February 2025 - NYC's Third Consecutive Month With Colder Than Average Temperatures

 

 

On the heels of New York's two mildest years on record, February 2025 was the third month in a row that was colder than average, the longest such below-average streak since another one of three months seven years ago (Nov. 2017 thru Jan. 2018).

 

The month was 0.8 degrees colder than average (average high/low of 41°/29°), but up until 2/22 it was 3.3 degrees colder than average. (A similar mild stretch at the end of January moderated its average temperature as well.).  And while the average low was just 0.2 degrees below average,  the average high was 1.4 degrees below average.

 

The month's coldest reading was 17°; only 14 other Februarys have had a coldest temperature milder than 17°.  Four days had highs of 32° or colder, four had lows in the teens. Four days were ten degrees+ colder than average, three days were ten degrees+ milder than average. 

 

The mildest reading was 57°.  Jan-Feb had no days with highs 60° or warmer (joining six other Jan-Feb combos this century with no highs of 60+ (in the 19th century {1869-1899}, 80% of the years had no highs of 60+ in Jan-Feb.)

 

The coldest period in February was a six-day stretch (Feb. 17-22) that was 10 degrees below average (high/low of 33°/20°).  This was followed by the mildest stretch of the month (Feb. 23-28), which was 8 degrees milder than average (high/low of 52°/41°).

 

With 2.59” of precipitation, this February was somewhat drier than average (3.19") and drier than two-thirds of all Februarys. (February tends to be Central Park's driest month.)  Just 0.01” of the month’s precipitation fell during the last 12 days of the month. 

 

January-February 2025 was the driest since 2002, and the sixth driest combo on record.

 

7.1" of snow fell during the month, which was the most snow in February since 2021 (which had 26.0”).  Still, this was three inches below average. The biggest snowfall was 3.1” on Feb. 8-9 (0.1” less than last winter’s biggest accumulation [on Feb. 13]).

 

Although the amount of snow that fell in February was less than average, there were eight days that reported measurable snow, double the average number. It joined 15 other Februarys with eight or more days of measurable snow.  However, these other years all had significantly more snow, averaging 17.6". 

 

Finally, winter 2025 (meteorological winter) was the coldest in ten years and the 10th coldest winter of this century.  Its coldest reading was 10° in on 1/22, the mildest reading was 60° on 12/11 and 12/29.  There was 12.9" of snow, about 11 inches less than average. (However, four winters since 2019 had less snow.) 

 

Here are February recaps from previous years.

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2015

 

2025 Starts With A Cold & Dry January

 

 

January 2025 was 2.5 degrees colder than average, with an average high of 36.5° (three degrees below average) and an average low of 25.9° (two degrees below average).  This was the most below average month in three years (since January 2022).  From Jan. 4 through Jan. 25, temperatures were five degrees below average, with the coldest period being  Jan. 20-23, which was fourteen degrees below average (including the month's coldest reading of 10° on the 22nd). 

 

The end of January (the 26th through the 31st) saw somewhat of a thaw as temperatures were four degrees above average (including the mildest reading of the month, 52°, on the 29th).  

 

This was the second driest January on record, with just 0.61" measured.  Just five days had measurable precipitation. Up until the evening of 1/31, the month was set to become the driest January, but then showers dropped enough rain into Central Park's rain gauge to bring the month's total 0.03" above January 1981's total. 

 

Despite the cold conditions, not much snow fell as three snowfalls produced just 3.0": 0.9" on  1/6; 0.5" on 1/11; and 1.6" on 1/19. (Interestingly, despite January 1981's bone-dry conditions, it had significantly more snow than this January, with 8.0" measured from six days with snow.)

 

Despite snowfall being well below the January average of 8.8", there have been ten Januarys since 2000 with even smaller amounts.  But focusing on cold Januarys since 1869, just a handful have had even more paltry amounts of snow than Jan. 2025.

 

In addition to eight days with highs of 32° or colder this January (one more than average), there were six days with highs of 33°(well above the January average of one).  The 14 days with highs of 33° or colder was the most since Jan. 2014.

 

  Here are recaps of previous Januarys:

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2015

2014

 

 

Recap of December 2024: Biting Cold Prevails In a Battle Between Cold Snaps & Mild Spells

 

 

December 2024 started out cold and dry and ended mild and wet.  Overall, the month was 0.9 degrees colder than average, it received an average amount of precipitation, and snowfall was below average. The month's coldest reading was 13° - which was also the coldest reading of the entire year.  Its mildest reading was 60°. 

 

On average, December is close to six degrees milder than January, but this year it appeared it might be the colder of the two months. However, this possibility went out the window when the last four days of the month had temperatures 16 degrees milder than average.  As a result, Dec. 2024 ended up being 1.2 degrees milder than January (38.2° v 37.0°).

 

The month experienced three cold periods and three mild ones.  The cold periods covered 17 days and were eight degrees below average, while the mild periods covered 11 days and were eleven degrees above average.  

 

 

The month had an equitable distribution of days that were either 10 or more degrees below average or 10+ above average, with there being seven of each.  (It's unusual for a month to have so many days that are well below and well above  average.)

 

   

This was the fifth December in a row that ended with temperatures that were well above average:

 

Dec. 28-31, 2024 - 16 degrees above average

Dec. 24-31, 2023 - 11 degrees above average

Dec. 29-31, 2022 - 15 degrees above average

Dec. 28-31, 2021 - 10 degrees above average

Dec. 28-31, 2020 - 6 degrees above average

 

Although December's 4.53" of precipitation was an average amount, there were 17 days with measurable precipitation, which was the most in any month since July 2021 (which had 18).  Among these 17 days were seven in a row (12/15-12/21), making this the longest streak since one of eight days in May 2019.  The month's precipitation was concentrated among a handful of days, with a little more than half falling on three days: 0.85" on 12/11; 0.91" on 12/16; and 0.56" on 12/28.

 

Although December's precipitation was an average amount, it was nearly as much as what fell in the three preceding months (4.94" in Sept-Oct-Nov, versus 4.53" in December).

 

There were two days with measurable snowfall, totaling 2.8": 1.8" on 12/21, 1.0" on 12/24.  (The average amount in December is 4.9".)  Despite it being a below average amount, this was the snowiest December since 2020 (when 10.5" fell from one storm).  Because the two snowfalls were just a few days apart, enough snow remained on the ground to provide Central Park with its first "white Christmas" since 2009.

 

As mentioned earlier, the month’s coldest temperature was 13° (on consecutive days), which was also the coldest reading of the entire year (besting a reading of 17° in January) .  The two days with lows of 13° also had sub-freezing high readings.  One of them, 12/22, had a high/low of 21°/13°, making it the coldest day of the year (and with winds gusting between 35-45 mph, wind chills were in the single digits).  Lastly, the month's mildest reading, 60°, also occurred on two days (but not consecutive). 

 

Here are links to past December recaps:

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

November 2024 Weather Recap: Warm Start, Rainy Finish

 

November 2024 was 3.4 degrees above average (the sixth month this year that was three degrees or more warmer than average).  The month started off well above average, as the first eight days were nine degrees warmer than the typical first week of November (high/low of 68°/52°).  Then the middle twelve days of the month were three above average, and the last ten days were at seasonable levels.  The average high was 4.2 degrees above average, the average low was +2.6. 

 

The last day of the month, with an unseasonably cold high/low of 39°/30° (nine degrees below average), prevented the month from placing among the ten mildest Novembers, ending up as twelfth mildest (just a smidge behind Nov. 1902).

 

On 11/6 the high reached 80°, the first time since 1993 that a day in November reached the 80s. (And the high on 11/1 was 79°.)  Besides these two Novembers, highs in the 80s have also occurred in Nov. 1974 and Nov. 1950 (which had two days that warm).

 

Just 0.18” of rain fell in the first 20 days of the month (last November saw even less rain in the first 20 days - 0.07").  Then 3.17” fell between 11/21 and 11/28, including 1.58” that fell on the 21st, which was a record amount for the date.  And on the 28th, which was Thanksgiving Day, 0.86" was measured in Central Park, making this the rainiest Turkey Day since 2006. 

 

November's total precipitation of 3.35" was slightly below average, but more than double the combined amount of September (1.58") and October (0.01").

 

When significant rain fell on 11/21, it ended a 52-day period in which just 0.19” of rain was measured in Central Park.  Because of this extended dry spell a drought warning was issued a few days before 11/21's rainfall.  

 

There were seven days with humidity of 25% or lower, the most of any November in the years since 2000.  (October also had seven low-humidity days.)  These readings were concentrated among the first seventeen days of the month.   

 

Here are recaps of past Novembers:

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

October 2024 Weather Recap - The Month That Rain Forgot

 

 

2024 already experienced two dry months as June and September each had less than two inches of rain (and February had 2.05").  Then came October, which became Central Park's driest month on record as just 0.01" of rain fell, passing June 1949, which had 0.02".  The rain fell in the early afternoon on 10/29, breaking a dry streak that began on 9/30.  This 29-day streak is the second longest on record.  (The longest was 100 years ago, when there was one of 36 days.) 

 

 

The metro area's three airports were equally parched as Newark reported no measurable rain, while LaGuardia and JFK, like Central Park, had just 0.01".

   

After an August and September that were slightly cooler than average, October was 3.0 degrees milder, ranking as the 17th mildest October on record.  The average high was 4.2 degrees above average, while the average low was 1.7 above average. 

 

The last 12 days of the month were seven degrees above average and had the month's warmest readings, 81° on 10/22 and on Halloween (the warmest Halloween in 50 years).  Only three other years have had a high in the 80s after 10/31.

 

The vast majority of days, 24, had clear or sunny skies, including 14 days in a row from 10/15 thru 10/28. 

 

Before October 2024 there had been only two days in October (since 2000) that had humidity drop to 25% or lower.  This October, by contrast, had seven (all from 10/12 thru 10/27).

 

Finally, the month's coolest reading was 43°.  Only four other Octobers have had a milder temperature as the chilliest reading (including last October and Oct. 2021.)

 

Here are recaps of previous Octobers:

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

 

 

   

September 2024 Recap: Seasonable Temperatures, Below Average Rainfall

Through 9/26, September 2024 appeared likely to become the third driest September on record as just 0.36" of rain had fallen in Central Park.  Then, from 9/27-29, outer bands of showers from the remnants of Hurricane Helene produced 1.22" of rain.  Although the month was still a dry one, the driest since March 2023, it ended up ranking 23rd among all Septembers.  (By contrast, last September had 14.25" of rain, making it the second wettest September on record.) 

 

Temperature-wise, the month ended up a wee bit below average (-0.4 degrees).  Thru 9/11 temperatures were four degrees cooler than average, but the rest of the month was two degrees above average.  This followed a cooler than average August (-1.0 degree).  The last time Central Park experienced back-to-back months with below average temperatures was in May and June of last year.    

 

The month's warmest reading was just 84° (on 9/19), which was the coolest reading to have this distinction in September since 2009.  The coolest reading was 55° (on 9/8 and 9/9); only three other September have had a milder reading as their coolest temperature: Sept. 1910 (57°); Sept. 1921 (56°), and Sept. 2015 (56°).

 

In a typical September the difference between the coolest and warmest temperature is 38 degrees (51° and 89°, respectively).  This year's gap was just 29 degrees (55° and 84°), making it the smallest gap since another 29-degree difference in September 1908 (51° and 80°).

 

Although there were no readings in the 90s, 9/1 had a low of 73°, the only day of the month with a low in the 70s. Only eight days had lows in the 50s, and they were all in the 55°-59° range.  Additionally, there was an unusual concentration of lows in the 59° to 63° range - 20 of them.  A typical September has nine. 

 

Finally, during the three-week period from 9/2 to 9/22, the City enjoyed sixteen days with either clear or sunny skies, including nine days in a row.  Then, at the end of the month, there was a 5-day streak with overcast skies.  Another streak of note was one of 15 days with no rain, which was Central Park's longest dry streak in three-and-a-half years.

 

Here are recaps of previous Septembers:

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

 

Recap of August 2024: First Month of 2024 To Be Cooler Than Average

 

 

Despite starting with highs in the 90s on five of the first days of the month, August 2024 was the first month since November 2023 with a cooler than average monthly temperature (1.0 degree below average).  This was also the first August since 2013 to have a low temperature chillier than 60°.  And the low of 57° on 8/21 was the chilliest August reading since 2007.  It was also the first August since 2008 with two lows in the 50s.

 

This was the second rainiest month of 2024, with 7.02” measured (March had 9.06").  Two days picked up more than two inches (2.08" on 8/6, 2.29" on 8/18).  Among all Augusts, August 2024 ranks as 27th wettest (out of 156 going back to 1869).

 

Five of the first six days of the month had highs in the 90s (8/1 had the hottest high of the month, 95°) and those days were five degrees warmer than average.  Then the rest of the months was two-and-a-half degrees below average (8/28 was an outlier, with a high of 91°).

 

August 2024 and August 2023 had similar average temperatures (75.1° and 75.0°, respectively) and similar rainfall, but there was a big difference in the range between each month's coolest and hottest temperatures (38 degrees vs. 25 degrees, respectively). 

 

  

On average, August is 4.1 degrees warmer than June, but this year both had the same temperature.  This was the 13th year in which both months had very similar temperatures.

 

 

The sixth longest streak of highs of 80+, 38 days, ended on 8/6.  This was the longest such streak since the summer of 2015, which had the longest on record (62 days).

 

After 31 of 38 days had lows in the 70s between June 30-Aug. 6, only five of the next 25 days (thru Aug. 31) had lows that warm.

 

After June-July 2024 was the third warmest on record, meteorological summer 2024 had a shot at being hottest of all time, but with August being one degree below average, the summer ended up as New York's 15th hottest (still a very high rank).  If August had an average temperature, it would have made 2024's meteorological summer the third hottest. 

 

Here are recaps of previous Augusts:

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

 

July 2024 Weather Recap: Hot First Half, Seasonable Second Half

 

During the first half of July 2024 it appeared the month might become one of the three hottest Julys on record.  Between July 1-17 the average temperature was four degrees above average, with nine days reporting highs in the 90s and seven days with lows of 75° or warmer.  Then the weather pattern shifted and the last two weeks of the month cooled down to seasonable readings, and the month entered the record books tied for 11th hottest with July 1949 (2.1 degrees warmer than average). 

 

This July was just the fourth month on record to have no high temperatures cooler than 80° (the average number is six).  And its 24 days with lows of 70° or warmer was the third most of any July (tied with nine other Julys, including 2023 and 2022).

 

The hottest periods of July were July 4-11 (with every day having a high of 89° or hotter) and July 14-17 (every day in the 90s); both periods had the same average high/low of 91°/75°, six degrees above average.  (The month’s other 19 days had an average high/low of 84°/70°.)  The hottest reading of the month was 95° on 7/8, the warmest low was 79° on 7/7. 

 

The last of the month's nine days in the 90s was on 7/17.  At that point, Central Park had experienced 15 days of 90+ for the year (all of the them between 6/20 and 7/17), which was the 14^th most on record by that date (going back to 1869). 

 

Going into the evening of 7/31, it appeared the month would be the 10^th hottest July on record.  However, a brief shower at 9:30 cooled the temperature from 88° to 73°, which was five degrees below the morning’s low of 78°.  This change was enough to  knock it out of 10^th place (behind July 1966).   

 

July's coolest temperature was 64°, which was reported on 7/1.  Only six Julys have had a milder reading for their coolest temperature (eight others also had 64° as their coolest reading). 

 

As for rainfall, all but 0.39” of the month’s 4.20” fell during the week of 7/11-17.  July’s total rainfall was slightly below average (by 0.40”) and was the driest July since 2017 (which had 4.19”).  By contrast, the Julys between 2018-2023 averaged 6.60” of rain.  Most of this July’s rain came from two storm systems that were five days apart as 2.06” fell on 7/13 and 1.46” fell on 7/17. 

 

Although July's rank for average temperature was 11th, for average low (72.1°) it ranked sixth, but for average high (87.2°) it ranked 17th.

 

Finally, while Central Park and LaGuardia Airport both had nine days with highs of 90+, Newark had 14, but JFK had just one (on the last day of the month).  Looking at highs of 88+, the four sites reported 20, 16, 12, and one, respectively.  JFK isn't usually so different from the other stations, but this July regularly had winds from out of the south, off the ocean, which had a moderating effect on the daytime temperatures at JFK.

 

Here are recaps of previous Julys:

July 2023

July 2022

July 2021

July 2020

July 2019

July 2018

July 2017

July 2016

July 2015

July 2014

June 2024 Weather Recap: 4th Warmest on Record

 

 

June 2024 was the warmest June since 1994, and the fourth warmest June on record.  The hottest period was the eight days between 6/19 - 6/26 when the average high/low was 90°/73°, with six of the days reporting highs in the 90s.  The reading of 94° on 6/21 was not only the hottest reading of the month, it was hotter than any day last year. 

 

A dozen days in June were five degrees or more above average while just one was five degrees or more below average. This was the seventh month in a row that was warmer than average; five of them, including June, were three degrees or more above average (June was +3.1 degrees).

 

With 1.71” of rain measured in Central Park, this was the 21^st driest June on record (tied with June 1926).  This was the second consecutive June with less than two inches of rain (1.62" fell last year).  About half of the month’s rain, 0.77”, fell on 6/6.  After that, less than an inch of rain fell for the rest of the month.   

 

Just one day had a low cooler than 60°.  (A typical June has seven such days.) This occurred on 6/11, when the low was 59° - the mildest reading of any of June's coolest low temperatures (going back to 1869).  

 

The month's coolest high temperature was 73° (typically, June’s coolest high is in the mid-60s).  Only two other Junes have had a milder reading as their coolest high temperatures - 74° in June 1994, and 76° in June 1925 (on eight days).

 

Finally, three days had afternoon humidity levels lower than 25% (on 6/1, 6/25, and 6/28) - the most of any June in the years since 2000.

 

Here are links to June recaps from the previous eight years:

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

 

May 2024 Weather Recap: Mild Nights, Average Rainfall

 

 

May 2024 was 1.8 degrees warmer than average, its rainfall of 4.11" was slightly above average.  This was the sixth consecutive month with above average temperatures and it was the 24th mildest May on record; however, it ranked eighth based on average low (which was 2.4 degrees above average), but ranked 41st based on average high (1.1 degree above average).

 

The highlight of the month was a seven-day streak (May 22-28) with lows of 65° or milder, the longest streak of its kind in May on record.  For the entire month there were eight days with lows of 65°+, the second most on record (tied with May 1908 and one fewer than May 1880).  Interestingly, no lows were in the 70s (41 Mays have had one or more ).  During this streak the temperature was eight degrees warmer than average.  (The rest of the month had average temperatures.)

 

 

On average, May’s warmest temperature is five degrees above April’s (88° vs. 83°), but this May's warmest reading of 84° (which happened on three days: 5/8, 5/22, and 5/24) was three degrees below April’s hottest temperature.  It joined twenty other Mays that had their warmest reading cooler than April's (including last May).

 

The month's coolest reading was 47° on 5/11.  Only seven Mays have had a milder reading as their chilliest (including last May); in those years the reading was either 48° or 49°.  Four other Mays have had their coolest reading also be 47°. 

 

Between 5/23 and 5/30, 2.59” of the month’s 4.11” of rain fell.  0.96" of this amount fell on Memorial Day from downpours shortly after daybreak and during mid-afternoon, making it the rainiest day of May, and the eighth wettest Memorial Day of them all.  On 5/23 the day's 0.78" of rain fell mostly between 9:30 and 11 AM (resulting in ground stops at the area's three major airports).

 

Although Memorial Day had two downpours and overcast skies, the Saturday and Sunday of the holiday weekend had sunny skies and summer-like highs/lows of  81°/66° and 82°/65°, respectively 

 

Here are past recaps of May's weather going back to 2015:

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015