1978 Weather Highlights for New York

 

 

JANUARY

1 - An inch of snow fell during the evening hours, the last time there's been an accumulation of an inch or more on New Year's Day (thru 2024).

9 - Just two days after there was a one-degree difference between the day's high/low (36°/35°) today saw the temperature plummet 43 degrees, from 58° at 4AM to 15° at midnight. 

20 - Snow that began yesterday evening fell at a rate of an inch per hour between 2-7AM, and by 2PM 13.6" had fallen.  This was New York's biggest snowfall since the "Lindsay snowstorm" of February 1969.  (However, in less than three weeks this storm would be largely forgotten, overshadowed by the great blizzard of February 1978.)  

26 - Between Jan. 8 and today, a period of less than three weeks, 8.19" of precipitation fell, including four days that received an inch or more.  And 0.45" of rain fell early this morning, making this the wettest January on record (passing Jan. 1915).  Today also had the mildest reading of the month, 58°, which was reached before daybreak.  This was the mildest reading in more than two months (since Nov. 17).  However, after passage of a cold front, the temperature fell sharply for the rest of the day and by midnight it was 22°.     

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

 

FEBRUARY

4 - With a high/low of 21°/10°, today was the coldest day of the winter, sixteen degrees colder than average.  

6 - Less than three weeks after 13.6" of snow buried the City, an even bigger snowstorm struck.  Snow began before dawn and by midnight 15.5" had fallen in Central Park.  An additional 2.2" fell the next morning.  Snow, drifted by wind gusts of 30-40 mph, fell heaviest between 7PM-1AM, when it fell at a rate of more than an inch per hour.  This was the first winter in 17 years to have two snowstorms of one foot or more.

7 - Yesterday's blizzard wound down during the morning, adding 2.2" of accumulation.  This brought the storm's total to 17.7", making it New York's biggest snowstorm since Dec. 26-27, 1947 when 26.4" buried the City (later broken in February 2006).  Snow would be on the ground in Central Park for the next five weeks.  

17 - This was the only day in February that had an above average mean temperature (high/low of 40°/33°, three degrees above average).

25 - Although today's high was only 41° (and three degrees below average), it was the mildest reading of the month.

 

MARCH

9 - Today's high of 43°, four degrees below average, was the mildest reading in six weeks. 

12 - Today's high of 56° was the first above-average high temperature in six-and-a-half weeks (since January 26).

13 - For the first time since Feb. 5 there was no snow on the ground in Central Park.

16 - Rain changed to snow during the afternoon, accumulating 1.8".  This brought the winter's snowfall above 50 inches, the most since the winter of 1966/67.  It was also the last snowfall of the season.

26 - It was a cold and miserable Easter Sunday as rain fell between 9AM-3PM (0.62" was measured) and afternoon temperatures were only in the mid-30s.

 

APRIL

1 - A high of 82° (26 degrees above average and one degree shy of the 1917 record) would be the warmest day of the entire month - and the next 80-degree day wouldn't be for another seven weeks (May 19).

3 - At 40° today's high temperature was more than 1/2 of what it was two days earlier.  This high was what the average low is for this date.

7 - A warm front moved through just as the Mets home opener was beginning, and over the course of the game the temperature rose from 47° to 63°.

13 - It was a beautiful day for a baseball game as the Yankees' home opener was played under sunny skies and in temperatures that rose into the mid-70s.

19 - The 1.96" of rain that fell between 8:30AM and 9:00 PM accounted for much of the month's precipitation.  It was also a record amount for the date.  Today's high got up to only 50°, twelve degrees below average.

 

MAY

1 - This morning's low of 38°, eleven degrees below average.  This would be the last time the temperature dipped into the 30s in New York in the month of May until 2020.  It was also the third May in a row to have a low in the 30s - the only time this has happened.

14 - The biggest rainstorm of the year dumped 3.58" of rain thru 3AM on 5/15.  It came down heaviest between 10:30AM and 4PM when 2.53" fell.  The 3.38" that fell today was a record for the date.

20 - Today's high of 90° was the first 90-degree reading of the year, which was a week earlier than the usual date of this occurrence.  It came just three days after three days in a row (5/15-17) had highs in the 50s.  The next 90-degree day wouldn't be for another month (6/19).

 

JUNE

17 - Winds coming from off the ocean out of the southeast created a bank of clouds that resulted in there being just a two degree separation from the high and low.  Although the low of 62° was seasonable, the high of 64° was sixteen degrees below the norm.   

 

JULY

3 - Rain began shortly before noon and continued into early afternoon on the 4th of July.  It came down heaviest between 9PM-2AM when 1.72" fell.  In total, 2.91" was measured.  The rain kept the temperature from getting no higher than 70°.

4 - Today's high/low was a shockingly cool 62°/58°.  The high was 21 degrees chillier than average. 

23 - Today was the hottest day of the year, with a high/low of 95°/81° (eleven degrees above average).

 

AUGUST

8 - The 0.10" of rain that fell between 1-2AM made this the ninth day in a row to report rain.  In total, 4.46" fell during these nine days.

24 - Today's high of 90° was the last 90-degree reading of the year.  It occurred one day before the average date of the City's last 90+ reading.  In total, the year had eleven days in the 90s, well below the average of seventeen.

26 - Today and yesterday's morning lows of 60° were the coolest readings of the month, making this the first August since 1970 not to have a reading in the 50s.

 

SEPTEMBER

8 - The 0.39" of rain that fell in the afternoon and evening was the first measurable rain to fall on this date in 20 years.

10 - The morning low of 49°, thirteen degrees below average, was the earliest date for a reading in the 40s since 1924.  (Today's record low was 43° in 1883.)

 

OCTOBER

24 - The month's warmest and coldest temperatures were experienced in less than 24 hours.  After a high of 76° yesterday (14 degrees above average), a strong cold front moved through during the evening and knocked the temperature down 40 degrees, to 36° by 8:00 AM today (12 degrees below average).

27 - The 0.19" of rain that fell, mostly between 1-2 AM, was the first rain to fall on this date since 1959 (when 0.19" also fell)

 

NOVEMBER

16 - The 0.05" of rain that fell overnight was the first precipitation this month (and since Oct. 27).

25 - Windy and cold with slowly falling temperatures.  The temperature dropped to 32° after 11PM, the first freezing temperature of the fall (about a week later than usual).

27 - For the second year in a row the season's first snowfall occurred on this date - but this year's was more substantial.  It fell mostly between 9AM and 1PM and amounted to 2.2".  However, it was largely washed away during the evening when the snow changed to rain as the temperature rose into the mid-30s (but still 13 degrees colder than average).

 

DECEMBER

25 - Santa needed an umbrella as steady rain in the pre-dawn hours amounted to 0.79" (this was on top of 0.69" that fell yesterday evening).  The rest of the day was overcast and raw with a high/low of 45°/35° - nearly identical to Easter Sunday's high/low (44°/34°).

 

To read highlights from other years between 1970 and 2020 double click here. 

 

 

 

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New York City Weather Analysis: Chilly Summer Days

 

 

When summer arrives many of us think of heat waves, thunderstorms and tropical disturbances.  However, if the wind comes off the ocean or from out of the northeast, New York can experience gray, cool and damp conditions, with afternoon temperatures stuck in the 60s (or cooler).  The analysis that follows looks at days like this, going back to 1970, between June 1 and Aug. 31 (i.e., meteorological summer).  I've chosen mean temperature as my gauge to determine the degree of coolness.

 

• For the most part, high temperatures are affected the most as cloud cover and rain keep temperatures from rising much during the daylight hours.  Although the chilliest days may have low temperatures that are 10 degrees cooler than average, afternoon highs can be 20 degrees below average.   

• Since 1970 five summer days have had high temperatures that failed to get out of the 50s.  Four were in June (55° on June 2, 2015 and June 13, 1982; 57° on June 4, 2003; and 58° on June 3, 2015) and one in August (59° on Aug. 21, 2007).  In July, the chilliest high reading was 65° on July 22, 1992.  

 

 

• A typical summer has two or three such cool days.  However, six summers reported none (1981, 1984, 1994, 1995, 2008, 2010 and 2011) while the summer of 2000 had seven and the summer of 1977 had six.  Finally, there have been five Junes that had four of these cool days.

 

CHILLIEST SUMMER DAYS SINCE 1970
(Ranked by Mean Temperature)
				Below
	High	Low	Mean	Average
JUNE
6.02.2015	55	50	52.5	-14
6.04.2003	57	50	53.5	-14
6.13.1982	55	52	53.5	-17
6.01.2015	58	51	54.5	-12
6.09.1980	63	47	55.0	-15
6.03.1997	61	49	55.0	-13
6.14.2000	61	53	57.0	-14
6.02.1997	62	52	57.0	-11
6.02.1988	63	51	57.0	-11
6.06.1976	60	54	57.0	-12
JULY
7.22.1992	65	53	59.0	-14
7.04.1978	62	58	60.0	-16
7.05.1979	69	53	61.0	-15
7.01.1988	71	53	62.0	-13
7.12.1990	67	58	62.5	-14
AUGUST
8.21.2007	59	56	57.5	-17
8.29.1986	68	50	59.0	-14
8.22.2007	65	56	60.5	-14
8.12.1979	64	57	60.5	-15
8.29.1982	72	50	61.0	-12

 

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Today in New York Weather History: June 12

 

1958 (Thursday)

Today and yesterday had the year's first back-to-back days with highs in the 80s, the latest occurrence in the 1950-2024 period (it happened one day earlier in 1997).

 

1967 (Monday)

This was the eleventh day in a row with highs of 80° or warmer.  Today was the hottest, with a high of 92° (the previous two days were also in the 90s).  The average high during this warm streak was close to 86°, nine degrees above average.  But perhaps even more impressive was the fact that today was the fourteenth day in a row in which skies were clear or mostly clear.

 

 

1973 (Tuesday)

Today was the fourth day in a row with a high in the 90s.  The highs were: 92°, 91°, 95° (a record for the date) and today's 93° (which tied the 1933 record).

 

1975 (Thursday)

A steady, all-day rain amounted to 1.98".  Because of the clouds and rain, the high temperature got no higher than 63°, fifteen degrees below average.

 

1979 (Tuesday)

The day started off chilly, with a low of 48°, fourteen degrees below average, and a record for the date.  This was the latest date for a reading in the 40s since 1950.

 

1983 (Sunday)

Today's high was 91°, the year's first high in the 90s.  It came about two weeks later than the average date of this occurrence.  Despite this late start, the year would have 36 days with highs in the 90s, the most since 1944's 37.

 

1988 (Sunday)

This was the first of twelve consecutive days with much above average temperatures, including seven which had highs in the 90s, like today.  Temperatures would average eight degrees above average during this extended period of hot weather.

 

1995 (Monday)

In just fifteen minutes a torrential downpour during a thunderstorm dumped 0.68" of rain between 1:28-1:43 AM.  Showers later in the afternoon brought the day's rainfall total to 0.99", which accounted for half of the month's rainfall.

 

2000 (Monday)

The temperature this afternoon was only in the low 60s, quite a contrast from yesterday's sizzling high of 92°.

 

 

2007 (Tuesday)

0.85" of rain poured down in just 15 minutes between 3:07-3:22 PM.  (This was even greater than the 15-minute deluge of 0.68" on this date in 1995).

 

2009 (Friday)

Today was the last day this month with an above-average mean temperature.  The next above-average day wouldn't be until July 28, a stretch of 46 days.

 

2012 (Tuesday)

Rain began late in the morning and by the time it ended, at 4 AM on 6/13, 1.32" had fallen.  The day's high was 72°, after a mild low of 65°.

 

2017 (Monday)

Today's high of 93° tied 1973 and 1933 for the record high, but it had the warmest mean temperature of the three years: 84.5° (93°/76°) versus 82.5° in '73 (93°/72°) and 80.0° in '33 (93°/67°).  This record is the "coolest" reading for a record high in June.  Less than a week after a mean temperature that was 14 degrees below average (on 6/6 when the high/low was 58°/55°), today was 14 degrees above average.  This was the fifth 90-degree day of the year, the most at this point in the year since 2000 (when there were six by 6/11).

 

2021 (Saturday)

Today's high/low of 69°/62° was the same as yesterday's (and skies were overcast both days).  This followed another pair of days with the same high/low just just a few days earlier, as June 8 and 9 each had a high/low of 90°/72°.   (And June 6 and 7 missed being "twin" days by one degree, as the highs/lows were 92°/76° and 91°/76°).   Two weeks earlier, on Memorial Day weekend, the high/low on both days was 51°/47°.  (A typical years has two or three of these temperature "twins".) 

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Looking Back at New York Weather History: June 11

 

1911 (Sunday)

This is the only year in which an inch or more of rain fell on 6/11 (0.99" would fall in 1991).  The amount reported at Central Park was 1.14" and followed a rainfall of 1.00" yesterday, with 0.90" falling tomorrow.  Almost all of today's rain (an inch) fell between 11 PM and midnight.  (And all of yesterday's fell between 10 PM and midnight).

 

1916 (Sunday)

This was the third day day of the past four with a high of 57°.  All four days were overcast, with light winds out of the northeast.  (The typical temperature during the second week of June is in the upper 70s.)

 

1920 (Friday)

Today's high of 94°, the first reading in the 90s  of the year, came the day after the low was 55°. 

 

1972 (Sunday)

This morning's low of 46° was a record, and the chilliest reading in June since 1945. 

 

 

 

1991 (Tuesday)

After a high of 90°, rain moved in after 5 PM and by 1 AM 0.99" had fallen - the first rain on this date in 12 years.  The rain came down heaviest between 9-10 PM, when 0.43" fell.  Today was also the 20th day in the past two months with a high temperature of 85° or warmer.

 

 

2000 (Sunday)

Today's high of 92° was the sixth 90-degree day so far this year.  However, there would be just one more hot day for the rest of the summer (Aug. 9).  Only six other years have had their sixth 90-degree reading by this date (none since 2000) - but all of them had many more hot days in the following months.

 

2005 (Saturday)

During an evening thunderstorm 0.44" of rain poured down between 7-8 PM.  It was also a warm and very humid day, with a high/low of 85°/71° (eight degrees above average) and an afternoon dew point that peaked at 75°.

 

2017 (Sunday)

Today was the year's fourth day in the 90s, the most by this date since 2008.  This was the twenty-first year (since 1872) to have four 90-degree days by this date (about once every seven years).

 

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2024 (Tuesday)

Today's low of 59° would be the month's chilliest temperature, the mildest reading to have this designation in June.  This broke a long-standing record from 1892 (and in five other Junes), whose chilliest low was 58°.

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Today in New York Weather History: June 10

 

1974 (Monday)

In a month that was on the cool side (2.6 degrees below average), today stood out because it was quite hot.  With a high/low of 95°/74°, it was fifteen degrees above average.  This was the first of four days this summer with a high of 95° (the other three were in July).

 

 

1996 (Thursday)

Although it was just a spritz, the 0.01" of rain that fell this afternoon was the first measurable rain on this date in 15 years.

 

2008 (Tuesday)

For the second day in a row the high hit 96°, a record for the date.  This was the last day of a four-day heat wave.  (The next time there would be a heat wave of this length in June would be in 2021, June 6-9).

 

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Today in New York Weather History: June 9

 

1915 (Wednesday)

Today's high/low of 81°/58° was preceded by two days with a high/low of 77°/60°, and would be followed by two days with highs/lows 77°/59° and 77°/60°.

 

1933 (Friday)

It was a hot and very humid day, with a high/low of 97°/76°.  The high was a record and the heat index reached 110° during lunchtime.

 

 

1973 (Saturday)

Today's high was 92°, the year's first day in the 90s and the first day of a four-day heat wave. 

 

1980 (Monday)

This morning's low of 47°, a record for the date, was the coolest reading in June in eight years - and there hasn't been a chillier reading since (thru 2023).

 

1984 (Saturday)

Today's high of 96° would be the hottest reading of the summer, eighteen degrees above average.  It came in the midst of an early summer heat wave which lasted ten days (June 5-14).  The average high/low during these days was 91°/73°, twelve degrees hotter than average.  Six of the days were in the 90s.

 

 

1989 (Friday)

2.55" of rain fell today, with 0.75" of it pouring down between 11 AM-1 PM; another 1.15" fell between 8-11 PM.  This was a record amount for the date.  Furthermore, this was the sixth day in a row with rain, totaling 4.95". 

 

1997 (Monday)

Twenty of the past twenty-one days had below-average temperatures, resulting in temperatures that were six degrees below average.

 

2003 (Monday)

Four of the past five days had a low of 57°; the other day had a low of 58°.  Also, twenty-eight of the past thirty days were cooler than average.

 

2004 (Wednesday)

Today's high was 91°, which would be the hottest reading of the year, and the first of just two 90-degree days all summer (the other would be on Aug. 28).  2004 joined four other years that had 91° or 90° as their hottest reading: 1884, 1889, 1902 and 1960.  A typical New York summer has eighteen days with highs of 90+, and the hottest temperature is usually around 97°.

 

 

2008 (Monday)

Today was a scorcher, with a high/low of 96°/76°, sixteen degrees above average.  This was the third day in a row with highs in the 90s, and tomorrow would be the fourth.

 

2009 (Tuesday)

In just fifteen minutes time, in the wee hours of the morning, 0.75" of rain thundered down between 2:41-2:56 AM.  Rain continued until 8 AM and totaled 1.80".

 

 

2010 (Wednesday)

0.89" of rain fell, beginning early in the afternoon and continuing until a little past midnight, breaking a three-week dry spell in which only 0.11" of rain had fallen.

 

2011 (Thursday)

The day after a high of 93°, today's high reached a sizzling 95°.  Meanwhile, Newark, as usual, out-fried NYC, with highs of 99° and 102°, both which were records. 

 

2017 (Friday)

For the first time this month the high reached 80°, the deepest into June that the first 80°+ reading occurred since 2003, when it also happened on 6/9.  Additionally, this was the first reading in the 80s since the three-day heat wave of 5/17-19 ended.

 

2021 (Wednesday)

With a high of 90°, this was the fourth, and last, day of a four-day heat wave.  (And the day before the heat wave started, the high reached 89°.)  This was the first heat wave of this length in June since 2008.  And although that heat wave's average high was significantly hotter (95° vs. 91°), this June's heat wave had low temperatures that were significantly warmer (75° vs 70°).  It was also very humid, with dew points largely in the 68°-72° range, producing afternoon heat indices in the mid-90s.  With four days in the 90s through 6/9, this was the earliest date for that number of days since 2000, when the fourth reading in the 90s occurred on 6/2 (ironically, that year would have only seven in total). 

 

 

 

 

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Today in New York Weather History: June 8

 

1900 (Friday)

This is the only year in which an inch or more of rain has fallen on this date (thru 2024).  The amount measured at Central Park was 1.02".

 

1947 (Sunday)

Two days after the high reached 87°, today was rainy (0.57") and chilly, with a high of just 56°, twenty-one degrees below average.  This was the third year in a row in which the first week of June featured very cool readings.

 

1980 (Sunday)

0.51" of rain fell during lunchtime (1-2 PM).  This followed a torrential downpour of 0.60" yesterday morning between 5-6:00.

 

 

1992 (Monday)

During an afternoon thunderstorm, 0.41" of rain fell in just five minutes (3:03-3:08 PM).  Overall, 0.77" fell during the entirety of the storm (2:19-3:19 PM).

 

2005 (Wednesday)

Today's high was 93°, the first reading in the 90s this year (one day earlier than last year's first 90).

 

2006 (Thursday)

The day was cool (high of 66°) and damp.  The 0.13" of rain that fell between 11 AM-3 PM was the first rain on this date since 1995 (when just 0.01" fell).  

 

2008 (Sunday)

It was a hot day, with a high/low of 93°/74°, fifteen degrees above average.  This was the second day of a four-day heat wave between June 7-10 that saw afternoon highs of: 94°-93°-96°-96°.

 

 

2013 (Saturday)

The 33-hour deluge from tropical storm Andrea ended before daybreak.  In total, 4.77" of rain fell (0.43" this morning), making this the second biggest June rainstorm on record.  Since May 8, 14.49" of rain fell in Central Park, which was ten inches greater than the average amount. 

 

 

 

2016 (Wednesday)

Strong storms moved through during lunchtime, and by the time the rain was over, at around 2:30 (0.42" was measured), the temperature had fallen to 52° - the chilliest reading in two-and-a-half weeks (typical mid-afternoon temperature this time of the year is 77°).  However, by early evening the temperature, although still cool, had recovered to 60°.

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Looking Back at New York City Weather: June 7

 

1924 (Saturday)

The temperature reached 80° for the first time this year, the latest date on record and six weeks later than the average date for this occurrence.

 

1925 (Sunday)

What a difference one year makes, as today's high was 96°, the fifth day since 6/1 to have a high of 94° or hotter (the outlier was 6/2 which had a high of "only" 88°).  The highs of June 4-7 were all records (99°-99°-98°-96°) - which are still standing.  This is the most intense early June heat wave of all time.  (Highs are typically in the mid-70s during the first week of June.)

 

 

1926 (Monday)

One year after the five days between June 3-7 had highs that averaged 97°, the same five days had highs that averaged 65°, ten degrees below average.  And 6/4's low of 48° was a record (that still stands).

 

1971 (Monday)

Today's high of 93° was the first 90-degree reading of the year, coming a week-and-a-half later than the average date for this occurrence.

 

 

1980 (Saturday)

0.60" of rain poured down at daybreak (5-6 AM).

 

1982 (Monday)

Rain fell for the fourteenth of the past 17 days (and the last eight days in a row), but it amounted to just 0.03" and was done by 4 AM.  The total amount during this period was 3.81". 

 

1984 (Thursday)

Today had the year's first high in the 90s (92°) and was the first day of an early heat wave. 

 

1989 (Wednesday)

This was the sixth day in a row with declining high temperatures: 91° (6/1)-89°-86°-84°-79°-75°-64° (today).  During these days temperatures went from 16 degrees above average to 13 below.

 

1998 (Sunday)

Today was the third day in a row with a low of 54° (average for these days is 60°).  This came one month after three days in a row had a low of 55° (between May 4-6).  

 

1999 (Monday)

Today's high soared to 94°, seventeen degrees above average, and the first temperature in the 90s of the year. 

 

2000 (Wednesday)

The morning's low was a chilly 49°, twelve degrees below average.  This would be the last time the temperature fell into the 40s in June until 2023 (when it happened on 6/4).

 

2003 (Saturday)

Nearly eight inches of rain fell since May 21, with rain falling on thirteen of the eighteen days.  And every day but one had cooler than average temperatures.  Today's rainfall totaled 0.90" and fell largely between noon-8 PM.  Five more inches would fall this month, which would become the rainiest June on record, with 10.26" measured.

 

 

2008 (Saturday)

This was the fourth year since 1971 to have its first reading in the 90s on this date.  And like 1999 (one of those four years), the high reached 94°. 

 

2012 (Thursday)

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".

 

2013 (Friday)

A soaking rain fell throughout the day as the remnants of tropical storm Andrea moved up the coast.  Rain came down especially hard after dark.  In total, 4.16" fell, a record for the date - and the second greatest June rainstorm on record.  This was the second earliest tropical system to affect New York in the 1970-2015 period (now third after Bonnie moved through on Memorial Day 2016); the earliest was tropical storm Barry, which dumped nearly four inches of rain on June 3-4, 2007.  Because of the rain and cloud cover, today's high was only 63°, fourteen degrees below average.

 

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2023 (Wednesday)

A northerly wind drove smoke from major wildfires in Quebec into the area, producing a thick, orange haze that kept visibility below two miles during the afternoon and evening.  The daily average Air Quality Index was the highest since recording in New York began in 1999. (The second-highest level was yesterday.)  One saving grace was that the choking smoke wasn't accompanied by searing heat as the haze and overcast skies kept the temperature in the 60s during the afternoon.  The poor air quality forced the Yankees to postpone today's game, and my late afternoon flight from Pittsburgh to LaGuardia was delayed two-and-a-half hours because of visibility issues.

 

 

 

Today in New York Weather History: June 6

 

1923 (Wednesday)

Highs today and the previous four days: 89°-88°-89°-92°-91°(today), sixteen degrees above average.  Strong thunderstorms struck during the afternoons of the 3rd (0.61" rain fell) and today (0.59").

 

 

1945 (Tuesday)

For the fifth time in the past six days the low was in the 40s (and the one day that didn't drop into the 40s had a low of 50°).  No other June has had this many days with temperatures in the 40s.  What made this streak even more noteworthy is the fact that it came only a few months after the mildest March on record (a record which still stands).  Today's high of 70° was the first that warmed into the 70s since 5/29.

 

 

1989 (Tuesday)

During an afternoon thunderstorm, 1.18" of rain fell in just half an hour (2:30-3:00). 

 

 

2000 (Tuesday)

A rare June nor'easter dumped 2.62" of rain, with 1.10" of it falling between 7:30-10:30 AM.

 

2002 (Thursday)

0.32" of rain poured down in just 10 minutes between 8:50-9:00 PM.

 

2010 (Sunday)

Today was the eighth day in a row in which afternoon temperatures rose into the mid-to-upper 80s (but no 90s).  These readings were eleven degrees above average.

 

 

2017 (Tuesday)

Measurable rain fell for the eighth day of the last nine, but the total amount was unimpressive - just 0.41" (by comparison, the deluge of May 5 saw 2.72" fall in just two hours).  Today's light rainfall was 0.06", which fell throughout the day.  Temperatures during these nine days were  five degrees below average.

 

2020 (Saturday)

Warm and uncomfortably humid, with a high of 86°; the dew point was in the 68°-70° range all morning thru mid-afternoon.  This was the first reading of 85° or warmer this year, the latest date for this occurrence since 2008 (when it happened on 6/7).   Today also had the year's first low of 70°+, which was just a few days later than the average date.  The humidity dropped sharply after a mid-afternoon shower.  Meanwhile, Newark and LaGuardia airports had their first readings in the 90s.

 

2021 (Sunday)

Central Park had its first reading in the 90s this year (92°), as well its first low in the 70s (76°) -  the first time since 2013 that both occurred on the same date.  Today's first low in the 70s fell on the same date as last year's; the last time this happened was in 1988 and 1989 (when the date was 5/30). 

This weekend's highs of 89° and 92°, and those of two weeks ago, 89° and 88°, were in very stark contrast to last weekend's highs of 51° and 51° (Memorial Day weekend).

 

 

2024 (Thursday)

It was a day of wicked humidity as the dew point held steady at 72° for nearly six hours between 7:30 AM and 1 PM and then rose to 76° for a few hours late in the afternoon.  The only saving grace was that the temperature got no higher than 81°.  Heavy showers before sunrise, during mid-afternoon, and between 9:30-10 PM produced 0.77" of rain.  

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Weather Highlights of 1972 for New York

 

JANUARY

5 - The first measurable snow of the winter, an inch, began late in the morning after changing over from rain.   

6 - With a high 28°, today was the first day this winter to have a high of 32° or colder, breaking by one day the previous record for the latest date (winter of 1923). This new record would hold for just three winters, when the latest date became 1/14; and then during the winter of 1987 it became 1/20.

16 - The morning low of 5° above zero (coldest reading of the winter) came less than two days after the temperature reached 62° (at 10PM on Jan. 14).  Combined with a high of only 13°, this was the coldest day of the winter.  (Only a handful of days have had a high temperature this cold.)

 

FEBRUARY

19 - A nor'easter packing 40 mph winds brought the biggest snowfall of the winter, 5.7", but it was part of a sloppy mix of snow, sleet and rain so there was never more than two to three inches of snow on the ground at any given time. Temperatures didn't go below freezing until evening. In total 1.64" of precipitation was measured.

23 - It was a very wintry day as a frigid morning, with a low of 9°, was followed by a nighttime snowfall of 5.2" (which fell between 7PM and 1:30AM).

 

MARCH

1 - Today's high of 73° was a record, 28 degrees above average and the warmest reading of the month.  The next day would also see record warmth (72°).  It would another seven weeks before today's temperature was topped (86° on 4/19).

4 - The morning low of 17° came two days after a high of 72°.

 

APRIL

15 - The Mets' home opener was played through sprinkles and temperatures only in the chilly mid-40s.

18 - This year's home opener for the Yankees was a carbon copy of last year's, with sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 60s.

20 - The temperature at 4PM was a quite chilly 43°, a drop of forty-three degrees from yesterday afternoon's 4PM reading of 86°.

 

MAY

4 - The 0.11" of rain that fell in the morning hours was the first measurable rain on this date in 14 years.

9 - The day was rainy (1.19" fell) and very chilly, with a high/low of only 49/46.  The high was 20 degrees below average.

24- Today's high of 86° was the warmest reading of the month, and the same temperature as April's warmest reading (on April 19).

 

JUNE

4 - Although it occurred very early in the month, today's high of 86° would be the warmest reading of the entire month.  By coincidence, 86° was also the warmest temperature in April and May.

11 - This morning's low of 46° was a record, and the chilliest reading in June since 1945 (and in the 1970-2015 period).

22 - The center of circulation from what remained of Hurricane Agnes moved over NYC , bringing rain and gusty winds, mostly between 6AM-6PM.  By the standards of tropical systems, rainfall wasn't particularly heavy as just 1.19" was measured.  This paled in comparison to the catastrophic rains of 8-12 inches that Agnes dumped on parts of New York state and Pennsylvania.  Although the main thrust of the storm was today, wraparound rain would fall tomorrow and on the morning of June 25, delivering an additional 1.39".

30 - This was the eleventh day of rain in the past fifteen days.  Today's measured 0.71", making it the seventh day during this period to receive more than 0.65".  All told, 8.36" fell in the second half of June. 

 

JULY

2 - Today's high of 91° was the year's first 90-degree reading - five weeks later than the usual first occurrence.  Not since 1960 (when it occurred on 7/12) had New York had such a late date for its first 90.

13 - Heavy rain between 5-11AM amounted to 3.16", a record amount for the date.  The storm came in the early days of a two-week hot spell, but clouds kept the temperature in the mid-70s, the only day in this period not to have a high of 88° or higher.

25 - Twelve of the past fifteen days had highs of 88° or hotter, and nine of those were in the 90s (including today's high of 91).  During these days, temperatures were 4.5 degrees above average.  Additionally, all fifteen days had lows in the 70s.  

 

AUGUST

31- This was the tenth day in a row (and twelfth of the past thirteen) with a high of 85° or warmer.  The average high during these ten days was 89°, eight degrees above average.

 

SEPTEMBER

17 - This was the last 90-degree day of the year, as the high reached a record 92° (broken nineteen years later).  This was about three weeks later than the usual date of the last 90-degree day (Aug. 25).   In total there were fourteen days in the 90s, the fewest in five years and five fewer than average (from 1930-1971 period).

 

OCTOBER

7 - 4.09" of rain fell today, a record for the date.  Most of it fell between 1-10 AM.  (An even greater rainfall would occur a month from now.)

20 - This morning's low of 32° was one of the earliest freezing temperatures on record, coming a month earlier than the typical date of the first such frosty reading.  (The earliest frost on record was five days earlier in 1876.)  

22 - This was the 16th day in a row with below average temperatures.  During this long stretch, temperatures were eight degrees colder than average.

31 - Partly cloudy and chilly with a high/low of 48/35, eleven degrees below average.  When the kiddies were out at 7PM ringing doorbells and collecting their treats the temperature was a brisk 42°.  This was an appropriate end to the chilliest October since 1925 (4.8 degrees below average).

 

NOVEMBER

8 - Beginning shortly after 5 AM and continuing for the rest of the day, 5.60" of rain flooded the area, with half of it falling between noon and 4 PM.  At the time, this was the third greatest daily amount of rain; since then it's fallen to sixth place. 

15 - Following a nor'easter that dumped 2.23" of rain yesterday, today was raw and overcast with slowly falling temperatures.  Dropping from 37 to 31 degrees, the day's mean temperature was 14 degrees colder than average.

23 - With a high/low of 35/21, this was the coldest Thanksgiving Day since 1941.  It was also the coldest day in November.  One bright spot was that skies were clear.

25 - This was the twelfth day in a row with below average temperatures.  During this stretch, temperatures were eight degrees below average. 

 

DECEMBER

26 - This was the eighth day in a row with overcast skies.

31 - Today was the nineteenth day this month with precipitation (0.36" fell) - the most days for any month in the 20th century (and equaled just five months later, in May 1973).  The temperature rose throughout the day and when the ball dropped in Times Square it was a very mild 59°.

 

To read highlights from other years between 1970 and 2018 double click here. 

 

 

 

 

 

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