New York Weather Highlights of 1987
JANUARY
1 - A half-inch of snow fell, the most to fall on New Year's Day since 1978 (when one inch fell). However, the snow was short lived, changing to rain as the temperature rose to 38°.
2 - A cold rain (high of 38°/low of 32°) amounted to 1.65", with 1.02" falling between 2-5 AM. For the entire storm, which began yesterday evening 2.23" fell.
3 - This was the last of a 20-day stretch in which temperatures were never below average. However, there were no temperature extremes as only one day had a high above 50°.
19 - A cold rain during the afternoon (amounting to 0.71") changed to snow after 7 PM and by 11 PM 1.3" of snow had accumulated - the first one-inch snowfall of the winter.
20 - Today was the first day this winter with a high temperature of 32° or colder, the latest date for this occurrence in the 1980-2020 period.
22 - A daytime snowstorm dumped 8.1" of snow on the City while much of Long Island picked up a foot or more. (Virginia, DC, Maryland, Delaware and South Jersey bore the brunt of the storm with much higher accumulations.) The City's accumulation was held down when sleet mixed in. This was New York's biggest snowfall in four years and would be the biggest until the March 1993 Superstorm.
28 - The past five days were 13 degrees colder than average, with a high/low during these days of just 25°/12°.
FEBRUARY
15 - Today was the coldest day of the winter, with a high/low of 22°/4°, twenty degrees colder than average.
23 - 4.2" of heavy, wet snow fell between 2-11 AM, accounting for half of the month's precipitation. The temperature rose into the low 40s in the afternoon.
MARCH
1 - March came in like a lion wearing galoshes as an all-day rain dumped 2.36" before ending shortly before 9 PM. The rain came down heaviest between 6-9 AM when 0.99" poured down. This was more than twice the amount of rain that fell in the entire month of February (1.01").
8 - Today's high was 76°, twenty-nine degrees above average and a record for the date.
9 - The temperature fell all day, from 62° to 23° by midnight.
10 - Befitting March's reputation for changeable weather, this morning's low of 15° came less than two days after a high of 76°. These were also the month's extremes in temperature.
12 - Four days after the temperature soared to 76°, the final snow of the winter fell, accumulating 1.9" between this afternoon into early morning on 3/13. Additionally, there was only a two-degree difference between today's high (33°) and low (31°).
30 - The mean temperature over the past eight days was 12 degrees above average, with a high/low of 66°/47°. Today was the coolest of these days with a high of 61°, but it was still six degrees above average.
31 - March ended as it began, with a big rainmaker. Beginning last night, rain continued thru early afternoon today, amounting to 2.00". In the days between these two storms just 0.57" of rain fell.
APRIL
4 - 1.99" of rain, a record amount for the date, fell throughout the day and ended late in the afternoon. Including rain that began late last night the storm total was 2.48". It was the biggest rainstorm since the beginning of last December when 2.74" fell.
13 - Today was the home opener for the Yankees and after early showers between 5-8 AM the rest of the day was gray and chilly with a game time temperature in the low 50s. This came after three days with temperatures in the 70s. Happily, the Yankee bats were hot as they rolled over the Indians 11-3.
21 - For the third day in a row temperatures were well above average and very similar: 77°/57° today, 75°/57° yesterday and 76°/57° two days ago.
MAY
4 - Showery and unseasonably chilly with a high of just 48° (eighteen degrees below average) after a low of 44°. The 0.41" of rain that fell (most of it between noon and 11 PM) made this the rainiest day of a dry month (1.45").
10 - Today, with a high of 90°, was the first 90-degree reading of the year, three weeks ahead of the typical occurrence.
17 - This was the 18th day in a row in which no high temperature was duplicated (the streak began on 4/30). During these days, highs ranged from a chilly 48° to a hot 90°.
25 - It was a very cool Memorial Day as the high of 63° was eleven degrees below average. Weatherwise, the holiday came one week too early as the following weekend had temperatures in the 90s.
29 - Today, with a sizzling high of 96°, was the first day of an early heat wave that lasted four days. There hasn't been a reading in the 90s on 5/29 since (through 2024).
30 - Today was the hottest day of the year, with a high/low of 97°/74°. 97° was also the hottest temperature in May in twenty-five years, since May 19, 1962 when the high reached 99°. Today's sizzling high was a record for the date, breaking the previous record set just last year.
31 - Just like last year (and yesterday, and the day before that), it was a scorching hot day, with a high/low of 94°/76°. (But unlike last year, there was no thunderstorm.) This was just the fifth time a weekend in May had readings in the 90s on both Saturday and Sunday. It was also the hottest of the five, and the last time there's been such a weekend in May (through 2024).
JUNE
1 - This was the last day of an early four-day heat wave. Highs on these days were: 96°-97°-94°-93°, for an average of 95°, twenty degrees above average.
20 - The high temperature today reached 96°. This was the sixth day of the past seven to have a high of 88° or warmer, nine degrees above average.
21 - Today was Father's Day and an early morning thunderstorm dumped 1.03" of rain between 3:00 and 4:00 AM. Within that hour 0.60" fell in a 15-minute period between 3:18-3:33 AM. The daylight hours remained mostly overcast, keeping the temperature considerably cooler than yesterday's torrid conditions.
JULY
8 - During an overnight thunderstorm 0.30" of rain fell in 15 minutes between 2:55-3:10 AM.
14 - In a 30-minute period between 3:34-4:04 PM, 0.44" of rain fell during a thunderstorm. Rain continued until 9 PM and amounted to just under an inch.
AUGUST
6 - 0.81" of rain fell in the two hours between 11 PM last night and 1 AM this morning.
10 - 0.40" of rain fell in half-an-hour in the wee hours of the morning (12:43-1:13 AM).
17 - The high reached 94°, eleven degrees hotter than a typical mid-August day.
18 - For the second day in a row the high was 94°. This was the 22nd, and last, 90-degree day of the summer.
25 - For the seventh day in a row the high temperature was lower than the preceding day, going from above average to below average: 76° (today)-77°-78°-84°-87°-88°-89°-94° (Aug. 18).
27 - The 0.39" of rain that fell between 4-5:00 AM was the first rain since Aug. 10.
29 - There was a gradual increase in the low temperatures of the past five days: 57°-58°-59°-61°-62° (today). High temperatures, however, didn't exhibit a similar pattern.
SEPTEMBER
6 - Today was the 15th day in a row with below-average temperatures. For the period temperatures were five degrees below normal.
8 - 0.30" of rain fell in a 15-minute period between 7:49-8:04 PM. Overall, 1.25" fell between 11 AM and 9 PM.
12 - 0.53" of rain fell in an hour (8:08-9:08 PM). This downpour occurred shortly after the rain started to fall and continued through the next day. When it was over 1.89" had fallen. Unfortunately, the rain coincided with the wedding of friends who were married in Westchester Country (on Sept. 13). Although their guests were protected by a tent, rain trickled in at the edges. The rainfall on the 13th was the first on this date since 1974.
OCTOBER
15 - Today was the 15th day in a row in which the daily mean temperature never rose above average. During these days temperatures were seven degrees colder than average.
18 - Today's low of 53° was the mildest low temperature of the month (it also occurred on 10/7) - the chilliest reading to have this distinction in October. (On average, October's mildest low is 64°.) The previous chilliest reading to be the mildest low in October was 55° in October 1888.
27 - 1.82" of rain fell tonight between 7 PM and 2 AM. As the rain wound down, one last heavy band delivered 0.63" between 11 PM-midnight (it actually took place between midnight-1 AM but the National Weather Service doesn't recognize Daylight Saving Time in its record keeping). It was a record rainfall for the date, later broken in 2003 when 1.88" fell.
NOVEMBER
4 - Today's high of 77°, 20 degrees above average, was the warmest day in November and milder than any day in October.
11 - 1.1" of snow fell, the earliest snowfall of at least one inch since 2.2" fell on Nov. 6, 1953 (later topped in 2011 when 2.9" fell on Oct. 29). The high temperature was just 33°, one week after a high of 77°. The area escaped the much heavier accumulations that fell to our south in Maryland, Delaware, south Jersey, Virginia and D.C. (where 11.5" fell at National Airport).
21 - This morning's low of 18° (twenty degrees below average) would be quite cold even in mid-winter. It followed by just three days a 70-degree reading and was the coldest reading in November since 1976.
DECEMBER
26 - Today was the end of a mild stretch of eighteen days in which temperatures were eight degrees above average.
29 - 2.6" of snow fell, the month's only snowfall. And the afternoon high of 31° made this the first day of the winter with a maximum temperature of 32° or colder.
30 - Yesterday's snowfall was followed by an Arctic blast and today's high of 21°/low of 8° made this by far the coldest day of December. These readings were 20 degrees below average.
31 - After a very cold morning low of 15° the temperature rose to 40° by midnight.
To read highlights from other years between 1970 and 2023 double click here.
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