New York Weather Highlights of 2012
JANUARY
1 - This was the 17th day in a row in which every high temperature was different (since Dec. 16). Highs ranged between 31° and 62° (today's was 52°).
4 - For the first time since the week before Thanksgiving we experienced back-to-back days with colder than average temperatures. Yesterday was nine degrees below average (high/low 33°/15°); today was thirteen degrees colder than average (high/low of 27°/13°) - the coldest day of a mild winter.
7 - Today's high jumped to 62°, twenty-four degrees above average. This was the first time in four years that the temperature rose into the 60s in January.
12 - A rainstorm with gale force winds lashed the area overnight and dumped 1.42" of rain. The rest of the day was overcast and raw with temps in the low 40s.
16 - For the first time since early November (11/4-6) the past three days had colder than average temperatures. During the ten-week period in between temperatures were six degrees milder than average.
21 - Twelve weeks after the Northeast's freak pre-Halloween snowstorm NYC finally got its next measurable snow as 4.3" fell during the morning. The accumulation would have been even higher if sleet hadn't mixed in. (Coincidentally, 4.2" fell on this date last year.) Today's high was 29°, making this the eighth year out of the past ten in which the high was 32° or colder on this date.
31 - This was yet another month with above average temperatures, the tenth in a row, and the longest such streak since 1999 when there was a streak of twelve months beginning in August 1998 and extending through July 1999.
FEBRUARY
11 - Today was the 20th day in a row with above-average temperatures. During these days temperatures were eight degrees milder than normal. Only four days had morning lows at freezing or below, and the coldest reading was just 30°. This was the longest streak of above-average temperatures since the winter of 2006-07 when there was one of thirty-two days between Dec. 10, 2006 and Jan. 10. 2007.
12 - Today's high/low of 32°/20° was nine degrees below average and was the only day of the month with colder than average temperatures. And since 1950 no February has had a temperature as high as 20° for its coldest reading.
Today was also the only day of the month with snow, and it was a paltry 0.2", making this the least snowy February since 2002 when just a trace was reported. This was also the last measurable snow of the winter, a winter in which just 7.4" of snow fell in total, making it the least snowy winter in ten years and the sixth least snowy on record (fallling between 1997-98 and 1988-89).
18 - Precipitation fell on eight of the past eleven days but it amounted to only 0.37".
25 - The area was raked with high winds that gusted between 45-55 mph in many places. Central Park recorded a peak gust of 53 mph, the highest gust since last August when Hurricane Irene struck.
29 - The mildest February on record (since passed by Feb. 2017 and 2018) ended on a raw and rainy note, with a high/low of 42°/low of 37° and 0.37" of rain. The winter of 2011-12 was the second mildest on record, behind the winter of 2001-02 (now ranked third, passed by the winter of 2015-16). Furthermore, this was the eleventh month in a row with above average temperatures, the longest such streak since 1998-99 when there were twelve consecutive months.
MARCH
5 - Although today was just two degrees colder than average (high of 44°/low of 30°) it was just the second day in the past six weeks with a below average mean temperature (the other day was Feb. 12 when it was 32°/20°, nine degrees below average).
8 - Today's high of 71° was the first 70-degree day of the year, more than two weeks ahead of the norm for the "first-70" (1970-2015 period). Six years have reached 70° even earlier: Jan. 6, 2007 (72°); Feb. 5, 1991 (70°); Feb. 23, 1985 (70°); Feb. 27, 1997 (72°); March 7, 1987 (71°); and March 7, 2009 (70°).
13 - Today's high of 74° was twenty-five degrees above average and the warmest reading since Oct. 10 of last year. This was the third 70-degree day in the past week. At midnight the temperature was still at 67°.
17 - For the third year in a row the high temperature rose above 60° on St. Paddy's Day, the first time that's happened on the holiday in more than 20 years (1989 thru 1991). It was also the fourth year in a row with above average temperatures, something that hasn't happened since the 1930s.
18 - Morning clouds and fog cleared in the afternoon and the high reached 63°. Although this was thirteen degrees warmer than average it was one of the coolest readings in the Eastern two-thirds of the country as most areas basked in temperatures between 75° and 85°.
20 - Between 1979 and 2011 the month of March has averaged 1.5 days with afternoon highs in the 70s. Today's high of 73° was the sixth day this month to top 70 - the most for any March in the 1970-2012 period.
23 - Today's high was a record-tying 76°, the eighth day in the past sixteen with a high in the 70s. During these sixteen days temperatures were nearly fifteen degrees above average. The high/low during this period of 66°/48° is more typical of late April.
24 - Today was the eighth day in row in which temperatures were ten degrees or more milder than average. During these days the high/low averaged 70°/52°, seventeen degrees above average and more typical of mid-May.
27 - A morning low below freezing on March 27 wouldn't normally warrant a comment but today's low of 30° was the first subfreezing temperature since March 10. The average low during this mild stretch was 48°, thirteen degrees milder than normal, and more typical for the end of April. Today's mean temperature was five degrees chillier than average, the most below average day since Feb. 12.
28 - Today's high/low of 67°/44° was the sixteenth day this month with a daily mean temperature ten degrees or more above average - the most of any month in the 1970-2011 period (passing January 1990's fifteen days). So far this year more one-third of its days have been ten degrees or more above average.
31 - Because the day was cold (high of 43°/low of 38°) and rainy, two March records were NOT set. The month's mean temperature ended up 0.2 degree cooler than the mildest March (1945) while this morning's 0.26" rainfall brought the month's total to 0.96", keeping March 2006 as driest March on record (0.80"). Still, this was the twelfth month in a row with above average temperatures, matching a 12-month streak in 1998-99. Furthermore, this was the driest Jan-Feb-March since 1985.
APRIL
5 - Skies were sunny and temperatures in the seasonable upper 50s as the Mets won their home opener over Atlanta, 1-0. The last time the team won a home opener by this score was in 1998.
13 - Despite it being Friday the 13th, skies were clear, temperatures pleasant (mid-60s) and the Yankees won their home opener over the Angels.
16 - It felt like mid-summer as skies were sunny and the high soared to 88°, twenty-five degrees above average. This was the first 80-degree day of the year, close to the typical day of New York's first 80, which is April 20. However, it was three weeks earlier than the usual date for the first 85+ reading. Today was also the ninth day this year with a mean temperature 20 degrees+ above average, well above the typical number for an entire year (four).
17 - For the 15th day in a row no precipitation fell. This would be the longest dry spell of 2012 and the longest since Aug./Sept. 2010 when there was one of seventeen days.
21 - Under sunny skies today's high reached 71°, the last day this month to be in the 70s. April had seven 70-degree days in total, one fewer than March.
22 - A steady light rain during the daytime hours turned heavy after dark and was whipped around by gale force winds as a powerful nor'easter made itself known. The brunt of the storm was felt from 8:00-midnight, but conditions greatly improved by 2 AM. The 2.89" of rain that fell during the entirety of the storm was greater than the paltry rainfall of the previous nine weeks. Of the storm's total, 2.45" fell today and was a record for the date.
28 - The morning low of 38° was far from the record of 31°, but it was still the chilliest reading so late in April since 2000 when the low fell to 37° degrees on 4/27.
30 - The final nine days of April all had chillier than average temperatures - the longest such streak since the end of March last year. But despite these below average conditions the month was the unprecedented thirteenth in a row with above average temperatures.
MAY
1 - A few hours of hard rain fell around daybreak, with 0.58" measured between 4:30-7 AM.
2 - A gray and raw day with just three degrees separating the high degrees and AM low (53° and 50°). The low was average for the date, but the high was 14 degrees below the norm.
3 - A thunderstorm between 1-2 AM dumped 0.43" of rain.
10 - The rain that fell mostly before daybreak made this the eighth day out of the past ten in which some rain fell, totaling 1.84".
13 - This was one of the warmest Mother's Days in a while as the afternoon high topped out at 81°, eleven degrees above average. It was also the warmest day in four weeks and the tenth year in a row in which no rain fell on this date.
16 - Overnight showers, amounting to 0.09", made this the seventh year out of the past nine in which some rain fell on this date.
21 - After four days in a row of sunny and mild weather, today was a gray, rainy Monday. 1.40" of rain fell, with a particularly heavy downpour occurring during AM rush hour, with 0.57" measured between 8-9:00.
22 - The 0.24" of rain that fell this morning brought the month's total precipitation over four inches, making this the wettest month since October when six inches was measured.
24 - It was a showery day with nearly an inch of rain falling in the rain gauge at Central Park. One particularly heavy shower produced 1/2 inch of rain in 1/2 hour during the morning (10:23-10:53 AM).
28 - Today was Memorial Day and for the seventh consecutive year the holiday had a high in the 80s. Today's high was 89°, tying 1999 and 1991 as the warmest Memorial Day since 1969's 91°. Today also had the year's first 70-degree low, one week earlier than average and the earliest since 2007 (when it occurred on May 26).
29 - Under sunny skies chances appeared very good that the year's first 90-degree reading would happen today, on the average date for the City's first 90-degree occurrence. Alas, it missed by one degree, mirroring yesterday's high of 89° degrees. However, very high humidity (the dew point was in the low 70s) pushed the heat index into the mid-90s.
30 - A small amount of rain fell in the AM (0.01"), making this the eighteenth day in May with rain, well above the monthly average of eleven days. However, despite this surplus of rainy days the month's rainfall wasn't far from average - but it was the first month this year to receive an above average amount (5.38" vs 4.69").
31 - The last day of the month was beautiful with bright blue skies and warm temperatures (high/low of 79°/66°). May had fourteen days with morning lows of 60° or warmer, the most since May 1991 (which was the mildest on record). While May's average high temperature was one degree above average, the average low was four degrees warmer. This was the fourteenth month in a row that saw above average temperatures.
JUNE
4 - It was a mostly gray and damp Monday with a high of just 63°, which was comparable to the average low of the past two weeks.
5 - Today's high/low of 64°/51° was ten degrees cooler than average, making it only the third time this year that the daily mean temperature was this much below average (the last time it happened was on Jan. 15). The morning low was the chilliest in June in three years.
7 - For the fifteenth of the past eighteen days measurable rain fell in Central Park, including the last seven days in a row. However, it wasn't a particularly rainy period as six of the days received just 0.01" or 0.02". Total rainfall during this period was 3.71".
12 - Rain began late in the morning and by the time it ended, at 3 AM on 6/13, 1.32" had fallen. The day's high was 72° after a mild low of 65°.
20 - Today's high hit 94°, the year's first 90-degree temperature. This was the latest "first 90" since 2003 when it occurred on June 24.
21 - Under sunny skies the high reached 94° for a second day in a row. The morning low was an uncomfortable 79°, just the third time since 1970 that a low temperature in June was this warm (through 2022). The other two times were on June 26, 2003 and June 10, 1984.
25 - Two rounds of severe thunderstorms moved through the area, one during morning rush hour and the other during the evening commute. This was much like June 22 when strong storms rumbled through during mid-afternoon and early evening. However, in all cases Manhattan was in a protective bubble as the storms either lost their punch or moved to the north or south. While 3-6 inches of rain was common in the suburbs of New Jersey, Westchester County and Long Island, just 0.50" was measured in Central Park.
30 - Although five of the last ten days had highs in the 90s, June was slightly cooler than average - the first below average month since March of last year. Still, this was the most 90-degree days in June since 1999, which had six.
JULY
1 - Today's high was 94°, the first time since 1971 that the temperature rose into the 90s on this date.
4 - Mostly sunny, hot and oh-so-humid. The high temperature reached 92° but it felt like 98°. Thunderstorms were all around us in the evening but none hit Manhattan.
7 - Today was the hottest day of the year, so far, as the high hit 97°. The temperature might have risen to 100°, but light clouds moved in during early afternoon as storms passed to the north (the afternoon high was reached at 12:30). This was the tenth day in a row with highs above 88°. During these days the average high was 92°.
8 - Although it pales in comparison to the string of triple-digit days in DC, the Carolinas and the Midwest, today was New York's 11th day in a row with a high temperature of 88° or hotter (the last five days were in the 90s). The last time this happened was in 1999 (all days during that streak were in the 90s); the last time there was a longer streak was in the summer of 1995 when there was one of twelve days.
18 - Today's high soared to 100° (with the heat index at 108°), making this the third summer in a row with a triple-digit reading, and just the second time a three-year streak has occurred (the other time was 1953-55). The vicious heat was broken by severe thunderstorms after 4 PM which delivered torrential downpours and hail (1.76" was measured, a record for the date, breaking the record set five years earlier).
19 - After yesterday's extreme heat and humidity, today's high, under mostly overcast skies, was just 76°. Never before has there been such a drop-off in temperature the day following a 100-degree reading. This broke a 21-day streak of high temperatures of 85° and warmer as well as a 21-day streak of above-average daily mean temperatures.
20 - Two days after a scorching high of 100° this afternoon's temperature fell into the low-60s (the day's official high of 72° had been reached in the wee hours of the morning). Light rain and drizzle fell for much of the day.
30 - For the 12th year in a row, no rain fell on this date.
31 - It appeared the month had a good chance at becoming the hottest July on record as temperatures were five degrees above average thru July 18, but then the rest of the month turned two degrees cooler than average and the month ended up tied as New York's 18th warmest (since 1869).
AUGUST
1 - After a half-inch of rain poured down between 6-7 AM the rest of the day was dreary and on the humid side. After a low of 70° the high only went up to 78°. Parts of Queens were hit especially hard by the AM rainstorm.
15 - Persistent afternoon thundershowers amounted to 0.57" of rain one year after 0.56" fell on the same date (and 0.55" fell in 2008).
27 - In the late morning a quick-forming thunderstorm dumped a half-inch of rain in just 15 minutes, between 12:23-12:38 PM.
31 - Thru the first eight months of the year 24.59" of precipitation was measured in Central Park, eight inches below average and the least to fall since 1995. It was also half the amount that had fallen by 8/31 last year. Today's high of 91° tied 8/5 for hottest reading of the month and came the day after the month's coolest reading (61°).
SEPTEMBER
1 - Today was the Saturday of Labor Day weekend and the afternoon high of 90° was the first 90-degree reading to occur during the holiday weekend since 1998. This was also the nineteenth, and last, 90-degree reading of the summer (the average number is eighteen days).
3 - No summer holiday heat trifecta this year. After a sunny and hot Memorial Day and 4th of July (with highs of 89° and 92°, respectively), Labor Day was a let down with gray skies (but no rain fell). However, for the entire weekend the mean temperature was six degrees warmer than average, the most above average LD weekend since 1983.
8 - Today continued a pattern of severe thunderstorms bearing down on Manhattan only to dissipate once over the island. Today's storm arrived between 6:30-7 PM. It was the ninth since June 22 to threaten the City only to weaken once it crossed the Hudson River (however, many suburbs and some boros of New York were hit hard). One exception was the storm that struck during the afternoon of July 18 shortly after the temperature in Central Park hit 100° (the hottest reading of the year).
14 - Today's high of 80° was the last 80-degree reading of the year. Only two other years since 1979 have had an earlier date for this occurrence: in 1999 (on 9/12) and 1996 (on 9/10). The typical date for the last 80-degree reading is 9/30 (based on 1970-2011 period).
18 - A squall line rolled through between 7:30-8:30 PM and dumped 1.54" of rain, with 1.06" of it falling in a 30-minute period.
28 - Torrential downpours through mid-afternoon amounted to 1.96", most of which fell in a two-hour period between 8:20-10:20 AM. This was the second day this month with more than an inch of rain (1.54" fell on 9/18) and the first month with two such rain events since last October. Additionally, this was the seventh year in a row, and tenth of the past eleven, in which rain fell on this date.
OCTOBER
5 - Under clear skies, the afternoon high hit 78°, making this the warmest reading of the month. It was also the 13th time this year that this high temperature was reported - the most of any high temperature.
13 - The AM low of 38° was the earliest occurrence of a temperature this chilly since 2000 when the mercury dropped to 38° on 10/9. This was also the 16th day in a row in which no low temperature was duplicated.
19 - For the second year in a row temperatures were stuck in the 60s all day, and there was significant rainfall. This year had a high/low of 66°/61°, and 0.89" of rain was measured; last year on this date the high/low was 62°/60°, with 1.12" of rain. Almost all of today's rain fell in the morning while last year's fell throughout the day.
28 - The entire Mid-Atlantic region was feverishly preparing for the worst as hurricane Sandy approached. For the second time in 14 months New York City's entire transit system was shut down thru tomorrow (the first time was for hurricane Irene). To add insult to injury, today was the sixth day in a row with overcast skies.
29 - One year after an unprecedented snowstorm crippled the region an even more devastating one struck today as the fury of hurricane/nor'easter Sandy barreled through between noon and midnight. It lived up to its advance hype - and then some. Although heavy rain wasn't an issue (less than an inch fell), 60-80 mph wind gusts and a record high storm surge wreaked havoc on New York's transportation system and power grid. The storm surge struck not only at high tide (8:30PM) but during a full moon, creating flooding in Manhattan never experienced before.
31 - Last year many of New York's suburbs either postponed or cancelled trick-or-treating because of power outages caused by the record snowstorm two days earlier. This year most Halloween festivities were once again cancelled, but this time it was due to power outages caused by Sandy. And for the first time in its 43-year history Greenwich Village's Halloween parade was cancelled. The day was a chilly, mostly overcast one, with a high of 50°.
NOVEMBER
6 - The morning low was 31°, the earliest sub-freezing low temperature since 1988 (when it occurred on Halloween). The typical date for this occurrence is Nov. 21.
7 - Just nine days after the region was raked by hurricane Sandy, a nor'easter lashed the area. It moved far enough off the coast to pull down cold air into the area, changing the rain to snow by 2 PM. This was just the fifth snowfall of one-inch+ to occur in November in the past 40 years - and the first since 1997. 4.7" of snow was measured from the storm (4.3" of it today), making it the earliest four-inch snowfall on record (the previous record was in 1989 when 4.7" fell on Nov. 22-23). It was also the largest accumulation of the year, topping the 4.3" that fell on Jan. 21.
8 - This was the tenth day in a row with below average temperatures, making it the longest such streak this year (topping a streak of nine days at the end of April). The mean temperature during these ten days was nine degrees colder than average, with a high of 49°/low of 38°.
10 - Today was the 12th day in a row with below average temperatures, the longest such streak since one of fifteen days in July 2009. Embedded in this dozen days were hurricane Sandy, a nor'easter that dumped nearly five inches of snow on NYC and four consecutive days with temperatures 10 degrees or more colder than average. This streak followed twelve days with above average temperatures between Oct. 18-29.
30 - November was the opposite of last November as it was 3.8 degrees chillier than average, making it the coldest since 1996. However, although nineteen mornings had lows in the 30s, only three were at freezing or colder (coldest reading was 31°) - and they all occurred early in the month (11/6-8).
DECEMBER
10 - This was the fourth day in a row with dreary, raw and damp conditions.
17 - Only three degrees separated the day's high (43°) and low (40°) on another raw, "gloomy Gus" kind of day.
22 - Just two degrees separated today's high (38°) and low (36°). It was a very blustery day, with 30-40 mph wind gusts, so the wind chill in the 20s gave the air a Christmas-like feel. Still,the day was one degree above average, making it the 16th day in a row with an above average reading. This was also the 15th time this year with a low temperature of 36° degrees, the most of any daily minimum.
26 - A sprawling winter storm stretching from Texas to New England arrived later in the afternoon. After starting as a brief period of snow (0.4" accumulated in Central Park), the precipitation turned into heavy rain accompanied by high winds (a total of 1.61" of rain fell thru daybreak on 12/27, 0.99" of it thru midnight tonight). This was the first snowfall since the record 4.7" of snow on Nov. 7-8.
29 - With a high/low of 34°/30°, today's mean temperature was two degrees below average, the first colder than average day since Dec. 6. This was also the last day of the year with precipitation. The 0.26" that fell (mostly rain) brought the year's total to 38.51", more than eleven inches below the norm. This was the first time since 2001 that less than 40 inches fell.
31 - The morning low of 28° was the coldest reading of the month (tied with 12/30 and 12/26). In the past 40 years no December had a minimum temperature this mild (the previous record was 26° in 1974). The typical coldest low temperature in December is 15°.
To read highlights from other years between 1970 and 2021 double click here.
hello , my name is jonh , im from brasil ,im not speak english very well..
i go to new york in july 2012, do you know it will be very hot? will reach 90 fahrenheit? how it will be?
tanks
Posted by: joao | 03/22/2012 at 10:12 PM
In July the afternoon temperature in New York City is usually between 84-88 degrees and at night the temperature usually falls to around 70. On average we get eight days of 90-degrees+. (However, the last few summers had fifteen days of 90-degree weather.) Occasionally the temperature will reach 100 or higher but there are also a few days with highs in the 70s . It's also on the humid side with occasional thunderstorms.
Posted by: Rob | 03/23/2012 at 12:26 AM