Top 10 Weather Stories of 2014
A Cold Winter
The coldest temperature of the year was 4° degrees above zero on Jan. 7, which was the coldest reading in New York in ten years. Then a low of 9° on Feb. 28 was the latest reading in the single digits since 1967. Finally, in the first three months of the year there were 27 days with mean temperatures 10 degrees or more below average - the most since 1936.
And a Snowy Winter
In the 30-day period between Jan. 21 and Feb. 18, 42.1" of snow fell, including three snowstorms of eight inches or more.
Super Bowl Miracle
In the midst of a harsh winter, the weather gods delivered springlike conditions when the Super Bowl was played outdoors in northern New Jersey on Feb. 2. The next day, however, winter returned with a vengeance as the temperature dropped by 25 degrees and eight inches of snow piled up less than 12 hours after the game ended.
A Cold But Snowless March
March was the coldest since 1984. However, just 0.1" of snow fell. The closest we came to seeing a significant snowfall was at the beginning of the month when a major storm moved south of the region, suppressed by a strong Arctic high pressure system.
April Ends with Huge Rainstorm
4.97" of rain poured down on April 30. Until this rainstorm this date was one of three that had never recorded an inch of rain.
Late Arrival of 90-Degree Temperatures
The first 90-degree reading didn't occur until July 2, more than five weeks later than usual, and the latest date since 1985. (And April had no 80-degree days for the first time in 14 years.) The hottest period of the summer came at the end of August into early September. This included the hottest day of the year, Sept. 2, when the high/low was 92°/77°. In total there were just eight 90-degree days, well below the average of 17.
Gray Skies Clear in Time for Fireworks
New York was on the northern fringe of Hurricane Arthur on the 4th of July, creating breezy showery conditions. However, skies cleared early in the evening and the Macy's fireworks extravaganza went off without a hitch.
Marathon Runners Meet Resistance From High Winds
Winds gusting between 30 and 45 mph were responsible for the slowest winning times in the NYC Marathon in 30 years. Chilly temperatures (low 40s) felt like they were in the low-to-mid-30s due to the high winds.
December Nor'easter
A strong nor'easter lashed the area on Dec. 9. It occurred very close to the date of the even more intense nor'easter of 1992. Although the amount of rain was half the amount that fell on 4/30, it was a record for the date and was accompanied by gale force winds.
Mild December
December was milder than March. The coldest reading was 24°. Since 1970 only two other years had a milder reading for December's coldest temperature. Christmas Day, with a high of 62°, was two degrees milder than Easter Sunday. And although just an inch of snow fell during the month, it was more than what fell in typically snowier cities such as Boston, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, Grand Rapids and Chicago.
If you'd like to read about NYC's top 10 weather stories of 2013, double click here.
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