2025 Weather Highlights in New York

 

 

JANUARY 

9 - Today and the previous two days, NYC was buffeted by high winds gusting between 35-45 mph each day.  Although there was no precipitation to contend with, temperatures were seven degrees colder than average, with highs/lows of 33°/19°, 30°/23°, and 33°/22° (today).   

18 - Until today the only precipitation that had fallen this month was snow, but when 0.09" of rain fell this afternoon, it was the deepest into January for its first measurable rainfall since 1896 (when the month's first rain fell on 1/24).

31 - This was just the fifth day this month to have measurable rain.  The 0.16” that fell, mostly after dark, brought the month’s paltry total to 0.61”, finishing with just 0.03” more than Central Park’s driest January on record, in 1981.

 

FEBRUARY

6 - Although today's accumulation of snow/ice (before dawn) was just 0.5", this was the first accumulating snow to fall on 2/6 in Central Park since 2004 (when 0.7" "piled" up). Despite this lengthy hiatus, Feb. 6 is tied with Jan. 27 as the second most likely date to report measurable snowfall. (Feb. 3 is ranked #1, having had 30 years w/snow, one more than Feb. 6 and Jan. 27.)

 

MARCH

1 - Today' s high of 64° was the first reading in the 60s this year (about a month later than usual) and the mildest reading since 11/18.  (This rise into the 60s was a surprise as the predicted high was mid-50s). But this touch of spring lasted just a few hours as an Arctic front moved through after 2 PM, dropping the temperature to the upper 20s as midnight approached (on the way to a low of 20° at daybreak on 3/2).  This 36-degree slide in temperature was the greatest drop during a calendar date since a drop of 50 degrees on Dec. 23, 2022 (from 58° to 8°).

5 - A rainstorm lashed the area between 4-11:30 PM, producing 1.71" of rain; this was 0.10" below the record amount for the date in 1920.  Between 6-7 PM 0.63" poured down, which was more than what fell in all of January.   This was Central Park's biggest daily rainfall since 8/18, when 2.29" was measured.

7 - Just two days after a soaking rain, the humidity dropped to 16% this evening.  This was the lowest humidity reading since last April (15% on 4/26).  It was also the tenth day this year with very low humidity (a reading of 25% or lower), the most by this date of any year this century (on average, there are three by 3/7).

22 - Today was the last day of a 19-day streak with above average temperatures, a period that was six degrees above average.  This was the longest above-average streak since last winter when there was one of 22 days.  (And the previous winter there had been a streak of 36 days.)

27 - Late this afternoon, Central Park's humidity level fell to 13%, making this the 15th day this month with a humidity level of 25% or lower - the most days of any month this century. This broke a tie with May 2023. A typical March has five days with very low humidity (the previous high in March was 12 in 2023).

29 - Until today, the mildest reading of the year had been 66° nearly three weeks ago, but this afternoon's high soared to 81°, making 2025  just the ninth year that Central Park's first reading in the 80s occurred in March.  And it was third year to have 3/29 as the date for its first-80 (the other years were 1977 and 1985.) The previous time a first-80 was in March was four years ago. (Average date is 4/21.)  Additionally, this year was the 12th to share the date of its first-80 with the date of its first 70+ reading.

A few hours after this high was reached the mercury tumbled by 26 degrees in just one hour, between 5-6 PM (from 79° to 53°), the result of a back-door cold front.  And by midnight the temperature had fallen an additional ten degrees.  This 38-degree plunge bested the 37-degree drop on 3/1. 

This drastic change came the day after the anniversary of Central Park's greatest one-hour drop on record - 28 degrees on March 28, 1921 (from 81° to 53°).

30 - The day after NYC had its first reading in the 80s this year, today's high was only 48° (seven degrees below average).  This is the first time on record that a first-80 was followed by a high in the 40s.  

 

APRIL

4 - Overnight temperatures stayed in the low 70s (where they'd been since late afternoon yesterday), which was thirty degrees milder than average for the pre-dawn hours during the first week of April.  This would be the warmest part of the day, but temperatures stayed in the 60s, still well above average.  AM clouds became mixed with sunshine as the afternoon progressed.  Today was Opening Day for the Mets, who shut out Toronto.    

7 - Today was the ninth day of the past eleven in which Central Park received measurable rain.  During these days 2.61" of rain was measured (0.13" fell today, mostly during the afternoon).  On this dreary, raw day, the temperature was stuck at 42° during the PM hours.

9 - This morning's low of 31° was Central Park's first low of freezing or colder in April since 2021, and the latest date for a sub-freezing reading since 2016 (when it fell on 4/10).  It was also the first low this cold since 3/23.

10 - Including today, the last four times measurable rain fell on this date the amount was 0.01" (2025, 2021, 2020, and 2018).  

12 -  Rainy and cold with a high/low of 40°/36°.  The high was 21 degrees below average and was the coldest daily high since 3/3 (when the high was 39°).  Since yesterday evening 1.04" of rain fell in Central Park (0.63" of it fell today). This was the ninth day this month with measurable rainfall. 

19 - One week after the high struggled to reach 40° (21 degrees colder than average), today's high jumped to 85° (22 degrees warmer than  average).  This was the warmest reading in Central Park since the end of August.

20 - It was a beautiful Easter Sunday, with nary a cloud in the sky.  Afternoon temperatures were slightly above average, rising into the upper 60s (however, the day's high was 73°, occurring between midnight and 1 AM).  Late in the afternoon the humidity fell to 15%, which was similar to the humidity level on Easter Sunday two years ago.

26 - A quick-moving evening thunderstorm dumped 0.61" of rain between 7:00-7:30.  It was a mild day with a high of 74°, but cooler air behind the storm dropped the temperature to 53° as midnight approached.  This was the fifth day in a row with a high in the 70s/80s (and the seventh of the past eight), the longest such streak since Oct. 19-23.  

 

MAY

3 - After a balmy, summer-like day that saw the high temperature reach 85° (the day after a high of 84°), a strong thunderstorm tonight dumped 0.95" of rain in less than an hour - and almost all it rain poured down in about 20 minutes (10:20-10:40).  This storm was very localized as just 0.27" of rain fell at Newark Airport, and no rain was measured at LaGuardia or JFK.  This deluge came a week after  0.61" fell in a 30-minute period (7:00-7:30).   

 

2024 Ranks As New York's 2nd Warmest Year on Record

 

 

Although three of the last five months of 2024 had temperatures slightly below average, the first seven months of the year were so above average that 2024 ended up being New York City's second warmest year on record; the warmest year, 2023, held on to its #1 position by the skin of its teeth.  (However, for average high, 2024 ranked third, 2023 fourth.)

 

 

The biggest story of 2024, however, was drought.  During the fall, Central Park suffered through its second longest streak, with 29 days of no measurable precipitation (behind a 36-day streak in 1924).  And October, with just 0.01" of rain, became the driest month on record (passing July 1949, which had 0.02").  Furthermore, the 52-day period from Sept. 30 until Nov. 20 had just 0.19" of rain (a period when seven inches is the norm).

 

Despite these drought conditions (a drought warning was issued for the region on 11/20), and three other months with less than 2.06" of precipitation, the year was just three inches below average (46.37").  Since 2000, ten years have had less precipitation than 2024.

 

WARM-TEMPERATURE HIGHLIGHTS:

>    2024 had the 4th warmest winter (includes Dec. 2023); 4th warmest spring; 12th warmest summer; and the 7th warmest fall.

>    A 22-day streak with above average temperatures from Jan. 23 to Feb. 13 was the longest such streak since January 2023.

>    A 38-day streak with highs of 80+ (including every day in July) was the sixth longest on record

>    A high of 80° on 11/6 was the third latest date for a reading in the 80s.  (And the high of 81° on Halloween tied the record high from 1946.)

>    Through Aug. 6, 20 days had highs in the 90s; they were concentrated in a 7-week period that began 6/20.  (After that, there was just one more 90-degree reading, on 8/28.) Looking at meteorological summer, 2024 ranked 16th for number of days of 90+. 

>     The hottest reading of the year was 95°, which happened on 7/8 and 8/1; but 7/8 had the hottest mean temperature as its low was one degree warmer than 8/1's.

>    The summer had four heat waves, three that were four days long, and one of three days.

 

The nine months that were warmer than average all rank among the 25 mildest of their respective months. Six of them were three or more degrees above average.

• January: 25th mildest (3.3 degrees above average)
• February: 10th mildest (+4.2)
• March: 8th mildest (+5.1)
• April: 11th mildest (+1.9)
• May: 24th mildest (+1.8)
• June: 4th hottest (+3.1)
• July: 11th hottest (+2.1)
• October: 12th mildest (+3.1)
  
• November: 17th mildest (+3.4)

 

And here are the three months that were cooler than average:

• August (1.0 degree below average)
• September (-0.4)
• December (-0.9)

 

AND FURTHERMORE ...

There was a record number of days with low humidity (25% or lower at some point in the day).  With 43, this was one more than 2023.

The year's coldest day was in December as the high/low was 21°/13° on 12/22. (The previous coldest reading was 24°/17° on 1/17.)

June's coolest reading was 59°, which is the mildest reading to have this distinction in June.  Then August had its first reading in the 50s since 2013; at 57°. it was the coolest August reading since 2007.

Looking at calendar years, only eight had less snow than 2024 (10.3").  This followed 2023, which had the least amount of snow (2.3").  2024's biggest snowfall was 3.2" on 2/13.

 

 

February not only had its mildest coldest high on record for that month (36°), it also had the mildest coldest low (23°).  And March would have the mildest coldest high on record for March (43°).

December's 17 days with measurable precipitation was the most for a month since July 2021.  And seven of these days were consecutive, which was the longest streak since May 2019.

Finally, 2024 ended with the first white Christmas since 2009; then, during the night of New Year's Eve, a thunderstorm with vivid lightning, swept through the City.

 

Here are recaps of the years since 2015:

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

 

 

 

 

Rundown of 2024's Weather Highlights

 

 

JANUARY

6 - The first measurable snow of the winter, 0.2", fell early in the afternoon, but was quickly washed away by rain.  The day's high/low was 37°/31°.  This snowfall was about three weeks later than the average date of Central Park's first measurable snowfall, but it was four weeks earlier than last winter's first snowfall (0.4" on 2/1, which was the latest date on record for the first measurable snowfall ).

9 - After a sunny morning, a powerful storm system affecting the South, Midwest, and Ohio Valley moved into the New York area, bringing strong winds gusting between 35-45 mph, and a hard rain after dark.  The 1.73" of rain that fell today was a record amount for the date (rain after midnight added 0.22" to today's total).  The day's high of 57° was reached as midnight approached, and was the mildest reading since 12/18. 

15 - With a high of 29°, today was the first day this winter with a high of 32° or colder, which was about four weeks later than the typical date for this occurrence.  Only the winter of 1987  had a later occurrence - on 1/20 (the winter of 1975's first occurrence was on 1/14).  Light snow moved in after 9 PM and accumulated 0.4" by midnight (an additional 1.3" fell the next morning). 

17 - With a high/low of 24°/17°, today would be the coldest day of the winter, one of the ten mildest coldest days of any winter.  (Since 1980, the average high/low of the coldest day of a winter has been 20°/8°).   Only the winter of 2002 would have a milder reading for a winter's coldest reading (20°). 

However, this would not be the coldest day of the year, as 12/22 would have a high/low of 21°/13°.

21 - This was the sixth day of the past seven to have a high of 32° or colder.  (Last winter had four such days in total.) After highs and lows averaged 46°/34° during the first two weeks of January, the seven days that followed averaged 30°/21°.  Although this was cold, it was just a glancing blow from an Arctic high pressure system that poured frigid cold into the Midwest, Great Plains, and the South (Central Park's coldest reading was 17°).  

28 - It was a rainy and raw day.  0.82" of rain fell (most of it in the morning) and afternoon temperatures were in the upper 30s.  Today's rainfall brought the month's total precipitation to 5.23", tying it with January 2015 as the wettest January of the century (with 0.05" of rain tomorrow, the tie would be broken). 

31 - The morning lows of today and the three previous days were: 37° (1/28)-36°-35°-34° (today).  And this was the ninth consecutive day with overcast skies.  

 

FEBRUARY

3 - At long last, after suffering through 11 days in a row of overcast skies, today featured wall-to-wall sunshine under clear skies.  And the day’s low of 32° was the first of 32° or colder since 1/22 as well.  Another streak, however, continued as today, with a high/low of 43°/32°,  was the twelfth day in a row with above average temperatures (averaging eight degrees above average).

13 - The biggest snowfall of the winter, 3.2", covered Central Park in the morning hours. This accumulation was likely reduced because the temperature remained above 32° all morning (the amount of liquid measured was 0.77").  Late in the afternoon the sun came out and the mercury rose to 41°. 

Although NYC had one of the smallest accumulations from today's storm, the amount was the biggest accumulation in temperatures above freezing since April 2, 2018 when 5.5" fell (high/low was 43°/33°; today's was 41°/33°).

14 - With a high/low of 38°/29°, today's mean temperature was slightly below average, breaking a 22-day streak of above average temperatures.  In this century, only the winters of 2023, 2016, and 2007 have had longer streaks (36, 34, and 32 days, respectively).

17 - Today's high of 36° was the coldest daily high of the month - the mildest reading to be the coldest high in February on record.  The average coldest high in February is in the mid-20s.  (In the years before 1930, it was in the upper teens.)

25 - Today's low of 23° was the coldest reading of the month, making it the mildest coldest reading of any February (the previous mildest coldest reading in February was 22° in 1927).  On average, the coldest reading in February is in the low teens (last February it was 3°).  

 

MARCH

3 - After rainy and foggy conditions yesterday (1.27" of rain fell, mostly in the afternoon and evening), today couldn't have been nicer as skies were sunny and the temperature rose to  68°, which was a record for the date, and the warmest reading in Central Park since late October, when the high reached 80° on 10/28.  And this morning's low of 48° was two degrees above the average high for the date.

9 - Today was the third day this month to have an inch or more of rain.  The 1.53" that fell in the PM hours, most of it after 8 PM, brought the month's total rainfall to 4.54" - the most precipitation to fall in the first nine days of March on record.  And this amount was more than double what fell in all of February (2.05"). 

11 - It was a sunny day with howling winds that gusted between 50-60 mph, as well as very low humidity that bottomed out at 15% late in the afternoon (the lowest reported in Central Park since last April).  The winds were generated by a deepening coastal storm near Canada's Maritime provinces (the same low responsible for dumping 1.56" of rain on NYC mostly on Saturday). 

19 - With a high/low of 48°/36°, today had the first below average mean temperature of the month (two degrees below average).  Ironically, it happened on the first day of spring (which didn't start until 11:06 PM).  This 18-day streak of above average temperatures followed a 22-day streak earlier in the winter (Jan. 23-Feb. 13.)

23 - A record amount of rain fell.  Starting shortly before sunrise and continuing thru late afternoon, 3.66" was measured in Central Park, more than twice as much as the previous record amount for the date (1.60" in 1929).  At its heaviest, two inches of rain poured down in the three hours between 1-4 PM. 

This was the fourth day this month to receive more than an inch of rain.  The amount was the most from a March rainstorm since 2010, when there were two that each produced a little more than four inches.  (March 2010 is the wettest March on record).  Today's rainfall moved March 2024 into the top 10 wettest Marches (ranked#6).

28 - For the second year in a row the Mets' home opener was postponed.  This year it was because of light rain; last year it was in anticipation of rain that didn't materialize.  The next day the game was played in very windy conditions (gusts of 30-40 mph), skies were partly cloudy, and the afternoon temperature was in the seasonable low-to-mid-50s. 

30 - For the tenth time this century, the humidity level dropped to 25% or lower on 3/30 - the most times for any calendar date (tied later this year on 4/16). The lowest level reported today was 16% at 4 PM.

 

APRIL

3 - A nor’easter that developed overnight cranked up as the day went on, with steady rain that was accompanied by tropical storm-force winds.  A peak gust of 59 mph was clocked in Central Park late tonight, NYC's highest gust since one of 62 mph during superstorm Sandy on 10/29/12.  After 0.87” of rain fell yesterday, 1.55” of rain poured down today (and an additional 0.21” would fall in the pre-dawn hours of 4/4).  PM temperatures were stuck in the low 40s.

9 - Under mostly clear skies, the day's high temperature in Central Park reached 80°, the year's first reading in the 80s.  This was about two weeks ahead of schedule (last year's first 80 was on 4/6).   The area's three major airports, however, didn't see 80° as Newark's high was 77°, LaGuardia's was 75°, and the high at JFK was 69°. 

15 - It was partly cloudy and unseasonably warm as the high reached the 80s for the second time this year.  Today's high was 82° (20 degrees above average), which was the warmest reading since 10/4 of last year, when the high was 83°.  

18 - The day was raw, gray and breezy with a chilly high of 50°. (With the exception of one hour, the mercury was stuck at 47° from daybreak thru midnight.).  This followed highs of 62° yesterday, 73° the day before that, and 82° on 4/15. 

25 - The humidity dropped to 12% for a few hours this afternoon, the lowest level reported this year, and matching last year's lowest humidity (on 4/11).  

29 - The high got up to 87° today, 20 degrees above average, and the warmest reading in Central Park since 9/8 of last year when the high reached 90°. 

 

MAY 

16 - Today and yesterday had the same high/low of 64°/59° as well as nearly identical amounts of rain that fell mostly during the AM hours (0.27" today, 0.28" yesterday).  5/13 also had a high/low of 64°/59° (but there was no rain).  This was the second pair of identical highs/lows on May 15-16; the first occurrence was in 1978 (high/low of 54°/50°).

27 - It was a dismal Memorial Day, with a brief downpour shortly after daybreak, when 0.20” fell, and again in the early afternoon when 0.74” fell, mostly between 2:00 and 3:00.  With 0.96” in total, this was the rainiest Memorial Day since 2016 (when 1.65" fell before 9 AM), and eighth wettest on record.   Despite the low ceiling and wet conditions, the high was seasonable and the low of 66° was eight degrees milder than average.

 

JUNE

5 - Today's high/low of 79°/65° was identical to yesterday's.  However, while the 4th had mostly clear skies, today's skies were lightly overcast.  In 1917, June 4 and 5 also had the same high/low (78°/58°).

6 - It was a day of wicked humidity as the dew point held at 72° for six hours between 7 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 and in the middle of the afternoon produced most of the day's 0.77" of rain in Central Park.  

11 - 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°.

17 - This was the seventh day since 6/4 with a low of 65° (and the the fourth day of the past five).  

20 - Although today had the year's first reading in the 90s (91°), yesterday, which had a high of 89°, was noticeably more humid and uncomfortable, with a scorching heat index of 99° versus today's 92°.  (Despite the fact the first 90 happened three weeks later than average, a typical year sees just two days in the 90s by 6/20.)

26 - With a high of 93°, this was the sixth day of the past seven with a high in the 90s (ranging from 90° to 94°).  And today was the eighth day of the past nine with a low in the 70s (ranging from 70° to 76°).

27 - The 0.23" of rain that fell between 1:00 and 3 :00 AM was the same amount that fell on this date 100 years ago.  However, in 1924 the rain fell between 8:45 AM and 4:15 PM and the high/low was much cooler (69°/59° vs. this year's 84°/67°). 

 

JULY

4 - Sunny, very warm and humid, with a high of 89°.  However, late in the day, about an hour after the Macy's fireworks exhibition, a shower moved through and dropped 0.04" of rain.  This was the hottest reading on the 4th of July in five years (when the high was 90°).

5 - It was a sultry day with a high of 90° and a heat index in the upper 90s as the dew point hovered mostly between 72°-74° throughout the day.  Even a shower shortly before sundown didn't bring any relief as the dew point remained in the 70s (0.10" fell). 

6 - Sunny, hot and quite humid.  Like yesterday, the dew point was between 72°-74° all day, making the high of 92° feel like it was in the upper 90s.  Today was the tenth day since 6/19 to have a high of 89° or hotter (eight were 90+).  And this was the fourth year of the past five to have a reading in the 90s on this date (2022 was the exception).

8 - With a high of 95°, this was the tenth high temperature in the 90s so far this summer (all occurring since 6/20), joining eighteen other summers with ten or more by 7/8 (since 1869).   Two other summers which had their 10th high of 90+ on this date, 1993 and 1944, ended up with 39 and 37 readings of 90+ in total, respectively (1993's total is the most on record, tied with 1991). 

FYI, the summer of 1925 had ten 90+ highs the earliest, by 6/15 (with only seven more thereafter).  And the most by 7/8 is 16, in 1966 and 1991 (finishing with 35 and 39, respectively).

10 - Today had the 11th reading in the 90s this year, the earliest date for this number of hot days since 2012 (when the 11th day in the 90s occurred on 7/8).  The days high of 91,° combined with a dew point of 74° at around noon, produced a "feels like" temperature of 101°.  

13 - Heavy rain this morning moved in around daybreak, amounting to 2.06".  Much of it (1.89") fell between 5:30-8:30.  Today's rain was comparable to what fell in the previous six weeks (June's rainfall was 1.71").

15 - Hot and humid, made even more uncomfortable by a sweltering dew point of 75° during the early afternoon.  Combined with a high of 91°, the heat index reached 102°, which was the hottest feels like temperature so far this summer. This was the year’s 13^th day with a high in the 90s, which was one more than all of last year. The last time the 13^th reading in the 90s occurred by 7/15 was in 2010.

17 - A high of 90° extended the current heat wave to four days, making it the summer's third heat wave of this length.  Today was the 15th day with a high in the 90s in the past four weeks (since 6/20).  Then tonight a deluge after 9:30 soaked the City with 1.46" of rain, most of it pouring down in the initial hour.  This was four days after 2.06" fell at daybreak.  

 

AUGUST

2 - Today's high of 92° was three degrees lower than yesterday's, but today's heat index of 101° was three degrees hotter because the afternoon's dew point was 73° while it was in the mid-60s yesterday afternoon.  A strong thunderstorm at around 7 PM dumped 0.52" of rain in about an hour (as the first drops began falling the dew point rose to 75°).  By coincidence, on this date last year, 0.51" of rain poured down during a thunderstorm at 10 PM.

6 - In the midst of the evening's rush hour, heavy rain moved in and produced a little more than two inches of rain by midnight.  These bands of rain started an hour or so earlier in the northern suburbs, many of which received twice as much rain as Central Park. This was the third time that more than an inch of rain fell on 8/6 when it fell on a Tuesday (the other years were in 1878 and 1901). 

Before the rain, the day's high reached 90°, making this the 20th time this year with a high of 90+, joining fifteen other years with this many (or more) hot days by 8/6.  The previous time there were 20 or more hot days by this date was in 2010.  

7 - The day following Central Park's 20th day of the year with a high of 90° or hotter, afternoon temperatures today were stuck in the mid-60s.  The reading of 64° at mid-day was the coolest since the temperature was 64° on 7/1. 

This cool-down ended a streak of 38 days with high temperatures of 80° or warmer that began on 6/30 - the sixth longest such streak on record.  (It also ended a 50-day stretch in which 49 of the days had highs of 80° or warmer.)  The day's high of 72° (twelve degrees below average) occurred an hour or so before sunrise and was the coolest high temperature since 5/30.

Finally, the 0.13" of light rain and drizzle that fell this morning and afternoon made this the seventh year of the past eight in which measurable rain fell on 8/7.

9 - Flooding rains from tropical storm Debby, which earlier this week had been forecast to soak the metro area, shifted to the west over Pennsylvania and upstate New York.  Although there was very little rain to speak of (0.11"), skies were overcast, it was breezy (gusts of 25-32 mph in Central Park) and the air was thick with humidity as dew points were in the 73° to 75° range.

Today was the seventh day of the past eight to have measurable rainfall, which amounted to 4.10".  This was the most rain to fall in the first nine days of August in 21 years and was nearly the same amount that fell in the month of July (4.2o").

18 - After showers between 2-9 AM brought 0.54" of rain, three times as much poured down from evening thunderstorms between 7:00-9:30 PM (1.75").  More than half of this amount (1.12") fell between 7:15-7:45 PM; during this half hour, visibility in Central Park was reduced to one-quarter of a mile.  NYC, however, escaped the heaviest rainfall as amounts between four and ten inches were reported on Long Island and southwestern Connecticut (at the other end of the scale, Kennedy Airport picked up less than inch of rain). 

Today's rainfall of 2.29" made this the second rainiest day of the year, behind 3/23, which had 3.66".  It was also the second daily rainfall of two inches or more in the past two weeks (2.08" fell on 8/6).

21 - For the first time since 2013, an August low temperature in Central Park was in the 50s.  At 57°, this was the coolest August reading since lows of 56° in 2007 (on 8/21 and 8/22).

 

SEPTEMBER

7 - A cold front that would bring a taste of autumn produced a period of heavy showers during mid-afternoon.  The 0.24" of rain measured in Central Park would be the only measurable rainfall reported in the first three weeks of September.

11 - Today's conditions were nearly identical to those on 9/11 in 2001, as skies were bright blue, the air was very dry (i.e., the humidity dipped to 18% early in the afternoon), and the high of 79° was close to that of 9/11 (81°).  In the years since 2000, only 9/11 in 2001 had lower humidity (15% in late afternoon).  Today was the tenth day in a row in which the high failed to reach 80° or above.   

23 - A 15-day streak with no rain ended today when light showers in the late afternoon and later tonight produced 0.04" of rain in Central Park.  This was the longest streak with no measurable rain in three-and-a-half years (since a streak of 16 days in March 2021).  Under overcast skies, the high of 67° was the coolest since mid-May.

29 - A steady light rain fell from daybreak thru late afternoon.  Amounting to 0.78” in Central Park, this was nearly equal to what fell in the first 28 days of the month (0.80”).  This was the third day in a row with wraparound showers from the remnants of Hurricane Helene, whose center of circulation never got closer than 800 miles from NYC.  The two preceding days had rainfall of 0.18" (Friday) and 0.26" (Saturday). 

And for the second day in a row the temperature was stuck in the 60s all day.

 

OCTOBER

15 - For the first time on record, Central Park had no measurable rain during the first 15 days of October.  Previously, the deepest into October with no measurable rain was 14 days in 1914 and 1974.  This was also the sixteenth day in a row with no measurable rain (going back to 9/30), besting a 15-day streak in September (which was the longest one in 3-1/2 years).   

Also, today's high of 57° (eight degrees below average) was the first high cooler than 60° since May 12.

21 - For the 14th time this year the high reached 79°, which is the most annual occurrences of this temperature in the years since 1970.  (On average, a year sees eight days with this daily high reading.)  And there would be one more high of 79° on 11/1. 

22 - Today's high reached 81°, which was the first reading in the 80s since 9/20.  Although this was quite late for a temperature this warm (the last 80 usually happens at the end of September), it was six days earlier than last year (but a later high in the 80s would occur in nine days) .  The day's low was 62°, which is what the average high is on 10/22. 

And for the 23rd consecutive day there was no measurable rain in Central Park, the longest streak since another streak of 23 days in the spring of 2015. 

26 - Central Park’s streak with no measurable rain reached 27 days, the longest such streak since 1941 (and tied for third longest since 1900).  And for the 12th day in a row skies were clear or sunny.

This was also the sixth day this month to have a few hours of humidity at 25% or below. (Before this year only two days in October this century had humidity drop to 25% or lower.) 

29 - On a gray day, a very light shower during the early afternoon produced the first measurable rain in Central Park since 9/29.  Although it was a piddling amount (0.01"), it ended New York's second longest streak with no measurable rain on record (well behind 1924's 36-day streak).  Today's rainfall would be followed by a 11 more consecutive days with no measurable rain.

31 - Today was pure "treat" as skies were sunny and the high temperature reached 81°, tying the 1946 record.  Only 1993, 1950, and 1974 had their last 80-degree reading on a later date.  (Last year's last 80-degree high occurred very late as well, on 10/28.)  Today had the 94th reading of 80+ this year, the most since 2016 (average number is 86).

This unseasonable warmth drew attention away from this October becoming the driest month on record in Central Park, with just 0.01" reported (it fell on 10/29).  The previous driest month was June 1949, when 0.02" was measured.   

 

NOVEMBER

1 - This was the third balmy day in a row.  Today's high of 79° was the warmest reading on this date in 50 years.  Under sunny skies, it was breezy, and the humidity dipped to 21% mid-afternoon.

3 - The NYC Marathon was held today and participants were met with clear skies, low humidity (down to 21% at 3 PM), and chillier than average temperatures.  The high of 54° and low of 42° were the chilliest in Central Park since 4/21 (when it was also 54°/42°).  And the region's drought reached five weeks, with just 0.01" was measured since 9/30.

5 - Today's high of 73° was the warmest temperature on the day of a presidential election since 1936 (when it was 75° on 11/3). And not only was it mild, but skies were clear. 

6 - Under sunny skies, today's high of 80° easily broke the record from just two year ago (by five degrees).  This became the second latest date on record for a high of 80+ (latest date is 11/15 in 1993).  The day's low of 64° was six degrees warmer than the average high for this date and was the mildest low temperature in six weeks.

Finally, the day's mean temperature was 21 degrees above average, which made this the most above average day since April 2023, when the mean temperatures from April 12 to 14 were 22, 26, and 28 degrees above average.

11 - Light rain that fell between 9 PM last night through 4 AM today amounted to 0.18" and was the biggest rainfall in more than six weeks (since 9/29).  This was also the sixth day this month with a mean temperature ten degrees or more milder than average.

17 - Today was the 42nd day this year with a relative humidity level that dropped to 25% or lower (17% at 3 PM).  This tied last year for the most of any year going back to 2000.  However, a big difference between the two years is that in 2023 all of its low-humidity days occurred before June 1, while this year the days were more evenly distributed. In fact, 14 days have been in September and October, which is by far the most this century for these two months (before this year, the most was three).

18 - The drought watch issued for NYC two weeks ago was elevated to a drought warning.  This was due to the fact that since 9/30 (50 days ago), just 0.18" of rain fell in Central Park (about seven inches below average).  These dry conditions resulted in 270 brush fires in the five boroughs (and 500+ in New Jersey).  The last time a drought warning was issued for NYC was nearly 23 years ago. 

Today was also the seventh day in a row with clear or sunny skies, and with a high/low of 66°/49°, it was the seventh day this month with a mean temperature ten degrees or more above average. 

21 - Just three days after a drought warning was issued for NYC and surrounding counties, an all-day rain amounted to 1.57" in Central Park, a record for the date.  This amount was almost identical to the combined rainfall of September (1.58") and October (0.01"). 

Thus ended a 52-day period (since 9/30) in which just 0.19” of rain had fallen.  And after dark, with rain still falling, the temperature dropped into the upper 30s.

28 - 0.86" of rain fell between sunrise and early afternoon, covering the entirety of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  This was the rainiest Thanksgiving Day since 2006, and the seventh rainiest on record.  From 8 AM until noon visibility was less than two miles.

30 - Today's low of 30° was the the first reading of 32° or colder this fall.  It came a week-and-a-half later than average, and was the latest date for it since 2016 (when it occurred on 12/9).  This was the year's coldest reading since March 22 (when the low was 29°).

 

DECEMBER

1 - The morning low of 27° was the coldest on 12/1 since 2007 (when it was 25°).

7 - The average high/low of the first week of December was 39°/30° (which was also the high/low on 11/30), eight degrees colder than average, making it the coldest first week of December since 2007 (when it was 35°/26°).  This was also the first time since 2007 that the first week of December had lows of 32° on every day.  Today was the ninth day in a row with below average temperatures, the second longest streak of its kind this year (there was one of 10 days in September).

Finally, the 0.10" of precipitation measured in Central Park during the first week of the month was the least since Dec. 2001, which had 0.08" thru 12/7.

12 - Today’s humidity dropped to 24% during lunchtime, making this the 43^rd day this year with humidity of 25% or lower. This broke a tie with last year, making 2024 the year with most low-humidity days (in the years since 2000). A big difference between 2024 and 2023 is that this year’s low-humidity days occurred throughout the year while all of last year’s happened by 5/28. Only 2004 and 2005 have reported low-humidity days later than 12/12.

Today's sunny skies and low humidity were in stark contrast to yesterday's gloomy and wet conditions (with 0.85" of rain measured in Central Park).

13 - Under sunny skies, today’s high/low of 33°/27° (ten degrees below average) made this the coldest Friday the 13^th since February 2015 (when the high/low was 21°/8°), and the coldest in the month of December since 1957 (when the high/low was 33°/19°).

21 - The first measurable snow of the winter fell in the pre-dawn hours, with 1.8” measured in Central Park.  This was the sixth winter to have its first snowfall of an inch or more on this date (the last time was in 1970), and was the most snow to fall on 12/21 since 1959 (when 3.4” was measured).

Today was also the seventh day in a row with measurable precipitation, the longest streak since one of eight days in May 2019.  1.55” of precipitation fell during this period; 15 of the 23 streaks of seven days have had a greater amount.  

22 - This morning's low of 15° became Central Park's coldest temperature this year, passing the low of 17° on 1/17 (and the coldest reading since a low of 3° on Feb. 4, 2023).  Then, shortly before midnight, the mercury dropped to 13°.  In between, the afternoon high reached just 21°, making today December's fourth coldest day this century.

24 - An inch of snow fell between 7-9 AM, which was just the second time this century that measurable snow fell on Christmas Eve day.  And it was the most on this date since 1998, when 2.4" accumulated in Central Park.  By lunchtime, the sun was out and the high reached a seasonable 39°.

25 - After snowfalls of 1.8" on 12/21 and an inch yesterday, enough snow remained on the ground to give New York its first "white Christmas" since 2009, as an inch of snow was on the ground in Central Park at 7 AM.  The day's temperatures were slightly colder than average, with a high/low of 35°/28° (the low was reached shortly before midnight). 

Today was colder than two-thirds of New York's previous Christmas Days (going back to 1869). 

31 - After thunderstorms (accompanied by rare December lightning) moved through between 8:30-11 PM (0.40" of rain was measured), dry conditions returned before the ball-drop in Times Square (the temperature was in the mid-40s). 

Today was the 17th day this month with measurable precipitation in Central Park, the most such days in a month since July 2021 (which had 18).  Despite this high number, the amount of precipitation (4.53") was an average amount for the month.       

A Look Back at 2023's Weather - New York's Warmest Year on Record

 

 

Despite a summer with temperatures that were slightly below average, 2023 unseated 2012 as New York City's warmest year on record.  What captured the crown for 2023 were four very mild months: January (mildest on record, 9.8 degrees above average); February (third mildest); April (second mildest); and December (second mildest). 

 

Although 2023 had the warmest average temperature on record (i.e., the average of the high and low), it ranked third for average high (behind 1991 and 1990). 

   

Not only was the year very mild, it was also a wet one, the eleventh wettest on record, with 59.26" measured (2021 is ranked tenth, with 59.73".)   Rainfall was nearly ten inches above average (and thirteen inches more than 2022).  This ten-inch overage was largely due to September, which had 14.25" of rain - the fourth greatest monthly amount on record.  

 

Despite the excessive precipitation, consistently mild wintertime temperatures (third mildest winter on record) weren't conducive to snow, and the 2.3" that fell (from three snowfalls of 0.4", 1.8", and 0.1") was the smallest amount Central Park reported for any winter.  The previous winter with the least snowfall was 1972-73, with 2.8" (average winter snowfall is about 26"). 

 

The year had four months with 6.50” or more of rain: April (7.70"); August (6.56"); September (14.25"); and December (6.71").  These four months accounted for 60% of the year's precipitation.  Only five other years have had this many months with 6.50" of precipitation (2018, 2007, 1989, 1983 and 1901).  

 

Despite 2023 receiving ten inches more precipitation than average, it was the eleventh year to have three months in the first half of the year with less than two inches of precipitation.  February and May were the driest months of the year, with both receiving just 1.28”.  And June wasn't far off, with 1.62".  

 

There were 12 days with highs in the 90s in 2023, the fewest since 2014, which had eight (average is 17 days).  The year's hottest temperature was just 93°; the last time a summer had a hottest reading this "cool" was in 2014.  Additionally, June had the fewest highs in the 80s since June 1985, and August was the first since August 1986 to have no readings in the 90s.  But while the number of days in the 90s was well below average, the number of lows in the 70s was well above average (50). 

 

Here are some other interesting aspects of 2023:

• Every day in January had above average temperatures.

• The winter of 2023's first measurable snow didn't happen until 2/1, the latest date for this occurrence of any winter.

• April 2023 became  just the sixth April to have two days with highs in the 90s.  And the low of 70° on 4/14 was the earliest reading in the 70s on record.

• The year's first reading in the 90s was very early, on 4/13, and the last reading in the 80s was very late, on 10/28.

• 2023's hottest reading of 93° was three degrees cooler than the typical hottest reading of a year, and the year's lowest temperature, 3° on 2/4, was six degrees colder than the typical coldest reading of a year.
  

• A typical year has 70 days with lows of 32° or colder, but in 2023 there were only 28 such days.  And there was just one day with a high of 32° or colder (the average is 18 days).

• Three inches of September's rain fell in an hour on 9/29 (during a rainstorm that dumped 5.48" in total).

• The first three weeks of April had just 0.40" of rain, but the month ended up being the seventh rainiest April after 7.30” fell in the last nine days of the month.  The rain was from three rainstorms, each producing more than two inches of rain.

• Smoke from forest fires in Canada choked the area in an orange-colored haze during June 7-8 and again on the last three days of the month (but it wasn't as bad as the first round).

 

Here are recaps of previous years:

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

 

 

New York's Top Weather Stories of 2022

After 2020 and 2021 were among the ten mildest years on record in NYC (ranked second and eighth, respectively) 2022 was somewhat "cooler" as it ranked 16th (out of 154 years).  And it was significantly drier, with 13 inches less precipitation than 2021 (but it was an average amount).

 

Perhaps the biggest weather story of 2022 was the heat of the summer. Despite having a very late date for the first high in the 80s (5/21) the year had 25 days with highs in the 90s, which was the most since 2010.  For just the 12th time, July and August each had 10 or more days with highs in the 90s.  Every day in July had a high of 80° or warmer, and a six-day heat wave that month (7/19-24) was the longest one in ten years.  Nighttime temperatures were also balmy as July-August had the most lows in the 70s on record (46, compared to an average of 29).  Finally, a seven-day streak with lows of 75° or warmer in August was that month's second longest streak of its kind.  

 

As the year came to a close a "flash" cold snap at Christmastime came close to eclipsing July and August's heat as the year's top weather story.  This incursion of Arctic cold produced 1) the biggest temperature drop in one day (50 degrees); 2) the coldest reading since January 2019; 3) the coldest reading in December since 1989; and 4) the coldest reading on 12/24 since 1983.  As the Arctic air approached it was preceded by the year's biggest rainstorm on 12/23-24 when 2.05" of rain fell (1.33" fell in a one-hour period).  Other highlights of 2022:

 

• The year began with a cold and snowy January (3.4 degrees below average, 15.3" of snow). 
• Four months were well above average: August (+3.2 degrees); November (+2.9 degrees); March (+2.5 degrees); and July (+2.0 degrees). 
• 2022's coldest reading was 7° on 12/24, hottest was 97° on 8/9.
• A high/low of 33°/23° on 3/28 was one of the coldest days so late in the season since 1982.
• A high of 77° on 11/7 was the mildest reading in November since 2003.  And the three days with lows in the 60s was the most in November since 1982.
• The temperature on the day of the NYC Marathon (high/low of 75°/66°) was the warmest of the races run in November (since 1990). 
• There was no measurable snow in November-December, joining just 14 other years with no measurable snow in those two months. 

 

Here are recaps of previous years:

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

 

 

 

2023 Weather Highlights in New York

 

 

JANUARY

1 - Temperatures were nearly as mild as a year ago (high/low of 55°/49°) but this year differed as the day featured sunny skies. 

6 - This was the ninth day in a row with a mean temperature 10 degrees or more above average, the longest such streak since another one of nine days in December 2015 (there was a 10-day streak in October 1990).  The average high/low during this streak was 56°/46°,  sixteen degrees above average.  And although  this was the last day of the streak, tomorrow would still be well above average (+7 degrees).

14 - For the first time this year the temperature fell to 32°.  Only 2005 started with a longer streak, with its first reading of 32° or colder happening on 1/15.  Additionally, the day's high of 38° would be the coldest high of the month, the mildest temperature on record to be the coldest high in January.  Finally, this was also the 18th day in a row with above average temperatures.

16 - This morning's low of 28° would be the coldest reading of the month -  the mildest coldest reading of any January on record, breaking the previous record of 25° in January 1937.  (January 2023 would become the mildest January on record.)

29 - The winter of 1973's record for latest date of the first measurable snowfall was broken today - and it would continue to be broken into February.  (The average winter in Central Park has 14.2" of snowfall by the end of January.)

 

FEBRUARY

1 - At long last Central Park had its first measurable snow of the winter as 0.4" accumulated in the pre-dawn hours.  This is the longest NYC had to wait for this event (the previous record was 1/29 during the winter of 1973).  Not only was today the end of the City's record snowless streak, it was also the end of its record 35-day streak with above average mean temperatures. Today was 2 degrees colder than average (high/low of 38°/26°).  And, finally, this morning's low was the coldest reading since the day after Christmas.

4 - This morning's frigid low of +3° was Central Park's coldest reading in four years (+2° on 1/31/19) and the coldest reading in February in seven  (-1° on 2/14/16).  And from 3-7 AM howling winds gusting between 25-35 mph produced wind chills between -10° and -15°.  Today's reading was in sharp contrast to January's coldest of 28° (the mildest coldest reading in January on record).  Finally, although today's reading was the coldest of the winter, the coldest day of the winter (based on average temperature) remained 12/24, with a high/low of 15°/7° (today's high reached 27° shortly before midnight).

Today's low was the ninth time since 2000 that a reading of 3° or colder occurred (and the fourth time it's happened in February). 

14 - Through today, just 0.05" of precipitation fell in Central Park this month, making this the second driest first half of February on record.  Only February 1980 had a lesser amount.

16 - The day after a high of 67° today was even milder as the high reached 70°, one degree shy of tying the record for the date.  This was the mildest reading in February since 2018, when the warmest reading of any February, 78°, occurred on 2/21.  And it was the earliest date for a year's first reading of 70+ since 2007 (when it occurred on 1/6).  Showers in the afternoon produced a rather meager 0.07" of rain, but it was more than what fell in the first 15 days of the month (0.05").  

Finally, this was the ninth day in a row in which the temperature remained above freezing, a period that was 14 degrees above average (average high/low of 56°/44°).

20 - Although the warmest high temperature on Presidents' Day is 64° in 2008, President's Day 2023 has the distinction of having the mildest mean temperature, with a high/low of 61°/47° (2008's low was 40°), 17 degrees above average. 

23 - A new winter record (meteorological winter) was established as Central Park had its 59th frost-free day, surpassing the 58 days experienced during the winters of 2012 and 1998.  Average number is 35 days.

27 - The second measurable snowfall of the winter (the first was on 2/1) began this evening and brought 1.8" of snow (half of it fell today, the other half in the overnight hours).  Three to six inches fell in outlying suburbs, where temperatures were colder.  This would be the biggest snowfall of a winter that would be the least snowiest on record.

 

MARCH

7 - after daybreak, light precipitation that began briefly as snow accumulated 0.1" and would be the last measurable snowfall of a winter that was the least snowy on record with just 2.3" reported (all but today's fell in February); this was 0.5" less than the previous least snowiest winter (1972-73).

30 - It was a chilly home opener for the Yankees with game time temperatures only in the mid-40s, ten degrees colder than average, along with breezy conditions.  However, the game was played under sunny skies.  The day's low of 31° was one of only four days with a low of 32° or colder in March (the average number is ten).

 

APRIL

6 - Afternoon temperatures were more than 30 degrees warmer than 24 hours earlier; today's high of 80°, a record for the date, was the warmest reading in Central Park since 9/21.  This would have been one of the Mets' nicest home openers, weatherwise, but the team postponed today's game yesterday based on a forecast of showers and thunderstorms, which ended up staying well to the south of NYC.

7 - The Mets home opener, delayed by one day, was played in seasonable temperatures (mid-50s) and under mostly sunny skies.  Similar to last year's home opener, afternoon humidity was very low and dipped to 16% as the game was getting under way.  As for the game, the Mets easily topped Miami, 9-3.

9 - Easter Sunday featured brilliant sunshine and low humidity; temperatures were a few degrees below average (high/low of 57°/40°).  In the early afternoon the humidity dropped to 15%.  This was the 23rd day this year to have humidity fall to 25% or lower, something that didn't happen last year until 8/12.  

13 - The temperature reached a sizzling 90°, which not only was a record for the date but the hottest reading in April since 2010 (when it occurred on 4/7, the earliest reading in the 90s on record).  This was just the fourth 90+ day in the first half of April.  (Typically, the first 90+ occurs around Memorial Day.)  

Today was also the seventh day in a row with very low humidity (25% or lower), the longest streak of its kind this century.  Over these seven days the humidity dropped to between 12% and 21% on each day.  Because of the low humidity this afternoon's feels-like temperature was five degrees lower than the day's high.  (An even longer streak, one of 11 days, would occur in May.)

14 - For the second day in a row a record high was set.  Today's high of 91° (thirty degrees above average) was one degree hotter than yesterday.  This was just the third time in April to have two or more consecutive days with highs in the 90s.  (The average date for a year's second high in the 90s is 6/9.)  Finally, this was the seventh day in a row with sunny skies (and thirteenth in a row with no measurable rain).

Additionally, today's low of 70° was the earliest low of 70° or milder on record, besting the former record by three days (74° on April 17, 2002).  Only two other dates have had lows in the 70s in April (70° on April 18, 1976 and 76° April 18, 2002).  Interestingly, the next low in the 70s wouldn't be until 6/25.    

15 - Four streaks ended today: 13 days in a row with no measurable rain (0.02" fell today during the evening); eight consecutive days with very low humidity (ranging from 13% to 21%); eight days in a row with sunny skies; and three consecutive days with highs in the 80s or 90s.  (However, a streak of days with highs of 75° or warmer reached five days.)

21 - With just 0.40" of rain measured through today this was the driest first three weeks in April since April 1968 (when 0.18" was reported).  And since 4/2 just 0.02" of rain fell (and less than an inch since 3/15).

22-23 - A frontal system produced thunderstorms and heavy rain tonight that lasted thru tomorrow morning.  The 0.68" of rain that fell thru midnight was the most to fall in one day in seven weeks.  And between 10-11 PM the 0.40" of rain that poured down was equal to the amount that fell in the first three weeks of April (which was the driest first three weeks of April since April 1968).  An additional 1.51" of rain would fall on 4/23 during the morning, making the storm total of 2.19" the greatest amount from a storm since the first week of October.

29 - For the first time (going back to 1869) more than an inch of rain fell on this date.  Today's rainfall of 2.46" broke the previous record of 0.91" in 1909.  (This leaves  Sept. 9 as the only date to never have had a rainfall of an inch or more.)  The previous ten years in which rain fell on 4/29 the amounts were all less than 0.10".

30 - After drying out overnight from yesterday’s deluge, more rain moved in after 11 AM and it turned heavy between 3-7 PM when 1.57" poured down; by midnight 2.32” had fallen.  This brought April’s total rainfall to 7.70”, making it the seventh wettest April on record.  This was quite an accomplishment considering that in the first three weeks of the month just 0.40” had fallen. 

Finally, despite this being the seventh day in a row with below average temperatures (averaging five degrees chillier than average) the month ended up being the second mildest April on record, behind April 2010.  This followed January being the mildest on record, February the third mildest, and March the 25th.

 

MAY

6 -Today’s mean temperature was average for the date which meant the end of a 12-day streak with below average temperatures, which was the longest such streak since one of 16 days in April 2020.  During this 12-day streak temperatures were six degrees below average.  With that streak ended, today was the first day of a 14-day streak with sunny or clear skies.

7 - Today’s high of 78° was the warmest since the high reached 91° on 4/14.  Today was also the 29^th day this year in which the humidity dropped to 25% or lower.  This was one more day than all of last year and the most annual days since 2010 which had 33.   

14 - With a high/low of 74°/59° (four degrees above average) this was the mildest Mother's Day in eight years when the high/low was 83°/61° (eleven degrees above average).  Skies were clear and the humidity in the afternoon dropped to 20%.

19 - Today was the last day of a 14-day streak with sunny or clear skies.   Temperatures were 2.5 degrees above average during this streak.  Embedded in this two-week period was a 12-day streak in which humidity during the afternoon dropped to 25% or lower.

20 - The extended streak with sunny or clear skies ended today as rain soaked the City mostly during the afternoon.  The 0.77" that was measured in Central Park was nearly double the amount that fell in the first 19 days of the month.  Rain totals on Long Island, Westchester Co. and in Connecticut were much higher than NYC's, with many town receiving between 1.50" and 2.50". 

29 - It was a beautiful Memorial Day, with sunny skies and a high/low that was identical to yesterday's (79°/59°).  

 

JUNE

1 - The first day of meteorological summer fit the bill as the high jumped to 87° under clear skies.  The last time it was this warm was three weeks ago.  Today's sunshine continued the near monopoly of fair skies experienced since 5/6.   

3 - After yesterday's sunny and hot conditions (high of 91°) today was overcast and cool with afternoon temperatures only in the mid-60s after winds shifted to an easterly-northeasterly direction. 

4 - The morning low of 49° was the first low in the 40s in June since 2000.  This reading came less than 48 hours after a high of 91°, and seven weeks after the earliest low in the 70s on record (on 4/14).

7 - A northerly wind drove smoke from major wildfires in Quebec into the area, producing a thick, orange haze that kept visibility below 2 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.

25 - Although thunder showers were predicted it turned out to be a nice, summery day with a mix of sun and puffy cumulus clouds.  With a high/low of 85°/71°, this was the warmest day since 6/2 (91°/66°).  And the day's low temperature was the first in the 70s in more than two months (4/14). 

 

JULY

4 - A heavy downpour late in the morning produced 0.63" of rain, making this the rainiest Independence Day since 1981 (when 1.76" fell).  This brought the rainfall in the first four days of July to 1.66", which was more than what fell in all of June (1.62").  Shortly after the morning deluge the dew point reached 75°.  By mid-afternoon skies cleared and the evening was ideal for watching fireworks.

6 - On the day that scientists reported was the hottest globally of the past 125,000 years, it was a hot day in Central Park, with a high/low of 90°/75°, six degrees warmer than average.  (Yesterday's high was 93.)

16 - For the second year in a row more than an inch of rain fell on this date.  1.32" fell between sunrise and early afternoon, with 0.91" of it pouring down in the two hours between 11 AM and 1 PM.  NYC escaped the heaviest rain which fell  in Suffolk County and southern New England. 

The rain and overcast skies kept the high temperature below 80° for the first time since 6/27 and the mean temperature was below average for the first time since 6/29.  Despite the temperature being stuck in the 70s all day (the high/low was 78°/74°) the air was very uncomfortable as the dew point was 74° or 75° for 25 of the 2 hours between 5 PM yesterday and 7 PM today.

23 - Low temperatures today and the past three days: 69° (today)-70°-71°-72° (7/20).  This was just the third day this month with a low cooler than 70° (average number is 15).  Finally, today had the seventh high of 88° this month, the most of any July (going back 100 years). 

28 - Today's hot and steamy high/low of 92°/75° was the same as yesterday's, the third time this year a pair of consecutive days had similar highs and lows (the others were 4/25-26 and 5/28-29, with respective highs/lows of  60°/46° and 79°/59°.  This was the seventh year in which July 27-28 had identical highs/lows, the most of any pair of calendar dates.

29 - Central Park missed by one degree of having the year's first heat wave.  However, with a high of 89° today was the 15th day in the past four weeks to have a high of 88° or hotter.   (Five days were in the 90s, three had highs of 89° and seven reported a high of 88°).

 

AUGUST

16 - A morning deluge soaked Central Park with 1.26” of rain in a 90-minute period between 3:30-5 AM.  This was the third day of the past four to have a period of torrential rain in the pre-dawn hours.  Yesterday had 0.55” fall between 1:30-2:30 AM, and 0.69” fell on 8/13 between 3-4 AM.

 

SEPTEMBER

4 - Today was Labor Day and the high/low of  89°/73° was nearly identical to last year's holiday (88°/73°).  Also like last year, Labor Day was warmer than either 4th of July (83°) or Memorial Day (79°).  

5 - Today's sultry high/low of 92°/75° made this the first day with a high in the 90s since 7/28, when the high/low was the same as today's (7/27 also reported 92°/75°).  The day's mean temperature was 11 degrees warmer than average, which was the most above average day since 6/2 when it was 91°/66°.

6 - Under clear skies conditions were hot and humid with a high/low of 93°/77° (13 degrees above average).  Although the day's high tied 7/5 for hottest reading of the year (7/5's low was 72°), and the day's low tied 7/13 for the year's warmest low (7/13's high was 88°), its mean temperature was the hottest of the year.

7 - This was the third day in a row with a high in the 90s (93°), making this the only heat wave of the year.

8 - Today's high reached 90°, the fourth day in a row with afternoon readings in the 90s .  This was the first four-day heat wave in September since 1973 (when there was one of eight days that began on 8/28).  Dew points were in the uncomfortable low 70s throughout the day, peaking at 74° in the early afternoon.  Scattered showers and thundershowers produced the first measurable rain this month and ended a seven-day streak with mostly clear skies.

10 - Two periods of heavy rain that fell about 12 hours apart produced a record amount for the date (1.80").  Most of it fell between 10:30 and noon (0.65") and 11 PM-1 AM (0.88").  During the first round the temperature fell to 69°, breaking a six-day streak with lows in the 70s (and three in a row were 75°+).  This was the longest September streak since another of six days in 1985.   

11  - For the second day in a row more than an inch of rain was measured in Central Park (1.66").  Much of it fell during the evening rush hour when 1,32" poured down between 5:30-6:30.  This was the second time this year to have back-to-back days with an inch or more of rain; the first time was on 4/29 and 4/30 when 2.46" and 2.32" was reported, respectively.

15 - Today, with a high/low of 69°/58°,  had the first high in the 60s and first low in the 50s since 6/7 and 6/10, respectively.  Only three other Septembers have had their first reading in the 50s occur later (last year it happened on 9/16 and in 2016 and 1947 it fell on 9/17).  And the 98 days between the years last two lows in the 50s was the second longest gap on record (behind 1996's 104 days).

18 - Beginning last night rain fell off and on throughout today.  1.55" fell in total, with 1.33" measured today.  The day's temperatures were stuck in the 6os, with a high/low of 69°/60°.  The last four times it's rained on this date the amounts have been over an inch.  Besides today's amount, 1.16" fell in 2018,  1.06" fell in 2012 and 2.18" fell in 2004.  

24 - Tropical storm Ophelia brought steady rain and breezy conditions to NYC for a second consecutive day as the system moved very slowly north/northeast.  Yesterday's rainfall of 0.96" was followed by an additional 1.25" today.  (Today was the fourth day this month with an inch or more of rain.)  Temperatures were stuck in the 60s all day (high/low of 66°/62°), making this the tenth consecutive day with below average temperatures.    

25 - For a third day remnants of tropical storm Ophelia continued spinning in the Atlantic Ocean off the New England coast, bringing mostly a steady drizzle that ended by late in the afternoon.  Today's rain amounted to 0.59", bringing the storm's total to 2.80".  This brought September's rainfall to 8.15", making it the wettest month of the year.

29 - Three days after rains associated with tropical storm Ophelia moved out, a much bigger rain producer flooded the City today (creating a flood emergency).  Starting last night, 5.38" poured down today (9th greatest daily rainfall), much of it falling between 8-11 AM. While Ophelia dropped three inches over the course of four days, today’s storm dropped that amount in just two hours (and nearly four inches in three hours).

This storm brought September’s rainfall to 14.21", making it the second wettest September on record and the fourth rainiest of any month (an additional 0.04" would fall tomorrow).  Before today September was already a very wet month (among the 15 wettest Septembers) but today's deluge catapulted it to second wettest September.  While it was raining the temperature was stuck in the low 60s.

 

OCTOBER

1 - After eight days in a row with clouds, cool temperatures, and rainfall of nearly nine inches, today featured clear skies and a high of 76°.  This was the warmest reading since 9/17 and it ended two streaks: 16 days with below average temperatures and 8 days with highs cooler than 70° (the longest streak in September going back to 1960).  

3 - For the first time in three weeks the temperature rose into the 80s in Central Park.  This was also the first time in four years that October had a reading in the 80s.

28 - Today's high reached 80°, which was the latest date for a high of 80+ since 1993 when the high on 11/15 was 80°.

29 - 24 hours after the temperature reached 80° in Central Park, the temperature this afternoon was stuck at 53°.  The day was also gray and showery. 

 

NOVEMBER

21 - After just 0.07” of rain fell in the first 20 days of the month, 0.59” fell today (and 1.90” more would fall overnight).  Before the rain moved in during the late afternoon, the day had a low of 33°, which was the coldest temperature in Central Park since late March.

22 - Rain that began yesterday in the late afternoon continued overnight and amounted to an additional 1.93” before sunrise.  More than half of the storm’s total of 2.52” fell in the three hours between 2-5 AM (1.45”).  Today’s amount was just 0.10” shy of the record for the date.  This was the fourth biggest rainstorm this year.

25 - The low of 30° was the first reading of 32° or colder this season,  a few days later than the average date.  (But it was the latest date since 2016.)  Today's reading was the coldest low temperature since 3/19. 

29 - With a high of 38°/27°, this was the coldest day since 2/25.  These cold temperatures were fitting for tonight's  lighting of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.

 

DECEMBER

18 - Beginning last night and continuing through lunchtime today, a strong coastal storm lashed the area with wind and rain.  In total, 2.47” of rain was measured in Central Park, with 2.21” falling today.  The full fury of the storm was felt between midnight and 8 AM when close to two inches poured down and winds gusted to 36 mph.  (Many towns in northern NJ, the Hudson Valley, and in Connecticut received three to five inches of rain.)

Today’s rainfall set a record for the date, breaking the previous record from way back in 1876.  The day’s high temperature of 62° was reached shortly after daybreak; it was the mildest reading of the month (and one degree shy of the record for the date).  With today’s rain, the year’s total reached 57.68” placing it among the 15 wettest years on record (going back to 1869).

22 - Today, with a high/low of 37°/25°, was the coldest day of the month (six degrees colder than average).  This was also the last day this month with a low of 32° colder.  The average low during the next nine days would be 42°, eleven degrees above average.  (December 2023 would be the second mildest December on record.)

28 - For the third time in a little less than three weeks, a rainstorm dropped more than 1.50” of rain on Central Park.  The rain began late last night and continued through daybreak (light rain resumed later this evening).  In total, 1.54” was measured (1.22” fell today, mostly in the morning).  This was the third time that an inch or more of rain fell on 12/28 when it was a Thursday.  The other two years were 1967 (1.27”) and 1922 (1.29”).

This storm brought December’s total rainfall to 6.66”, making this the ninth wettest December on record.  Additionally, today’s rain brought the year’s total to 59.22”, ranking 2023 as New York's 11^th wettest year (just behind 2021, which had 59.73”).

 

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Greatest New York Weather 'Hits' of 2021

 

 

 

Nationwide, 2021's top weather events included Arctic cold in Texas in mid-February that shut down much of the state's power grid; searing heat at the end of June never before experienced in the Pacific Northwest; and a deadly tornado outbreak that Kentucky bore the brunt of on Dec. 10-11.  Meanwhile, New York's biggest story was the  consecutive months of unprecedented rainfall in July-August-September, which culminated in flooding downpours from the remnants of hurricane Ida on the night of Sept. 1, a deluge that was responsible for the deaths of nearly 50 residents of NYC and outlying suburbs (comparable to superstorm Sandy's death toll in Oct. 2012). 

 

The year was the eighth mildest and tenth wettest on record.   Eight of 2021's months were warmer than average, led by December (+4.7°, third mildest) and October (+4.1°, sixth mildest).  These months book-ended the most below average month of the year, November (-1.8°). 

 

Although the year's nearly 60 inches of precipitation was 10 inches above average, seven of the months had below average rainfall.  More than half of the year's precipitation (52%) was in July, August, and September.  And nearly half of the rain in those three months came from tropical systems Henri (8.19") and Ida (7.13").  Here are other highlights of 2021:

 

• A snowstorm that began Jan. 31 and continued into Feb. 2 dumped 17.4”.  Most of the accumulation, 16.8", fell in less than 24 hours (Sunday night, Jan. 31 thru late afternoon on Monday, Feb. 1).  After this snow event, an additional 10" of snow fell during the rest of the month, bring February's total to 26.0", making it the 8th snowiest February on record.

• March had its first temperature in the 80s since 1998, occurring on 3/26 (82°).

• In addition to the excessively wet months of July-Aug-Sept, there were also periods of very low humidity during the year.  For example, nearly half of the days in March had low humidity (below 25%); extremely low humidity was reported on April 6 (7%); and December had it lowest humidity on record on 12/17 (14%).

• The coolest Memorial Day weekend on record (average high/low of 57°/48°) was followed by the ninth warmest June.  A high of 98° on 6/30 was NYC’s hottest reading in nine years years, and the hottest reading in June since another reading of 98° in June 1994.  But just three days later, July had its first reading in the 50s since 2009, and its coolest high temperature (66°) since 2005.

• July, August, and September each had more than 10 inches of rain (July's amount was above 11") – not only the first time in nine years any month had that much rain, but the first time ever that three consecutive months had this much.  This was also the first year to have two rainstorms that produced seven inches+.  They were associated with downgraded hurricanes Henri and Ida , and they were less than two weeks apart (Aug. 21-23 and Sept. 1).

• On the night of  9/1, Ida's rain poured down in just five hours time (and 3.13" in one hour).  More rain fell between 9-10 PM than fell in all of November and December.

As an aside, this one-hour amount was trumpeted by the National Weather Service as being Central Park's greatest one-hour amount on record - but this claim was in error, as NWS's own records show a greater 60-minute amount on Sept. 5, 1913, when 3.31" of rain was measured between midnight and 1 AM - 0.18" more than Ida's 60-minute gully washer.  (11 days earlier, a one-hour amount of 1.94" during Henri also had the NWS claiming it was an all-time record, which was even more in error, as there have been at least a dozen instances of greater amounts in an hour, most recently in July 2018.)

• October had a record streak of lows in the 60s - thirteen days in a row.  It also set a record (for any month) of days with high/lows stuck in the 60s.  There were six such days, concentrated in the nine-day period between Oct. 3-11.  Finally, October's coolest reading of 47° was the mildest reading to have this distinction.

• The final week of October was the rainiest on record for that month (4.71" fell).  That week accounted for more than half of the precipitation measured from October thru December.  This rainy week was followed by the driest November-December on record.  These two dry months prevented the year from reaching the sixty-inch mark in precipitation, coming in at 59.73".  After 31.44" fell in July-September (32.09", if rain on 6/30 is included), 12 of the 13 weeks in October-December had less than 1/10 of that amount (3.06").

 

Here are recaps of previous years:

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

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 20^th 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 2023 double click here. 

 

 

 

 

2021's Weather Happenings

 

 JANUARY

January 26 - The 0.1" of snow that fell was the first measurable snow since the 10.4" snowstorm of Dec. 16-17, nearly six weeks ago.  Today's high and low were just three degrees apart (34°/31°).

January 29 - Today, with a high/low of 25°/14°, was the coldest day of the winter.  Only nine other winters (including last winter) have had milder temperatures for their coldest day.  In the years since 1980, the coldest day of the winter has had an average high/low of 20°/9° (in winters before 1980, the average coldest reading was 17°/4°). 

January 31 - Until this evening, the month was set to become one of the five least snowy Januarys on record, with just 0.1" measured.  However, the opening volley of snow, from a snowstorm that would bury the City tomorrow, moved in this evening, and by midnight two inches had accumulated.  This was the most snow to fall on this date since 1898 (when five inches piled up).  The 2.1" that fell this month made this the third January in a row with well below-average snowfall (Jan. 2019 had 1.1", Jan. 2020 had 2.3").

 

FEBRUARY

February 1 - A monster snowstorm that moved in last night buried the City today, and largely exited by daybreak the following day.  In total, 17.4” of snow was measured, with 14.8” of it piling up today.  The rate of snowfall was greatest from mid-morning thru mid-afternoon.  The temperature rose from 22° just after midnight to 34° in the early evening, when the snow mixed with freezing rain and drizzle, which put a stop to further significant accumulation.  15”-24” accumulations were common throughout the region.  Besides the snow, high winds were also an issue, gusting between 30-40 mph in Central Park.  

With this snowstorm, the winter became New York’s twelfth with two or more snowfalls of ten inches or more (the first one was on Dec. 16-17, when 10.5” fell).  This was New York’s biggest snowfall in five years (when New York experienced its biggest snowfall of all-time), and tied for fifteenth greatest accumulation on record (with Feb. 3-4, 1961). 

February 7 - Today was Super Bowl Sunday, and up until this year, the most snow to fall on this occasion was 1.5" in 2000.  That amount was easily eclipsed today, when a fast moving storm dropped 4.5" from mid-morning thru late afternoon (Central Park was low-man on the totem pole as most surrounding areas had six to eight inches).  It was a wet snow, that began falling when the temperature was 37°, with the temperature not reaching 32° until early afternoon.  This brought the month's snowfall to 19.9".

February 16 - While the Southern Plains, Midwest and Ohio Valley were subjected to severe cold, snow and ice, New York basked in mild temperatures and sunny skies during the afternoon as the temperature rose to 51°, the first reading in the 50s since Jan. 2 (when the high was also 51°).  This respite broke a nine-day streak with colder than average temperatures (but below average temperatures would return the next day).  Before the sun came out a period of heavy rain fell before sunrise, amounting to 0.82". 

 

MARCH

March 5 - Sunny and cold (high/low of 37°/23°) with very low humidity in the afternoon, which bottomed out at 17% between 3-4:00.  This was the lowest humidity reported in Central Park since the first week of May last year.

March 9 - Under fair skies, the temperature rose into the 60s for the first time this year, about five weeks later than the typical date for this occurrence.  The day's high of 64° was the mildest reading since Thanksgiving Day (when the high was 65°).  Also, the air was also quite dry, dropping to 23% during the afternoon.

March 12 - One week after the humidity dropped to 17%, it was even lower this afternoon, bottoming out at 13% during mid-afternoon.  The last time Central Park reported a level lower than this was on today's date in 2016, when it was 12%.  Today's humidity was at 20% or lower for 11 consecutive hours.  Besides the low humidity, the day also featured very mild temperatures, with a high of 68°.  The day also had the year's first low in the 50s.

March 15 - Afternoon humidity fell to 12% during the afternoon, the lowest reported in Central Park since March 2016.  Additionally, dew points were extraordinary low, dropping below zero a few hours before daybreak and remaining sub-zero thru the wee hours of 3/16.  (And during the afternoon they were below -10°.) 

March 17 - This was the 16th day in a row with no measurable precipitation, matching last year's longest dry streak in September; these are the longest dry spells since an 18-day streak in the fall of 2017.  

March 18 - After one of the driest first halves of March on record (0.16" was measured), light rain that began at around 9 AM continued for the rest of the day.  The rain amounted to 0.60", and was the first measurable precipitation since 3/1.   Temperatures were mostly stuck in the mid-40s.  

March 26 - Between noon and 2:00 winds shifted from the southeast to the southwest and the temperature jumped from the low 60s to low 80s.  Today’s high of 82° was a record for the date and the first reading in the 80s in March since 1998.   This early jump into summer was a surprise since the predicted high was in the low 70s.  This became the eighth year to have its first reading of 80+ in March, and the fourth earliest date (after March 13, 1990; March 20, 1945, and March 21, 1921).  Interestingly, this early "first 80" followed last summer’s early last 80, which happened on 9/10.

 

APRIL

1 - Temperatures were in the chilly 44°-50° range during the Home Opener of the Yankees, made even chillier by blustery conditions, as winds gusted between 25-30 mph.  The only positive aspect of the day (the Yankees lost to Toronto in 10 innings) was that the sun began to break through the overcast skies during the second half of the game. 

4 - Despite starting out overcast, it turned into a beautiful Easter Sunday as the skies cleared late in the morning, and the temperature rose to 65°.   The air was also quite dry, with the relative humidity falling to 23% late in the afternoon.  

6 - On a stunningly beautiful day, the high reached 70° and the humidity dropped to 7% late in the afternoon – the lowest humidity level reported in Central Park since 2007 (6% on March 30).  This followed 13% humidity yesterday afternoon (and March had a day with 12% humidity, and two others with 13%).  For five hours the humidity stayed below 10% (and dew points were in the 3°-5° range).

8 -  Skies were sunny, the mercury rose to 70°, and the Mets came from behind in the bottom of the ninth inning to win their home opener against Miami, 3-2.  As so often happens, the Mets had better home-opener weather than the Yankees, as skies were brighter, and it was about twenty degrees warmer.  

28 - In a span of ten hours the mercury shot from 52° (at 4 AM) to 85° (2 PM), the warmest reading since Sept. 5 (when the high also reached 85°).   Yesterday's high, by contrast, was a slightly below average 64°.  Today's diurnal variation of 33 degrees was the greatest since Jan. 13, 2018, when it was 39 degrees (high/low of 58°/19°).  This was the year's second reading in the 80s, occurring five weeks after the first. 

 

MAY

16 - Today's rainfall of 0.01" was the only measurable rain that fell during the 15-day period between May 11 and 25.  (4.35" fell during the other days of the month.)

18 - This morning's low of 60° was the first low in the 60s this year, the latest date for this occurrence since 2003 (when it happened on 5/30).  Under partly cloudy skies, the high rose to 82°.  (Last year's first 60+ low was also late, occurring on 5/15.)  Since 1980, the typical date of the first 60+ low has been 5/2. 

26 - It was a warm and sticky day.  Temperatures varied greatly in the area, as the high reached 86° in Central Park (and at LaGuardia), while Kennedy Airport was just 75°, and Newark Airport's high was 94° (its fourth reading in the 90s this month; CPK had none).

Rain showers in the early evening and around midnight produced 0.07" of rain, the most in two-and-a-half-weeks.  (Because severe thunderstorms were predicted, the Mets and Yankees postponed their games, but the storms didn't materialize.)   

28 - Morning sunshine gave way to overcast skies in the afternoon, and rain moved in after 4:00 (just as the Memorial Day weekend was getting underway).  The rain became steady and wind-swept after dark (peak gust was 36 mph at Central Park), and amounted to 1.22", which was a record amount for the date (the rain continued thru the morning of 5/29).  The temperature dropped from 69° in the early afternoon to 49° less than twelve hours later.  This was the latest date for a reading in the 40s since 2000 (when it happened on 6/7). 

30 - Today’s very cool high/low of 51°/47° was identical to yesterday’s.  But while yesterday’s high tied for the coolest high on 5/29, today’s high broke the record by four degrees.  These highs were 24 degrees below average (and more typical of the first day of spring).  Today’s and yesterday’s high/low were the chilliest back-to-back days in late May since May 25-26, 1967 (46°/42° and 53°/46°).  And also like yesterday, there were gray skies and rain, with 0.89" falling from sunrise to mid-afternoon.  The 48-hour rainfall total (from two storm systems, beginning late afternoon on 5/28) was 2.57”, which was nearly 50% more than what fell between May 1-27 (1.77”). 

Coincidentally, May 29-30 of last year had the same, but much warmer, high/low:  81°/67°.  This is just the second time that the same dates in consecutive years had temperature "twins" (the other instance was in 1897 and 1898 on July 27-28).

31 - Today, Memorial Day, was the fourth day in a row with a low in the 40s, tying May 1884 for the latest streak of this many days.  (However, 1884's streak was chillier: 48°-43°-42°-48° vs. this year's 49°-47°-47°-49°.   This was the chilliest three-day Memorial Day weekend on record.  Although Memorial Day was eight degrees cooler than average (high/low of 70°/49°), it felt summer-like compared to Saturday and Sunday, which were overcast, rainy and very cool, with each day having a high/low of just 51°/47°. 

 

JUNE

3 - Showers late in the morning, and during the evening (amounting to 0.38") made this the 15th year of the past 21 (since 2001) to have measurable rain on this date.

6 - 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°/91°, and those of two weeks ago, 89°/88°, were in very stark contrast to last weekend's highs of 51°/51° (Memorial Day weekend). 

9 - 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 for that number of days since 2000, when the fourth such reading occurred on 6/2 (ironically, that year would have only seven in total). 

12 - 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.) 

23 - Today's low of 55° was the chilliest reading of the month (but far from the date's record low of  49° in 1918) and the coolest reading this late in June since 1995, when a low of 54° occurred on June 28.

27 - For the second year in a row (a first), the high reached 90° on Pride Sunday.  And with an afternoon dew point in the 70°-71° range, the heat index reached 96°.  Skies were a mix of sun and clouds, which cleared as evening approached.

30 - It was a scorching-hot day, with a high of 98°, the hottest reading in Central Park since the summer of 2013, and the hottest high temperature in June since 1994 (also 98°).  This was the fourth day in a row with a high in the 90s (the other days had highs of 90°, 92°, and 95°), joining another four-day heat wave earlier in the month.  This was just the second June with two heat waves of four days or more (the other was in 1943, which is the hottest June on record). 

Cooling showers moved through after 8:30, dropping the temperature to 73° (the morning low had been a sultry 80°).  The rain kept this from being the second June in a row with less than two inches of rain, and the amount that fell (0.65", much of it between 10-11 PM) was the greatest daily amount of the month.

 

JULY

3 - Three days after June had its hottest reading since 1994, today's low of 59° was the first in the 50s in July since 2009.  And under overcast skies the temperature rose only to 66°, which was three degrees cooler than the average low for the date.  This was the first high in the 60s in July since 2013, and the coolest July high since 2005.  Furthermore, today's mean temperature of 62.5° was the coolest in July since July 12, 1990, which had the same mean (high/low of 67°/58).  Finally, today was  the fourth day in a row with measurable rain.  Today's 0.34", which fell mostly during heavy showers shortly after daybreak, brought the 4-day total to 2.56", which was nearly as much as what fell during the entire month of June (2.62").   

4 - This morning’s refreshing low of 60° (shortly after midnight) was the coolest on the holiday since 1992 (when it was also 60°).  Only ten other 4^th of Julys have had a cooler low.   (In the years since 2000 the average low had been 70°.)  The high of 79° was the coolest in six years, but after last week's four-day heat wave, today’s temperatures were delightful for spending time outdoors celebrating the nation’s birthday.  

6 - After a steamy high of 92° (the third year in a row with a high in the 90s on this date), thunderstorms between 6-11 PM dropped the temperature some 20 degrees.  (Winds gusted close to 60 mph at LaGuardia and Newark airports, and a 37 mph gust was clocked at Central Park.)   This evening's rainfall amounted to 0.55" and brought the seven-day total to 3.11". 

8 - After sunny skies predominated through early afternoon, 2.27" of rain flooded the City between 4:30-7 PM, setting a rainfall record for the date (the previous record was from 1899).  Much of the rain fell during a severe thunderstorm that produced torrential rain during the evening rush hour, dumping 1.56" between 5-6 PM.  NYC was the bullseye for this storm, as the area's three major airports had much less, with LaGuardia reporting 0.95",  JFK getting 0.32", and Newark seeing just 0.09".  Today's rain was the greatest daily amount to fall in Central Park since July 10 of last year, when 2.54" was measured as tropical storm Fay passed by (also a record amount).

9 - 12 hours after the City was flooded by a torrential downpour during yesterday’s evening rush hour, heavy rain from the remnants of hurricane Elsa made this morning's commute a challenge.  1.79” of rain fell this morning, largely between 3-9AM.  (Elsa brought significantly more rain over Long Island, largely in the 3-4” range.)  Then tonight, between 10:30-11:00, one more heavy shower moved through, adding 0.27" to the day's total.  And like yesterday's amount, today's 2.06" was a record for the date (easily breaking the old record of 1.09"). 

In the past ten days (Since 6/30), seven days of rain have totaled 7.44”, equal to what fell in the previous eleven weeks.  Between yesterday afternoon and later this morning, 4.06” of rain was measured in Central Park.  This was the greatest 24-hour total since April 30, 2014, when 4.97” poured down.

12 - In the wee hours of the morning, Central Park had its third one-hour deluge of an inch or more in the past five days.  The 1.42” that poured down, mostly between 2:15-3:15, brought the month’s rainfall to 8.49”, making this the wettest July since 1975, and the 7^th wettest July (with 19 days to go).  The rest of the day was rain-free, but oppressive, with dew points in the 72° to 75° range.  This produced a heat index in the low 90s (the afternoon high was 86°).

13 - After getting soaked by six inches of rain in the past five days, today was rain free, but gray skies/low clouds predominated, and the air was thick with humidity.  This combination kept the temperature from rising much, as the high of 72° was just three degrees warmer than the low.  But despite afternoon temperatures that were 13 degrees below average, the air wasn't refreshingly cool since daytime humidity was in the 85%-90% range.

23 - Although just 0.01" of rain fell, this was the sixteenth year of the past twenty to have measurable rain on this date.

26 - For the second day in a row there was a heavy period of pre-dawn showers; yesterday’s downpour produced 0.49”, today’s amounted to 0.78”.  Today’s amount brought July’s rainfall over ten inches, joining 26 other months that have exceeded the amount (out of 1,831+ months, going back to 1869).  This was the first time a month had ten inches or more of precipitation since June 2013, and the most in any month since August 2011’s 18.95” (rainiest month on record in Central Park).  The 10.48” that has fallen so far this month made it the third wettest July on record.

29 - Three days after July became the 27th month to have 10+ inches of rain, today it became the 15th to have more than 11+ inches, as a little under a half-inch fell during thunderstorms between 5-9 PM.  The City escaped turbulent conditions that affected parts of NJ and eastern PA, where a number of tornadoes touched down.  And the thunderstorms that moved through the City weakened as they moved over Manhattan, reducing the predicted amounts of rain.  This was the 18th day that measurable rain fell in July; only July 1871 had more days (20).  However, July 2021 had twice as much rain.

 

AUGUST

13 - Although July 1979 has the hottest high temperature of any Friday the 13th (95°), today had the hottest mean temperature, with a high/low of 94°/78° (July 13, 1979's low was 71°).

21 - A plume of tropical moisture associated with hurricane Henri (still hundreds of miles to the southeast of NYC) moved in after 8 PM, flooding the City with 4.45" of rain, a record for the date (much of it fell between 10 PM-midnight).  Today’s rainfall was three times the amount that fell in the first 20 days of the month (1.46”).  NYC appeared to be the bulls-eye for the torrential rain as La Guardia, JFK, and Newark had much less (but still significant) amounts of  2.46", 2.13", and 1.28", respectively.  The rain that poured down tonight was the most to fall on a calendar date in Central Park since April 30, 2014, when 4.97" poured down.

Despite the fact that the amount of rain that fell to break the 1888 record of 4.12",  fell between midnight-1 AM (0.36") on 8/22, this is because the NWS uses Standard Time year-round for its daily observations rather than Daylight Saving Time during the spring and summer months; therefore, midnight- 1 AM Daily Saving Time is actually 11P-midnight Standard Time.

22 - A second round of heavy rain from tropical storm Henri began shortly after daybreak, as the storm headed to Rhode Island, where it made landfall early this afternoon.  Although today’s soaking rain wasn’t torrential, like it was last night (when 4.45” poured down), the 2.67” that fell today was enough to establish a record for the second day in a row.  (This followed back-to-back record rainfalls last month, on 7/8 and 7/9).  The rain fell heaviest between 2-5 PM, when 1.49" was measured. 

The 24-hour rainfall total of 7.04” (between 8 PM yesterday and 8 PM today) was the greatest amount to fall in this amount of time since April 2007, when 7.80” fell between 2AM on 4/15 and  2AM on 4/16.  Although Henri produced record rainfall in NYC, one saving grace was that that there were no gusty winds to contend with.      

23 - The last spasms of what was once hurricane Henri produced 1.07” of rain shortly before daybreak (when 0.93” fell), and during lunchtime (when the dew point rose to 75°, the peak reading during Henri's "visit").  This was the third day in a row to have more than an inch of rain, just the tenth time this has happened, and the first time since Oct. 12-14, 2005.  In total, 8.19” of rain fell.  This brought August’s rainfall to 9.65”, and July-August’s total over 20 inches – just the fifth time a pair of consecutive months has received this much rain.  Finally, August 2021 is now the fifth rainiest August on record (following July, which was the third rainiest).

27 - It was hot and humid, with a high of 93° (the heat index reached 102°), the third day in a row with a high in the 90s.  Then a thunderstorm moved through late in the afternoon and produced enough rain in Central Park (0.67”, almost all of which fell between 5:15-5:45 PM) to bring August’s rainfall over ten inches.  This was after July had 11.09" of rain, making July-August just the second time consecutive months had 10 inches or more of rain.  (The other time, March-April 1983, has been disputed because the rain gauge in CPK was broken for a good portion of the year).  

Just before the skies opened up, the dew point rose to 77°, which was the highest of the summer.  Interestingly, no rain fell in my Greenwich Village neighborhood (just thunder), which is about three miles south of Central Park (while LaGuardia Airport had twice as much rain as the Park).

 

SEPTEMBER

1 - Although Hurricane Ida, which made landfall in Louisiana four days ago as a category 4 storm, had weakened to a tropical depression by the time it made its way to the Mid-Atlantic, what energy remained packed quite a punch as New York was flooded by extreme rainfall and lashed by tropical storm-force winds (causing more disruptions than tropical storm Henri did less than two weeks ago).  After a first round of moisture brought light showers shortly after sunrise, there was a lull until 5 PM when heavy rain moved in, becoming torrential a few hours later.  By midnight, 7.13" had been measured in Central Park, making this the rainiest Wednesday on record, comparable to seven weeks of rain, and two-and-a-half inches more than a typical September sees in its entirety. 

At its most intense, between 9-10 PM, more than three inches poured down.  Because of this excessive rate of rainfall, the National Weather Service, for the first time, issued a Flash Flood Emergency for NYC, and subway service was suspended throughout the City.   Sadly, 13 residents in Brooklyn and Queens died from flood-related causes.  Unlike Henri, which wasn’t a wind producer, Ida’s visit was accompanied by winds that gusted between 35-50 mph.  

Between Aug. 21 (when Henri moved in) and today, 15.99" of rain was measured in Central Park.  And between June 30 and today, 29.19" fell.  By comparison, average rainfall during this nine-week period is around 9.30".

23-24 - Chilly air moving into air that was warm and humid (dew points were around 70°) produced periods of heavy rain that began in the evening and continued until sunrise the following day.  2.03” fell in total (1.36” of it today), with much of it, 0.86”, pouring down between 7-8 PM (and 0.51” between 3-5 AM).  The rainstorm brought the month’s total to 9.76”, making this the rainiest September since 2004 (11.51”), and the sixth wettest on record (following July and August, which were the third and fifth wettest of their respective months).

This was also the first time on record that three months in a row had more than nine inches of rain (totaling a little more than 31 inches).  With a little more than three months left to 2021, 51.69" of precipitation has been measured, which is more than what an entire year averages (a little under 50 inches).  

28 - Early afternoon showers amounted to 0.27”, pushing September’s rainfall over ten inches (10.03”).  Not only was this the most rain to fall in September since 2004, it was the third month in a row with more than ten inches of rain  – the first time for such a streak (July had 11.09”, August had 10.32”).  However, this wasn’t Central Park’s rainiest three-month period, as the 31.44” that fell was  three inches less than the 34.43” that fell in Aug-Sept-Oct 2011 (18.95”, 9.39” and 6.09”, respectively).

 

OCTOBER

13 - Today was the fourth day in a row with a low of 61° (and the seventh day with this low since 10/3).  It was also the sixth day this month with a high/low stuck in the 60s, the most on record for any month.  (On average, October sees one of these days once every two years).  Persistent overcast skies were largely the reason for the temperature not rising much during the daylight hours. 

14 - This was the twelfth day in a row with a low in the 60s, a record streak for the month of October (breaking a tie with October 2018).  Interestingly, the low temperatures during this streak were all in the narrow 60°-62° range (but highs ranged between 65°-77°).  

15 – Today’s high of 79°, and low of 63° were the warmest of the month.  The low broke the 12-day streak in which the low temperatures were in the 60°-62 range°.  With 13 days with lows of 60+, this October tied October 1879 for the most lows this mild in October.

16 - Today was the 15^th day in a row with an above-average mean temperatures (average of high/low), the longest such streak since the winter of 2019-20, when there was a streak of 18 days (Dec. 22 - Jan. 8).  This period was six degrees above average.  Meanwhile, a 13-day streak of lows of 60+ ended today, after a cold front swept through during the evening, dropping the temperature to 56° by midnight.  This cold front also produced showers that amounted to 0.25”, which was 0.01” less than what fell in the first half of the month (the least rain to fall in the first half of October since 2000).    

Finally, today's high of 76° was the 17th time this year that this reading was a high temperature, which was the most of any reading in 2021.  (The first occurrence was on 4/20.)  And going back to 1970, it's the only time that 76° was the most-occurring high in any year.

17 - Today was the first day since 10/1 to have a below-average mean temperature, as the high/low of 61°/51° was two degree below average.  (10/1's low was also 51°.) 

18 - At 49°, today's low was the season's first in the 40s - the second latest date on record (the latest was in 2005, on 10/20).  This occurrence was three weeks later than average. 

26 - After moving in late last night, a nor’easter dumped 3.30" of rain today, with 2.51” falling this morning, and 0.79” after dark (and it continued falling overnight).  This rain brought an end to what had been a dry October, with less than an inch of rain through yesterday.  Today’s rainfall came very close to the record for the date, 3.40” in 1943 (also produced by a nor’easter).  The storm’s total rainfall of 3.69” made it the third biggest rainstorm of the year, behind Henri's 8.19" in August, and Ida's 7.23" at the beginning of September.

29 - This was the third day this month with a low of 47°, which was the chilliest reading of the month - and the mildest reading for this designation in October (the previous record, 45°, was in 1946 and 1971).   October's coldest reading is typically in the upper 30s.  And today's high of 56° was the chilliest high temperature this month, just two degrees shy of the mildest chilliest high for October (in 1971).

30 - After a coastal storm brought 0.41” of rain last night, an additional 0.53” fell this morning (most of it before sunrise).  Today’s rain (an additional 0.04" fell tonight) brought total rainfall since 10/25 to 4.67”, making this the rainiest last week of October on record.  This more than made up for the 0.15” of rain that was measured in the first half of the month (the driest first half of October since 2000).

 

NOVEMBER

7 - Today was the 50th running of the NYC Marathon, and conditions were close to optimal for runners as temperatures were in the mid-40s to lower-50s range, winds were mostly calm, afternoon humidity was on the low side, and skies were fair (transitioning from clear in the morning to hazy during the afternoon).  High temperatures today and the previous three days: 53° (today)-52°-51°-50° (average high in the first week of November is in the upper-50s).     

10 - For the eighth consecutive day skies were mostly clear (last month, by contrast, featured a 10-day period between Oct. 4-13 that was characterized by overcast skies).  Today was also the tenth day in a row in which no measurable rain fell, making it the longest dry spell to begin November since a 15-day streak in Nov. 1978.  This 10-day rain-free period was in stark contrast to the last 10 days of October, which had 4.75” of rain.  

13 - A fast-moving cold front produced a severe thunderstorm this afternoon between 2-2:30, with hail (a rarity in Manhattan even in the summer, let alone in November), a brief downpour, and 40-50 mph wind gusts.  This line of storms was even more severe along the Jersey shore and on Long Island, where wind gusts between 60-79 mph were clocked and six tornadoes touched down.   Temperatures dropped from the low-60s to low-40s by evening.  The 0.33" of rain that was measured pushed the year's precipitation over 58 inches, moving 2021 just outside of the top-10 wettest years.

 

DECEMBER

11 - Despite overcast skies, the day's high reached 66° at sundown, breaking the previous record from way back in 1879.  This was the warmest reading in December since 2015.   Only 15 other Decembers have had warmer readings, and just six have had a reading this warm, or warmer, at a later date. 

14 - On a day with clear skies and above average temperatures (high/low of 53°/44°), the humidity level dropped to 20% around 5 PM - the lowest level reported in December this century.  The previous low point in December was 21% in December 2006.  However, today's humidity level was far from the lowest this year, which was 7% on 4/6.

18 - Yesterday had extraordinarily dry air in place ( humidity level in the afternoon bottomed out at 14%), and the difference between the air temperature and dew point late in the afternoon was 48 degrees (air temperature of 57°, dew point of 9°).  Today, with a chilly and damp air mass in place, there was just a one degree difference between the two (air temperature of 43°, dew point of 42°).

24 - The first measurable snow of the winter fell between 3-4 AM, accumulating just 0.2".  This was the latest first measurable snowfall since the winter of 2015-16, when it didn't happen until 1/17 (0.4" accumulated).  And it was the smallest first snowfall since the winter of 2014-15, when it was also 0.2" (but it occurred a month earlier, on 11/26).   By contrast, last winter's first snowfall, on 12/16-17, amounted to 10.5".

31 - It was an overcast day, but temperatures were unseasonably mild, with a high/low of 55°/48°.  The high was the mildest to occur on  New Year's Eve since 2004 (and 12th mildest overall), and the low was the third mildest (after 1965 and 1884).  When the countdown to the new year began in Times Square, the temperature was 51°, making this the mildest end to a year since 2004, and the fifth mildest reading in all the years of the ball drop (since 1907). 

 

To read highlights from other years between 1970 and 2023 double click here. 

 

Review of 2020's Weather - New York's Second Warmest Year

 

2020 was 2.4 degrees above average and became New York's second mildest year, behind 2012.  Only two months during the year, April and May, were chillier than average.  November became the mildest on record, July the seventh hottest, and February and March each became the eighth mildest.  January finished just outside the top 10, ranking eleventh, and June made it to sixteenth.  The summer was the fifth hottest (tied with 1983).  Despite 2020's warmer than average theme, there were some moments of chilliness worth noting:

 

• April had no highs in the 70s or 80s for the first time in 80 years.
• For the first time since 1978, May had readings in the 30s, and the low of 34° on the 8th was the coldest reading in May since 1891.
• The year's last reading of 80° or warmer was on Sept. 10, which was the earliest of any year with 20 or more days with highs of 90°+.  A typical 90s/100s season lasts about three months (late May through late August), but in 2020 it was two months long (late June through late August).  However, the number of days in the 90s in 2020 was slightly more than average (20 days).
• Later in September, the low of 49° on Sept. 21 was the the earliest for a low in the 40s since 1993.
• Halloween had its first low of 32° or colder since 1988.

 

 

 

 

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

• The first half of the year was dry as the 16.15" measured was eight inches below average (the seventeenth driest first half on record).  The second half, however, had nearly twice as much precipitation, with 29.20" measured (three-and-a-half inches above average).  May and June both had less than two inches of rain, the first time since 1993 that these  months were this dry.  Overall, 2020 had 45.35" of precipitation, 4.59" below average.

• Jan. 10 and 11 had record highs of 69° and 68°, respectively.  Meanwhile, chilly April's warmest reading was 68°, the first time since 1940 that April's mildest reading wasn't 70° or warmer.

• The winter of 2020's last measurable snowfall was on Jan. 18, the earliest date on record for a last snowfall (breaking 2002's record by one day).  At the end of the year December's snowstorm produced more than twice as much as the previous winter.

• Four tropical systems moved through the area.  The year's biggest rainmaker was from the first, tropical storm Fay, on July 10, which produced 2.54" of rain, most of it falling in a three-hour period during the afternoon.  While Fay brought the rain, tropical storm Isaias on Aug. 4 delivered ferocious winds, with 65-75 mph gusts common outside of Central Park (which had a peak gust of 48 mph).

• July's coolest reading of 67° was the mildest coolest reading of any July.  Furthermore, July 2020 had the most lows in the 70s or warmer of any month (26).  This helped July become just the seventh to have an average temperature of 80° or above.

• November had its first streak of six days with highs in the 70s (Nov. 6-11).  Later in the month, Thanksgiving Day's high of 65° tied for third warmest, and its low of 55° was mildest ever on this holiday.  The 0.79" of rain in the morning was the seventh greatest amount for Thanksgiving.

• The 10.5" snowstorm of Dec. 16-17 was the biggest December snowfall in 10 years and the 13th during the month of 10 inches or more.  And at 1.7 degrees above average, December 2020 was the second mildest to have more than ten inches of snow.

• An intense storm system on Christmas Day morning dumped the third greatest amount of precipitation on the holiday (0.92").  The day's high of 61° was the eighth reading in the 60s on the holiday.  The temperature dropped 32 degrees by midnight, which was the biggest daily drop in temperature all year.  2020 became just the second year (2015 is the other) to have highs in the 60s on Christmas Day (61°), Thanksgiving Day (65°) and Easter Sunday (63°).

• Finally, the temperature profiles of 2020's first and last month were nearly identical.  However, December had more than twice the amount of precipitation than January and nearly five times as much snowfall.  Despite their similar temperatures January's was much more above average.

 

Other annual recaps:

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013