, and July 20, 1869. The coolest high temperature is 62°, which has occurred four times.
  
• One of these days had a one-degree diurnal variation (high/low of 66°/65° on Sept. 17, 1869); 12 others had two-degree variations.

I've also written analyses about days stuck in the 30s and 70s.