October 2022 Weather Recap - Month's Overall Story Largely Determined In First 9 Days

 

Although it was just one degree chillier than average, October 2022 was the chilliest October since 2009.  This below average outcome was driven largely by the first nine days of the month, which were five degrees below average; the rest of the month was one degree above average.  Although the month was 1.0 degree below the 30-year average for October, it was 2.4 degrees cooler than Octobers since 2010 (and five degrees chillier than last October).

 

The month's rainfall of 5.08" made it the wettest month of the year (a low amount for this distinction since a year's wettest month  typically sees between seven and eight inches).  The last month with more precipitation was last October (5.26").  3.28" of the rain fell in the month's first five days (from the remnants of Hurricane Ian); then the rest of the month was drier than average.  The 1.85" of rain that fell on 10/4 tied 7/18 as the rainiest day of the year.

 

Despite the chill, the chilliest reading was just 42°; typically the chilliest reading is in the upper 30s.  Days with highs in the 70s occurred in three pairs: 10/6 & 10/7; 10/11 & 10/12; and 10/25 & 10/26.  10/6 had the warmest reading of the month, 76°.

 

Last fall, October had a record streak in the first half of the month, when 13 days in a row had lows in the 60s.  This October had only two lows this warm, and they didn't happen until 10/25 and 10/26.   

 

Finally, at the beginning of the month there were back-to-back days that were ten or more degrees chillier than average, and then there were two days in the closing week of the month that were ten or more degrees warmer than average.

• Oct. 3:   53°/47°: 13 degrees below average
• Oct. 4:   55°/46°: 11 degrees below average

• Oct. 25: 70°/61°  11 degrees above average
• Oct. 26: 72°/60°  12 degrees above average

 

Previous October recaps:

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

 

 

 

 

 

September 2022 Weather Recap: Largely Uneventful

 

 

September 2022 had close to average temperatures (+0.3 degrees) and rainfall that was just slightly below average (4.10").   Through 9/22 temperatures were two degrees above average, but then the following eight days were four degrees cooler than average.  11 days had mean temperatures that were very close to average (i.e., between one degree below and one degree above average), the most of any month since September 2016.  The month's biggest daily rainfall, 1.11" on 9/25, poured down in a little less than an hour.  (Ironically, 9/25 is one of the least likely dates of the year to report measurable rain.)

 

The spread between the month's coolest (49° on 9/24) and hottest readings (90° on 9/4) was 41 degrees, the widest spread in September since 2015.   Although the hottest and chilliest readings were 20 days apart, the days with the most above average and most below average mean temperatures were just four days apart (9/19, with a high/low of 85°/68° was nine degrees above average; 9/23, with a high/low of 63°/51°, was ten degrees below average).

 

The 90° reading on 9/4 was the 25th reading of 90+ of the year, making 2022 the 20th year with 25 or more (all since 1936).  Of these years, 2022's hot readings were "coolest", with an average of 91.8° (0.1 degree cooler than 1959, which had 27 days in the 90s).

 

Finally, what was likely the last low of 70° this year  occurred on 9/5.  The last time this occurrence was so early was in 2014.  (FYI, a low in the 70s in October has occurred in nine years since 1869.)  In total, 2022 had 50 days with lows of 70+; only eleven other years have had more (the most was 61 in 1906, and 60 in 2005).  

 

Here are are weather recaps from eight previous Septembers:

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

   

August 2022 Is New York's Third Hottest On Record

 

 

With an average high 86.9°/low of 71.7° (3.2 degrees above average) August 2022 ranks as NYC's third hottest August on record (behind August 1980 and August 2005).  The hottest temperature of the month, and entire year, was 97° on 8/9 (the last time it was this hot in August was in 2006).  This was one of eleven days in the 90s, which was well above the average of four.  This August was the 14th to have 10 or more days with highs of 90° or hotter (August 1980 has the most, with 15).  And its 22 days with lows of 70° or warmer was tied for second most behind 1980, 2005, and 2018, all which had 23.

 

  

With 1.71" of rainfall, this was the driest August since 1995 (when just 0.18" was measured) and the  18th driest August overall.  The rainiest day was 8/1, when 0.48" fell.  (8/1 also had the month's coolest high, 77°).  The driest period of the month was the 15 days between 8/2-8/16 when just 0.30" of rain was measured.

 

August's coolest high temperature on 8/1 was followed by 10 consecutive days with highs of 87° or hotter, the longest such streak in ten years.  Six of the days were in the 90s, and the streak's average high was 91°.

 

The coolest low reading was 62° (on 8/18), making this the ninth August in a row in which there were no low temperatures in the 50s.  (The longest streak of lows in the 50s in August is 14 years between 1878 and 1891, and 13 years from 1915 to 1927).

 

There was a beautiful symmetry to the month's daily lows.  The month started and ended with lows in the upper 60s.  The following 11 days after 8/1 as well as the 11 days preceding 8/31 had lows in the 70s.  And the seven days in between the two streaks were all in the 60s.  One difference between the two streaks of lows in the 70s was that the earlier one was two degrees warmer (75° vs 73°).  Embedded in the first 11-day streak were seven days in a row with lows of 75° or warmer, the second longest such streak in August (after Aug. 1896), while the second streak had just one reading that warm.

JULY-AUGUST

Last year July and August were noteworthy because both months had more than 10 inches of rain; this year it was their hot temperatures that gained attention.  July-Augusts 2022's average temperature tied with 2010 as the third hottest July-August combo (behind July-August 1980 and 2005).  The two months were also one of 12 pairs of months in which both had 10 or more days in the 90s (all pairs were July-August, except in 1966 when it was June-July).  Finally, this July and August combined for the most lows of 70+, at 46 (the average number is 29).

 

SUMMER RECAP

This summer was 8th hottest on record (June-July-August), joining four other summers from this century, including the hottest of all-time in 2010.  Although 2022's rank of average temperature (average of  the average high/low) was 8th, its ranking for average low was higher, at #4.

 

 

MISCELLANEOUS

• This August was the seventh month with 1.71" of rain.  The previous time was in May 1977.
  
• Despite being third warmest for average temperature, Aug. 2022 ranks sixth for warmest high as well as sixth for warmest low.
• With Aug. 2020 entering the top 10, it pushed Aug. 1955 out of the exclusive club.
• Although July 2022 was 0.2 degrees hotter than Aug. 2022, July ranked as 13th hottest among all Julys.

 

Here are monthly recaps for past Augusts:

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

 

 

 

July 2022 - Just The Second July With Highs of 80+ On Every Day

 

 

A typical July in New York has six days with highs cooler than 80°.  However, July 2022 had no such readings and joined July 1944 as the only other July in which every day had a high of 80° or warmer (it also happened in August 2015).  The coolest high was 81°, which occurred twice.  Overall, July 2022 was two degrees warmer than average (high/low of 87.3°/71.8°) and ranks as the 13th hottest July on record; it had the 8th warmest low, and tied for 16th warmest high.  

 

The number of days with highs of 85° or warmer was 25.  Only five other Julys have had more (in 2019, 2010, 1993, 1966, and 1944) and four others have had 25.  The hottest reading was 95°, which occurred on three days, and the warmest low was 79°.  Of the ten Julys with 25+ days of 85+, July 2022 had the fewest days of 87+ as it had 10 highs of 85° (7) and 86° (3).  

 

 

The coolest low was 65° on the Fourth of July.  Only five other Julys have had a chilliest low this mild or milder (the most recent was two years ago when the coolest low of 67° was the mildest coolest July reading on record).

 

During the first half of the month it appeared July's big story would be the very dry conditions as just 0.33" of rain was measured in Central Park through 7/15 - the least to fall in the first half of July since July 2002.  And while a large portion of the metro area continued to suffer through dry conditions in the second half of the month (Newark's July total was just 0.55", JFK's was 1.10"), 4.22" fell in Central Park, which was double the typical amount.  As a result, July's total rainfall ended up being very close to average (0.05" below).  Much of the rain fell from isolated strong thunderstorms. The most to fall on one day, 1.85" on 7/18, was a record for the date. 

 

A six-day heat wave, from 7/19-24, was the longest since the summer of 2013.  The average high/low was 94°/77°.  In addition to these six days, there were four other days with highs in the 90s (on 7/1 and 7/12-14); the total of 10 was three more than average.  The hottest day of the month occurred on the last day of the heat wave, with a high of 95°/79°.  Two other days during the heat wave, 7/20 and 7/23, had  highs/lows of 95°/78°.  (In addition to the large disparity in rain compared to Central Park, Newark also had a reecord-setting five-day streak of triple-digit highs).

 

 

Typically, June averages six lows in the 70s/80s and July averages 16.  This summer the respective numbers were one and twenty-four.  This increase of 23 days compared to June is the greatest increase from any June with 0, 1 , or 2 lows in the 70s.  Only July 2020 and 2010 have had more lows in the 70s/80s than July 2022 (tied with three other years that had 24 such lows).

 

Finally, the 4.55" of rain that fell was the eighth time this amount was a monthly precipitation total.  The most recent occurrence was in April 2019, and there was another July with this amount in 1916. 

 

Here are July recaps from previous years:

July 2021

July 2020

July 2019

July 2018

July 2017

July 2016

July 2015

July 2014

 

  

June 2022 Weather Recap - Largely Uneventful, on the Dry Side

 

June 2022 was slightly cooler than average (-0.6 degrees), and rainfall of 2.92" was 1.62" below average.  The first half of the month was 1.4 degrees above average, the second half was 2.6 degrees below average (ironically, the month's four warmest highs and lows were all in the second half of June).  This was the third June in a row with less than three inches of rain, but this June had more than the previous two (2.62" in 2021, 1.76" in 2020).  More than 70% of the month's rain fell in the first nine days of the month; less than an inch fell in the last three weeks.  Other observations:

 

• The month's hottest reading was 90° on 6/25, which came six days after the coolest reading (54°).

 

• The warmest mean temperature came the day after the hottest high.  At 89°/74°, it was also the most above average day of the month (+7 degrees).  The low was the only low in the 70s during the month.
  

 

• Father's Day had the coolest low in  June (at 54°, it was the coolest reading on Father's Day since 1958).  And with a high of 73°, it was the first Father's Day in ten years not to have a  high of 80° or warmer.  A week later, the low on the day of the Gay Pride Parade, 74°, was the warmest of the month (and tied for second warmest low on Gay Pride Sunday).

 

• In between highs of 88° on 6/17, and 90° and 89° on 6/25 and 6/26, the seven days in between were six degrees cooler than average, with a high/low of 75°/60°.

 

• Every high temperature in June was between 71° and 90°, with the exception being 87°.

 

Here are June recaps from the previous six years:

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

 

 

 

 

May 2022 Weather Recap - Late First 80, Followed by Early First 90 & First 70

 

 

 

May 2022 was 0.8 degrees milder than average, and rainfall was somewhat above average (4.52").  The coolest reading was 45° on 5/7 and 5/8, the hottest was 93° on the last day of the month.  The last time the temperature was this hot in May was in 2000 (on 5/7); the last time it was hotter was in 1996 (96° on 5/20).   

 

The first 20 days of the month were about a degree below average, but then from May 21 onward temperatures were four above average.  For the entire month, eight days were five degrees or more warmer than average, four were five degrees or more cooler than average.  The most above average day was 5/22, with a high/low of 89°/72° (16 degrees above average); the most below average day was 5/7, with a high/low of 50°/45° (13 degrees below average).

 

The year's first reading of 80°+ occurred very late, on 5/21, the latest since 1988 and tenth latest on record; that date also had the year's first reading in the 90s, (90°),  just the fourth time that the first 80 and first 90 shared the same date.  Regarding days in the 90s, since 1960 Mays with two or more days with highs in the 90s occur about once every three years.  (Before 1960, it happened once every seven years.) 

 

The day after the first 80/90, Central Park had its first low in the 70s (72°), which was about two weeks ahead of schedule (the first 90 was about a week ahead of schedule). 

 

May's rainfall of 4.52" was 0.01" less than what fell in April.  This was the tenth time there was a 0.01" difference between consecutive months.  The previous time it occurred was in January and February 2016 when 4.41" and 4.40" was measured.  There have been five pairs of consecutive months with the same amount of precipitation (the last time it happened was in September and October 1997).

 

Finally, Memorial Day's high of 84° was the warmest reading on the holiday since 2015 (when it was 85°), while the high of 58° on Mother's Day (5/8), was the chilliest since 2018 (when it was 54°).

 

Here are recaps of the previous seven Mays:

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

 

 

 

April 2022 Weather Recap - Rainy, Then Dry

 

April was 0.9 degrees chillier than average and somewhat rainier (despite there being practically no rainfall in the month's last 11 days).  The chilliest reading was 38° (on 4/2), the mildest was 79° (4/14).  The last time the chilliest reading was this mild was in 2012.  Only two other Aprils have had a milder reading for their coldest reading: in 1878 (42°) and 2010 (40°).  The month's temperature range was 41 degrees, well below the usual range of 50 degrees (since 1980, 32° to 82°).  On the day the high reached 79° in Central Park, the high at Newark Airport soared to 88° (and it was in the low 70s at LaGuardia and Kennedy airports).  

 

The month's rainfall of 4.53" was similar to that of April 2020 (4.49") and April 2019 (4.55").  Much of the rain fell from two storm systems that brought 1.15" on 4/7-8, and 2.09" on 4/18-19.  Just 0.02" of rain fell between 4/20-30, which was the least to fall in the last third of April since 1942, when no measurable rain fell after 4/11 (that April is the second driest on record).   

 

Six days had highs in the 70s, an average number, with five of them on consecutive days (4/12-4/16).  The average high of 73° during the streak was twelve degrees above average.  This was the lengthiest such streak in April in 11 years.  The streak ended the day before Easter Sunday, which, with a high/low of 51°/41°, was the chilliest since 2009.  

 

Finally, the last three days of the month had afternoon humidity levels that bottomed out at 11%, 9%, and 14%.  The 9% reading on 4/29 tied for the third lowest in the years since 2000.  This was the most arid three-day streak since March 28-30, 2007.  Very low humidity was also reported on the 15th and 22nd (13% and 15%, respectively).  

 

Here are April recaps of the past six years:

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

 

 

March 2022 Weather Recap: Somewhat Mild & Dry

 

 

March 2022 was the 16th mildest March on record in New York.  (March 2020 and 2021 are among the 16 that were milder.)   The month was 2.5 degrees above average, with the high and low being 3.7 and 1.2 degrees above average, respectively.  This March would probably have ranked among the ten mildest if it weren't for four cold days:

 

•             March 4 -  37°/21°, 11 degrees below average 
•             March 13 - 35°/22°, 13 degrees below average
•             March 28 - 33°/23°, 19 degrees below average 
•             March 29 - 38°/24°, 15 degrees below average

      

March 28th's high was the coldest this late into the year in 40 years, since a high of 30° on April 7, 1982.  (Temperatures rebounded on the 31st, and from late morning into the wee hours of 4/1, they were in the 60s.)  And the last time a low of 23° occurred later than 3/28 was in 1995, on 4/6.

 

 

March 7 and 18 were the mildest days of the month, with both having the same high/low of 74°/50°.  The eight-day period from March 15-22 was 12 degrees above average (high/low of 64°/46°).  This was followed five days later by a four-day stretch of unseasonably cold temperatures, from March 27-30, 13 degrees below average (41°/26°).

 

Below average precipitation, 2.39" (about two inches below average), made this NYC's 29th driest March (tied with March 1897).  Much of the rain, 1.99", fell on three days (0.56" on 3/9, 0.50" on 3/12, and 0.93" on 3/24).  Only 0.4" of snow fell (3/9), but it was the most in March in three years.  33 other Marches have had less snow.

 

There was a wind gust of 49 mph the night of 3/7, the highest gust recorded in Central Park since one of  62 mph during superstorm Sandy on Oct. 29, 2012.   

 

Finally, on 3/22 afternoon humidity drop to 11% (fourth lowest of this century).

 

Here are March recaps from previous years:

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 2022 Weather Recap: Minimal Snow, Wide Variation in Average High & Low

 

Last winter, February had much more snow than January (26.0" vs. 2.1"), but this winter the tables were turned as February had just 2.0" compared to January's 15.3".  Although snowfall was minimal, there have been 31 other winters with even less snow in February (and two-thirds of those had less than an inch). 

 

Temperature patterns were also reversed, as February of last year was 1.7° below average and  January was 1.1° above, while this winter February was 1.4° above average and January was 3.4° below.  Feb. 2022 was the 21st mildest on record.  Five recent Februarys in 2020, 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2012, were milder.

 

 

Another very big difference between Feb. 2022 and 2021 was in its diurnal variation, i.e., the difference between the daily high and low temperature.  Last February's was just 9.5 degrees, which tied for the second smallest reported in February.  This year's however, was 16.9 degrees, which was the widest variation in February since 1990, and the third widest for any February (average variation is 12.7 degrees).  Part of the reason was that it had three days with temperature variations of 30 degrees or more; only February 1918 has had more (four). 

The difference between the average high and low of Feb. 2022 and 2021 is fascinating, as this February's average high was 6.9 degrees milder than last February, but its average low was 0.5 degrees chillier.

 

 

February's above average temperature was driven by the average high, which was 3.5 degrees above average; by contrast, the average low was 0.6 degrees below average.  Eight days had highs of 55° or milder, with four of them above 60°, including two climbing to 68° (on 2/17 and 2/23).  The first 68° was a record for the date. 

 

Looking at cold conditions, eight days had highs in the 30s or colder, and four of these days had highs of 32° or colder.  Similar to the month's warmest reading, the coldest reading (16°) was also reported on two days, 2/14 and 2/15.   (January's coldest reading also occurred on back to back days).

 

Eleven days were 10 degrees or more above or below average (seven were above, four were below).  The most above average was +23 degrees on 2/17, when the high/low was 68°/49°; the most below average day came three days before that, with a high/low that was 15 degrees below average (25°/16°).  

 

During the three weeks between Feb. 4-24, four dramatic swings in temperature occurred:

• Feb. 4-5: From 8° above average (high/low of 57°/26°), to 11° below average (27°/19°)
• Feb. 12-14: From 16° above average (59°/42°), to 1° below average (42°/25°), to 15° below average (25°/16°)
• Feb. 15-17: From 13° below average (30°/16°), to 3° above average (49°/28°), to 23° above average (68°/49°)
• Feb. 23-24: From 15° above average (68°/35°), to 6° below average (35°/29°) 

 

Finally, precipitation was very close to average, with 3.23" measured (vs. an average of 3.19").  The days with the most precipitation were Feb. 3 and Feb. 20, with 0.72" and 0.74", respectively.  The month's measurable snow fell on two days: 2/13 (1.6") and 2/25 (0.4").  Of the Februarys with two inches of snow or less, Feb. 2022 had the fourth biggest drop-off from January.

 

 

Here are other February recaps:

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2015

 

 

January 2022 Weather Recap - Coldest in 7 Years, Snowiest in 6

 

 

After a December that was the third mildest on record, the first two days of January 2022 saw a continuation of these mild conditions, with highs of 56° and 59°.  Then the jet stream shifted, winter-like conditions arrived, and the month became the coldest January since 2015.  At 3.4 degrees colder than average, it was the most below average of any month in more than two years, since November 2019 (which was 4.1 degrees below average).  Subtracting the first two days of the month, which were 16 degrees milder than average, the rest of January was 4.5 degrees below average. 

 

Besides cold temperatures, snowfall was also above average, with 15.3" measured (after just 0.2" fell in December); most of it was produced by two snowstorms, as 5.8" fell on Jan. 7, and 8.3" was measured on Jan. 28-29.  This was the snowiest January since 2016 (which is the second snowiest January), and tied for 20th snowiest January overall.  Its snowfall was greater than the combined amount of the three preceding Januarys (5.5").

 

 

January was 13.5 degrees colder than December.  Only three other Januarys have had a bigger drop in  temperature from December: Jan. 2016, Jan. 1912, and Jan. 1985.  (On average, January is five or six degrees colder than December.)

 

January's average low of 23.5° was 4.4 degrees colder than average, while the high was 2.4 degrees colder.  January's average high of 37.1° was 1.2 degrees colder than December's average low.  The coldest reading was 10° on 1/15 and on 1/16.  The coldest day (based on mean temperature), was on 1/15, when the high/low was 21°/10° (17 degrees colder than average).  Overall, there were 12 days that were 8 degrees or more below average; half of them were 12 or more degrees below average.  

 

Finally, 11 days had highs of 32° or colder, including the last six days of the month, the longest streak since one of 14 days during the winter of 2017-18.  This streak's average high/low was 30°/19° (nine degrees below average).

 

Here are previous January recaps since 2014 (there was no recap published for Jan. 2016).

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2015

2014