Weather of 2022 in New York
JANUARY
1 - It was a rainy and mild start to the new year, with a high/low of 56°/50°, and 0.79" of rain (most of which fell after dark). This was the first low of 50° or milder on 1/1 since 1979, and just the third time overall with a low in the 50s on this date. The high of 56° was the tenth warmest reading (tied with 2007). After a record dry November and December, today was the rainiest day since late in October.
7 - A fast-moving winter storm produced 5.8" of snow, most of it falling before sunrise. This was the winter's first snowfall of one-inch or more, coming about two weeks later than the average date of this occurrence. Curiously, although Central Park and LaGuardia Airport (which are just seven miles apart) had similar amounts of liquid precipitation (0.38" and 0.33", respectively), CPK's accumulation of snow was 3.9" less than LGA's (9.7").
With today’s snowfall, the month’s precipitation for the first week of January reached 1.44”, which was .05” more than what fell in all of December.
8 - With a high/low of 30°/20°, today had the winter's first high of 32° or colder. This was three weeks later than the typical date, and was the latest date for this occurrence since the winter of 1986-87 (when it happened on 1/20). This "first of the winter" milestone happened the same week as the first low in the teens (1/4), and the first snowfall of an inch or more (1/7).
15 - With a high/low of 21°/10°, today was the coldest day of the winter. The day's low was the coldest reading in Central Park in nearly three years, since a low of 2° on Jan. 31, 2019. (10° is on par with the average coldest temperature of winters going back to 1990.) At sunrise, wind chills were in the 0° to -5° range. Tomorrow's low would also be 10° (but with a high that was 16 degrees warmer than today's).
17 - 1.53" of precipitation fell during a winter storm that moved in yesterday evening, beginning as snow for a few hours (accumulating 0.8"), then continuing as rain until mid-morning today (when 1.16" fell). The storm's total was was more than what fell in either November (1.12") or December (1.39"). Furthermore, this amount of precipitation doubled what had fallen in the first 15 days of January, and at 3.07" in total, was more than what fell in November and December combined.
29 - Snow that began after 8 PM last night continued thru mid-afternoon, accumulating 8.3". The 7.3" that fell today was a record for the date and was the first snowfall of an inch or more on 1/29 since 1973. Visibility was less than 1/2 mile for much of the morning. The temperature dropped sharply overnight from upper 20s to mid-teens after daybreak; winds that gusted between 25-35 mph produced wind chills of 0° to 5° above zero. This snowstorm had the coldest temperatures since the snowstorm of Jan. 21, 2014 , when 11.5" piled up and temperatures dropped to the low teens in the final hours of the storm. Today was the 4th consecutive day with a high of 32° or colder, the longest streak in Central Park since the winter of 2018, when there was a 14-day streak (Dec. 26-Jan. 8).
The City was spared much worse conditions as it was on the western edge of an intense nor'easter that brought blizzard conditions and 15"-30" of snow to Long Island and southeastern New England.
FEBRUARY
5 - The temperature at daybreak was 21°, which was a drop of 36 degrees from yesterday's high reading of 57° which occurred in the morning. The last time the City experienced a drop this great in such a short period of time (25 hours) was in April 2018, when the mercury fell from 77° during the afternoon of 4/14, to 38° at daybreak on 4/15.
13 - 1.6" of snow fell the day after the high reached 59°. And although it was quite a turnaround, it pales in comparison to Feb. 9, 2017, when a 9.4" snowfall followed a high of 62° the day before. And on Feb. 3, 2014, 8.0" fell the day after a high of 56°. This was the second year in a row in which snow fell on Super Bowl Sunday. 4.5" fell last year, which was the most to fall on the NFL's big day (the game was played on 2/7); this year's amount was the second biggest accumulation.
17 - Today had the year’s first reading in the 60s. At 68° it was the warmest reading in three months (since 11/18), and a record for the date. The last time a reading this mild happened in February was in 2018, when the mercury soared to 78° on 2/21 (the warmest temperature ever reported in February). Today’s spring-like reading, 25 degrees above average, came just two days after a low of 16°. (There was also a low of 16° on 2/14, two days after a high of 59°.)
23 - For the second time in past six days the high reached 68°; however, unlike 2/17’s high, today’s was not a record. Then after dark a cold front moved through and the temperature dropped to the mid-30s by midnight (however, there was no precipitation). This was the third day this month with a diurnal variation of 30 degrees or more - just the second February with three or more such days (February 1918 had four).
MARCH
7 - The temperature rose into the 70s, topping out at 74°, tying the record for the date. This followed another record tying high yesterday (68°), and was the first reading in the 70s this year, about two weeks ahead of schedule (by contrast, the first day in the 60s, on 2/17, was two weeks behind schedule). The temperature was still at 71° at 10 PM, when a cold front blew through with winds that gusted to 49 mph in Central Park. Today's reading was the fourth high of 68+ in the past three weeks, joining 2/17, 2/23, and 3/6 (which all had highs of 68°).
9 - It was a sloppy day with wet snow occasionally mixed with rain and temperatures that hovered between 33° and 35°. The 0.56" of liquid that fell (between 8:30 AM and 6 PM) produced just 0.4" of snow - but this was more snow than what fell in March 2020 or 2021 (both saw only a trace).
22 - On average, relative humidity in March between 2 PM and 9 PM is in the 55%-60% range, but today it was between 11% and 13%. Only four other dates in the 21st century have had lower readings: 6% on March 30, 2007; 7% on April 6, 2021; 9% on April 20, 2016; and 10% on April 20, 2006. Skies were sunny and temperatures above average for the ninth day in a row (average high/low was 58°/43°). This was the fifth day in the past four weeks to have an hour or more with humidity at 25% or lower.
28 - An Arctic front moved through last night, and today's high/low of 33°/23° would have been cold even in the depths of winter. Although the day's low was far from the record for the date (13°), the high broke the record from 1893 for coldest daily maximum. This was the coldest high temperature this late in March/early April in 40 years, since April 7, 1982, when the high/low was 30°/21°. Today had the coldest mean temperature of the month as well as the past six weeks (0.5 degree colder than 3/13, which had a high/low of 35°/22°, and 2/20, which had a high/low of 36°/21°).
Making the cold even more biting was the wind, which gusted between 20-30 mph. Finally, the air was quite dry, with afternoon humidity falling to 20%; dew points were in the -5° to +5° range throughout the day.
APRIL
7 - Rain moved in at around noon and continued for the rest of the day. 1.12" was measured , with a large portion of it (0.40") falling between 11 PM-midnight (an additional 0.04" fell on 4/8). Meanwhile, suburbs in northern NJ, the Hudson River valley, and western Connecticut reported between two and four inches. Besides the rain, it was also windy, with gusts between 20-30 mph. This inclement weather forced the Yankees to postpone their home opener - the fifth home opener postponed since 2003.
8 - The day after rain postponed the Yankees' home opener, today's rescheduled game was played under sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s. Additionally, the air was quite dry, with the relative humidity dropping to 23% in mid-afternoon. (Perhaps best of all, the Yankees beat their arch-rivals, the Red Sox, in extra innings.)
15 - Conditions for the Mets home opener were a near replica of last week's Yankees first game as skies were sunny and the day's high reached 70°. And the visiting team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, probably felt at home because of the very low humidity, which dropped to 13% when the first pitch was thrown. But the hospitality ended there as the Mets easily won the game, 1o-3. Today was the fourth day in a row with readings in the 70s - the first time for a streak of this length since late September.
16 - Today, with a high of 73°, was the fifth day in a row with a high of 70°+. The average high during this streak was 73°, 12 degrees above average. The last time there was a streak of this length in April was eleven years ago (but it occurred at the end of the month).
17 -With a high/low of 51°/41°, this was the chilliest Easter Sunday since 2009 (49°/36°). This followed five consecutive days with highs in the 70s. And similar to last Easter, the air was quite dry, with the humidity bottoming out at 25% in mid-afternoon.
19 - A fast-moving nor'easter that moved in late last night was over by daybreak today. 2.09" of rain poured down, mostly between 10 PM and 3 AM. Winds gusted to 37 mph at Central Park, with 45-65 mph gusts common on Long Island and in Connecticut. This was the biggest rain total from a storm system since a nor'easter dumped 3.53" of rain nearly six months ago (on 10/25-26 ).
28 - For the second time this spring the humidity in the middle of the afternoon dropped to 11% (the other day was 3/22; 4/15 had humidity of 13%). The day also featured clear skies, gusty winds (25-35 mph), and temperatures that were ten degrees below average (high/low of 58°/40°).
MAY
9 - It was a day with very low humidity, which bottomed out at 13% at 1o PM - the lowest humidity reported for this time of day in the years since 2000 (daily humidity is usually lowest mid-afternoon). Additionally, this was the seventh day this year with humidity falling to 15% or below, which is the greatest number of days going back to 2000 (breaking a tie with 2021). Furthermore, this was the lowest humidity reported in May. Finally, humidity of 15% between midnight and 2 AM on 5/10 was the lowest humidity reported so early in the day.
21 - The temperature reached the 80s for the first time this year, the latest date for this occurrence since 1988. This was the tenth latest date for this occurrence on record. And with a high of 90°, this was just the fourth year to have the first 80 and first 90 occur on the same day (joining 1918, 1927 and 2010). This was the first time a reading was in the 90s in May since 2018. Besides the heat, the air was oppressive, with afternoon dew points in the 68°-70° range. The morning low of 62° was the coolest on a day with a high in the 90s since 2010, when there was a low of low of 56° on 4/7 (the earliest date on record for a reading in the 90s).
22 - The day after the year's first high in the 90s, today had the first low in the 70s. Today missed by one degree becoming the first May weekend since 1987 with both days having highs of 90+ (only five May weekends have had this happen; 1987’s is the hottest of them, with highs/lows on May 30 and 31 of 97°/74° and 94°/76°).
This weekend's unseasonably warm temperatures were similar to the same weekend last May, with this year’s highs/lows being 90°/62° and 89°/72°, while last year’s (on May 22 and 23) were 89°/65° and 88°/68°.
28 - An isolated, severe thunderstorm struck Central Park early in the afternoon, dumping 0.64” of rain in less than an hour (and there was a wind gust of 42 mph). By contrast, Newark, LGA and JFK had minimal rainfall (and my Greenwich Village neighborhood didn’t get hit as hard as CPK). Combined with rain early in the morning, the day’s total rainfall of 0.72” set a record as the rainiest Saturday of any Memorial Day holiday weekend. (Pushing ahead of the 0.68” that fell in 1982, and 0.65” in 2020).
31 - Mostly sunny and hot, with a high of 93°. This was the hottest reading in May since 2000, when the high was 93° on 5/7. (But it should be noted that there was a high of 96° in April 2002). This was the second 90-degree reading this month, and although it was three degrees hotter than the high on 5/21, today may have felt slightly more comfortable as the dew point was 8-10 degrees lower than what it was during the afternoon of 5/21.
JUNE
15 - Today, with a high of 83°, was the third day in a row with a high of 80°+ in Central Park - the first time this year, and the deepest into a year since 2003. Typically, this occurs around May 21-23. (The first reading of 80°+ this year, on 5/21, was the latest since 1988).
18 - After yesterday's sultry conditions (bright sunshine and a high of 88°), today felt like October as skies were overcast and afternoon temperatures were only in the mid-60s; adding to the chill was gusty winds clocked between 30-40 mph. (Despite this change, it appeared half of the City's residents hadn't heard the day's forecast as they were walking about dressed as if they expected a repeat of yesterday's summer-like conditions.)
19 - It was a beautiful Father’s Day despite it being ten degrees chillier than average (high/low of 73°/54°), along with a stiff breeze that persisted throughout the day (but not as windy as yesterday. This was the first Father’s Day since 2012 not to have a high of 80° or warmer (the average between 2013 and 2021 was 85°). And the last time the low temperature was this chilly on Father’s Day was in 1958. Furthermore, humidity late in the afternoon dropped to 25%, which was comparable to the humidity level on Father's Day in 2018 (24%).
21 - It was an overcast, cool, and somewhat damp day (some sprinkles, mist, and fog from mid-afternoon onward). Temperatures were stuck in the 60s, with a high/low of 67°/62; the high was 15 degrees cooler than average, but the low was just 5 degrees under. This was the only day this month with a high in the 60s, and the first since another high of 67° occurred on 5/24.
JULY
3 - For the third day in a row the low temperature was 73°. The highs on these three days, however, were all different: 91°-87°-88° (today).
4 - Under fair skies, the day's high/low was 85°/65°. During the early afternoon the humidity dropped to 22%, which was the lowest reported in July since 2010, when it was 19% at 4 PM, also on 7/4. This afternoon's low humidity made the temperature feel like 82°.
6 - Today's high was 85°, the seventh consecutive day with highs of 85° or warmer. The last time there was a streak this long was in June 2020 (6/20-26). The average high/low during the streak was 87°/71° (2020's was 87°/72°).
14 - Today was the third day in a row with a high in the 90s, making this the first heat wave of the year. With highs of 90°-91°-90° (today) this was one of the most tepid 3-day heat waves on record. Only three other heat waves of this length have been "cooler" (in 1873, 1939, and 2013).
16 - After just 0.33" of rain fell in Central Park during the first half of the month (the least rain to fall in the first 15 days of July in 20 years), 1.10" of rain poured down during a mid-afternoon thunderstorm between 1:45 and 2:30. This was equal to the amount of rain that fell in the previous 30 days. This heavy rain was very localized, with LaGuardia Airport reporting 0.54", Newark 0.09", and Kennedy just 0.02". Today's rainfall broke a streak of 18 years with no measurable rain on this date.
During the storm the temperature dropped from 85° to 66°. Despite this cool-down the air still had a tropical feel as the dew point was close to 70° for the rest of the afternoon and past nightfall (and the temperature rebounded to the mid-70s).
18 - 1.85” of rain fell today, a record for the date (the previous record, 1.76", was set 10 years earlier). Much of it poured down in two 45-minute periods - at daybreak (0.84” fell between 6:00-6:45) and during the afternoon (0.73” between 2:00-2:45). Rainfall amounts over three inches were reported in north Jersey and the Hudson Valley. The air had a tropical feel to it, with the dew point reaching 76° in early afternoon and in the early evening; for 13 consecutive hours (9 AM-10 PM) it was 74% or higher.
Despite the clouds and high humidity, the temperature managed to rise to 81°, making this the 20th day in a row with a high of 80° or warmer. However, today’s high was the coolest of the 20 days. (FYI, 20 days is the average length of a summer’s longest streak of 80+ days.)
21 - After peaking at 92° late in the morning, the temperature tumbled to 74° during a brief downpour in the early afternoon, but after skies cleared the mercury rebounded to 91° by early evening. The dew point in the afternoon held steady at a very oppressive 76° from 2:00 through 6:00. This was the third day in a row with a high in the 90s. At 11:00 the temperature was still at 88°.
24 - This was the last day of a six-day heat wave, Central Park's longest since one of seven days in 2013. This was New York's 12th heat wave of six days and it ranks as the second hottest based on mean temperature and average low. Three of the days had highs of 95°, but today, with a high/low of 95°/79° had the hottest mean temperature (7/20 and 7/23 had highs/lows of 95°/78°). Despite the hot conditions, Central Park's heat was somewhat bearable compared to Newark which had five consecutive days with highs in the triple digits.
25 - The six-day heat wave ended today when a severe thunderstorm in the early afternoon prevented the temperature from going no higher than 86°. In less than an hour 0.98” of rain fell between 1:00 and 2:00, and the temperature dropped to 73°. But despite the temperature drop the dew point was in the mid-70s for three hours in the afternoon. In the past ten days 4.10” of rain fell, mostly from six severe thunderstorms.
31 - July 2022 joined July 1940 and August 2015 as the only three months on record in which no day had a high below 80°. The mildest reading this month was 81° on 7/18 and 7/26. On average, July has six days with highs below 80°. This streak of 80°+ days began on 6/29 (and today would be the last day of the streak, which was the 12th longest on record). A big difference between this July and July 1940 is that July 1940 had seven more days with highs of 90+, while July 2022 had seven more days with lows in the 70s.
AUGUST
1 - Overnight showers and overcast skies during the daylight hours brought two streaks to an end - a 13-day streak of lows in the 70s, and a 33-day streak with highs in the 80s or warmer. The streak of 80°+ is the 12th longest on record. (Longest was 62 days, in 2015.) The streak of warm low readings tied for 23rd longest. (Longest was 22 days in 2010 and 1980). Today's high of 77° would be the coolest high temperature of the month, and the 0.48" of rain that fell made this the wettest day of a dry month (1.71" fell in total).
9 - Today's high was a blistering hot 97° (heat index reached 104°), which was 1) the hottest reading of the year; 2) the hottest reading so late in the summer since 2015 (when it was 97° on 9/8); and 3) the hottest high in August since 2006 (when it was 97° on 8/2). This was also the fourth day in a row with a high in the 90s (and eighth consecutive day with a high of 89° or hotter).
11 - Although streaks of high temperatures in the 90s/100s generate more headlines, a streak of days with highs of 87° or warmer that reached ten days today was worth noting because it was the longest in ten years. Six of the days were in the 90s, three reached 89°, and yesterday saw a maximum reading of 87°. Average high during the streak was 91°. (The longest streak of its kind was 18 days in the summer of 1988, 7/29-8/15.)
12 - With a high of 85°, today was the eleventh day in a row with a high of 85° or warmer, the longest such streak since one of 14 days in July 2016 (8/6-8/19). Average high during these eleven days was 90.5°. Additionally, the humidity dropped to 25% late in the afternoon, the lowest humidity in August since 2012 and just the third date in August this century with humidity of 25% or lower (the other date was 8/20 in 2010 when it dropped to 24%).
17 - After receiving just 0.30" of rain in the previous 15 days, slightly more than that amount (0.34") fell in less than an hour during a heavy shower tonight between 9-10 PM. Interestingly my neighborhood, which is located about four miles south of the park's weather station, had no rain. During the shower the temperature dropped 11 degrees to a refreshing 63°, which was the coolest reading since the same low was reported on 6/24.
25 - With a high of 91°, this became New York's twelfth summer with consecutive months with ten or more days with highs of 90+ (July had 10). However, because of low humidity during the afternoon, the "feels like" temperature was in the upper 80s. Today was the 23rd day with a high in the 90s (or hotter) this year, the most since 2010 (which had 37 in total).
27 - This was the third year in a row to have a high in the 90s on this date: 90° this year, 93° last year, and 90° in 2020. In 2021 and 2020, these readings were the last in the 90s of the summer.
SEPTEMBER
1 - Today's conditions were drastically different from a year ago when the remnants of hurricane Ida flooded the City with more than seven inches of rain. By contrast, this year had clear skies and humidity that dropped to 22% during mid-afternoon, which was just the fourth time this century that the humidity level in September was at or below 25%. It was also a warm day, with a high 86°, which was warmer than the warmest reading of the previous two Septembers (85° for both).
4 - Today's high of 90° was the 25th in the 90s this year, making 2022 the 20th year with 25 or more. Of the 20, this year ranks last for average of its high readings (91.8°) as more than half of the days had highs of 90° or 91° (including the last six). This was the first Sunday before Labor Day with a high of 90° or hotter since 2014. And this was the eighth year in which Sept. 4 had the last reading in the 90s - tying Sept. 6 for the most of any date.
5 - With a high of 88°, Labor Day was warmer than both the 4th of July (high of 85°) and Memorial Day (84°). Like yesterday, today's high was noticeably hotter than the low 80s that had been predicted. The City managed to have a fairly decent day as a large area of rain stayed to the north and west; a few showers moved in after dark.
6 - A steady light rain fell mostly between dawn and dusk and amounted to 0.78". Although this amount was the most to fall in one day in about six weeks, it was significantly less than the 2.00" to 2.50" that had been forecast a few days ago. However, northern New Jersey, the lower Hudson Valley and western Connecticut saw amounts between 2.50" and 5.00".
23 - It was a brisk fall day, with clear skies, gusty winds (25-30 mph), and temperatures more typical of mid-October (high/low of 63°/51°). The day's low was the chilliest since 5/10, the high was the chilliest since 5/8, and at ten degrees below average the mean temperature was the most below average since 5/7, when the high/low was 50°/45° (13 degrees below average).
25 - After nice conditions during the daylight hours, 1.11" of rain poured down during a thunderstorm late in the day, mostly between 9:30-10:30 PM. (Ironically, 9/25 is one the calendar dates least likely to see measurable rain.) The intensity of the rain was nearly identical to a torrential downpour on 7/16 when 1.10" fell in a 45-minute period during the afternoon. Amounts were higher west of the City (1.44" at Newark Liberty Airport) and less to the east (0.78" at LaGuardia, 0.28" at JFK).
OCTOBER
1 - Although the center of circulation from what was left of hurricane Ian was 350 miles to the southwest of New York, breezy conditions (a peak gust of 27 mph at Central Park) and morning showers that amounted to 0.58” was attributed to the downgraded storm. Much of the rain fell between 6-7 AM (0.19”) and 11 AM-noon (0.21”). It was a chilly day, with a high/low of 61°/51° (eight degrees below average). And inclement conditions linked to Ian would continue for the next four days.
4 - It was a raw and very soggy day, with 1.85” of rain measured. A little more than half of this amount (1.05”) fell between 2-4 AM. (Ironically, after Sept. 5, Oct. 4 is the date least likely to have measurable rain.) This amount tied 7/18 as the rainiest day of the year. Today's high/low was just 55°/46°, eleven degrees chillier than average, and followed a high of 53°/47° the day before. Although the rainfall measured in Central Park was well below the record for the date (4.05” in 1877), the area’s three airports all set daily records, but not because the amounts were greater than CPK's. Rather, their weather records don’t go back nearly as far as Central Park’s - Newark’s records go back to 1931, LaGuardia’s to 1939, and JFK’s to 1948.
4-5 - It was showery and cool with temperatures stuck in the 50s for the entirety of Yom Kippur (sundown to sundown); showers produced half an inch of rain (in 2019 Yom Kippur had similar temperatures and rainfall). These inclement conditions were from the remnants of hurricane Ian, which first affected the area on the first of the month. Skies cleared shortly after the holiday ended.
6 - After five consecutive days of overcast skies, showers, and chilly temperatures (highs averaged 58°, 11 degrees below average), today was sunny and warm with a high of 74° (six degrees above average). The last time it was this mild was on 9/26.
14 - A hard rain that fell from last night into the wee hours of this morning amounted to 0.99”, bringing the month’s rainfall to 4.30”. Although this was far from New York’s rainiest two weeks, this amount was more than what fell during six months this year, and not much less from what fell during April (4.53"), May (4.52"), and July (4.55").
25 - It was mild and very humid with humidity ranging between 87% and 97%. (Typical range in October is 57% to 77%). While the high of 70° was the mildest reading in nearly two weeks, the day’s low of 61° was the first low in the 60s in five weeks (and what the average high is on 10/25). Overall the day was 11 degrees above average. With the dew point being very close to the air temperature, thick fog was produced, reducing visibility to one mile or less from 2 AM until noon.
NOVEMBER
4 - Pattern of the high temperatures of the first four days of November: 67° (11/1)-70°-67°-70°.
5 - Today's high of 76°, eighteen degrees above average, was the warmest reading in November in 19 years. This came after a morning low of 64°, which was the mildest low temperature in nearly seven weeks (since 9/20's low of 67°), and was nine degrees warmer than the average high for the date. The first five days of November were the complete opposite of the first five days of October as the average high/low of Nov. 1-5 was 70°/56° (11 degrees above average), with very little rain, while the first five days in October averaged 58°/50° (9 below average) with more than three inches of rain.
6 - The NYC Marathon, which was run today, was moved to November in 1986 so that it was less likely runners would need to contend with warm conditions, but this year's race was an outlier as it was the warmest of the races held in November, with a high/low of 75°/66°. And perhaps posing even more of a challenge for runners was the humidity, with the dew point in the low 60s. Today's high was a record for the date, and might have climbed even higher if it wasn't for mostly overcast skies. As for the day's low, only Nov. 2, 1971 has had a warmer daily minimum in November (67°).
7 - This was the fourth day in a row with a high in the 70s, and at 77° it was the warmest of them all. The average high during this streak was 74.5°, which was 17 degrees above average. Today also featured clear skies and humidity that dropped sharply in the afternoon, bottoming out at 15% at 6 PM; this was the second lowest reading in November in the years since 2000 (lowest was 13% on 11/16 in 2019). If the morning low of 68° had held it would have been the warmest low on record in November, but colder air moved in after 8 PM and by midnight the temperature had dropped to 54° (still 10 degrees above the average low for the date).
11 - The remnants of hurricane Nicole, which made landfall on Florida's east coast yesterday, brought rain during the afternoon and evening, which amounted to 0.89" (half of it fell between 5-7 PM). The air had a tropical feel with PM temperatures in the mid-to-upper 60s and dew points in the mid-60s.
12 - Today's low of 60° was the third low in the 60s this month, the most in November since 1982 which had four (the most on record).
14 - After the first 13 days of the month averaged 10 degrees above average, today's low of 37° was the first reading in the 30s this fall, one day shy of tying the record for latest date, set in 1938 (that November's other claims to fame was 12.8" of snow between 11/24-27 and a low of 16° on 11/26). This was nearly three weeks later than the average date for this occurrence.
19 - This morning's low of 31° was the first reading of 32° or colder this season. Despite an extraordinarily mild start to November (11 degrees above average through 11/12), this first low at freezing or colder occurred on schedule. Today was the sixth day in a row with below average temperatures (averaging seven degrees colder than average).
24 - This was the eighth day in a row with sunny skies and, fittingly, this morning's telecast of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade began with the star of the Broadway revival of Funny Girl singing "Don’t Rain On My Parade". The day had close to seasonable temperatures, with a high/low of 54°/40°.
DECEMBER
21 - Today had a high of 40° and was the eighth day of the past 12 to have a high of either 39° or 40°. (The other days had highs of 38°, 42° and 44° <twice>).
23 - An intense, fast moving storm (a "bomb" cyclone) brought a record amount of rain during the morning, then Arctic cold swept in with wind gusts of 40-65 mph (peak gust in Central Park was 45 mph). After peaking at 58° before sunrise, the temperature fell for the rest of the day and was down to 8° just before midnight, establishing a new record for the greatest drop in temperature during the course of one day (previous record was a 48-degree drop on March 28, 1921).
Total rainfall was 1.83”, with much of it falling in the hour between 4-5 AM when 1.33" was measured. Today’s rain made December the wettest month of the year (5.55”), only the fourth December to have this distinction (joining Dec. 2019, 1973, and 1957).
24 - Mostly clear skies and frigid temperatures. The day’s high/low was just 15°/7° (26 degrees below average), making this the coldest day of the year, the coldest high reading on Christmas Eve in 150 years and the coldest low since 1983. This was also the first day this winter with high of 32° or colder, a week later than average. The day's low was the coldest reading of the entire year, the coldest reading since Jan. 31, 2019 (2°) and the coldest reading in December since 1989 (6° on 12/23).
25 - Although today was nearly twice as warm as yesterday, its high/low of 28°/14° made this the first Christmas Day with a high of 32° or colder since 2013. And the last time the low was so cold on 12/25 was in 1989.
30 - Under sunny skies today's high of 62° was the warmest reading in seven weeks (since a high of 69° on 11/12). This came six days after a frigid high of only 15°.
31 - Last year's mild conditions were topped this year as the temperature was three degrees milder when the new year arrived (54° vs. 51°). Only three other years have ended on a milder note (1966 <58°>, 1973 <58°>, and 1993 <55°>). And the day's high of 55° was equal to last year. The day's mean temperature was 18 degrees above average, a complete turnaround from a week ago which was 26 degrees colder than average (high/low of 15°/7°). Despite showers during the afternoon and evening, the rain stopped about half an hour before midnight.
To read highlights from other years between 1970 and 2022 double click here.