Today in New York Weather History: Yom Kippur Weather Highlights (1970 - 2022)
Because of the time of year Yom Kippur falls (mid-September thru mid-October) the weather is relatively undramatic, with few temperature extremes or notable storms to speak of (based on the period 1970-2020). However, with that said, this post remembers a number of years that had memorable weather conditions on the Day of Atonement.
- 1972 (Sept. 17-18) - This was the warmest Yom Kippur of the 1970-2022 period as the high on the 17th reached 92° while the 18th saw a high of 86°.
- 1979 (Sept. 30 - Oct. 1) - 0.81" of rain fell on 10/1 between 1-9 PM, making this the wettest Yom Kippur in the years since 1970 (until 2005).
- 1989 (Oct. 8-9) - This was the chilliest observance of Yom Kippur until 2000. The high on the 8th was 59°, while the high/low on the 9th was only 55°/40°, twelve degrees below average.
- 1991 (Sept. 17-18) - Falling on the same dates as the hottest Yom Kippur of the period, in 1972, this year's was the second warmest. It featured the hottest temperature on the first evening of Yom Kippur, 93° (a record for 9/17), which was nineteen degrees above average. The next day was more comfortable, but still a warmer than average 83°.
- 2000 (Oct. 8-9) - The morning of the 9th had a low of 38°, sixteen degrees below average and the chilliest reading on Yom Kippur in the 1970-2022 period. This reading was just one degree shy of tying the record for the date.
- 2002 (Sept. 15-16) - It was mild and rainy during the first half of the holiday. Although not all of the rain fell between sunsets, nearly one inch fell between 2 PM on the 15th and 10 AM on the 16th. The high was 79° on 9/15 and 81° the following day, about five degrees above average.
- 2005 (Oct. 12-13) - The holiday fell in the midst of a huge rainstorm. Seven inches of rain fell on the two days, with two inches of it pouring down between sundown on the 12th and sundown on the 13th.
- 2014 (Oct. 3-4) - Skies were clear and temperatures seasonable the evening of 10/3, but 10/4 saw 1.18" of rain fall between 10 AM and 5 PM, making it the second rainiest Yom Kippur in the years since 1970. However, skies cleared rapidly after 5 PM and conditions were as nice as the evening before.
- 2017 (Sept. 29-30) - After a streak of sixteen unseasonably warm days in a row (with a high/low of 87°/69°, nine degrees above average), today and tomorrow had seasonable temperatures (under sunny skies), i.e., highs in the upper 60s/lows in the mid-50s.
- 2018 (Sept. 18-19) - The remnants of Hurricane Florence brought a series of heavy downpours from lunchtime thru late afternoon on the 18th (dropping a little over an inch of rain), but by sundown skies had cleared and the following day was partly cloudy, with above average temperatures (high/low of 81°/68°).
- 2019 (Oct. 8-9) - After a dry and cool evening on the 8th, the 9th became raw, rainy and breezy after sunrise as a coastal storm brought a little more than a half inch of rain, mostly between 10 AM-2 PM. This was the largest daily rainfall in the past seven weeks. Temperatures stayed in the 50s all day (high/low of 59°/51°, four degrees below average).
- 2020 (Sept. 27-28) - The longest stretch of days with no measurable rain since the fall of 2017, sixteen, ended just before midnight on the 27th when a light shower produced 0.03" of rain. Both days had temperatures that were well above average, with highs/lows of 79°/67° and 77°/69°, respectively.
- 2022 (Oct. 4-5) - It was showery and cool with temperatures stuck in the 50s for the entirety of the holiday (sundown to sundown); showers produced half an inch of rain (in 2019 Yom Kippur had temperatures and rainfall that were very similar). These inclement conditions were from the remnants of hurricane Ivan, which first affected the area on the first of the month. Skies cleared shortly after the holiday ended.
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