Today in New York Weather History: June 17

 

1978 (Saturday)

Winds off the ocean from the southeast created a bank of clouds that resulted in there being just a two degree difference between the high and low.  And although the low of 62° was seasonable, the high of 64° was sixteen degrees below the norm.    

 

1989 (Saturday)

In the past two weeks rain fell on twelve of the days, amounting to 7.28".  Coincidentally, last summer had an equally wet two-week period that coincided with the same date range, with just about the same amount of rain measured (7.44").

 

 

2001 (Sunday)

A lot of rain fell overnight and throughout the morning, totaling 1.53".  This was a record amount for the date (broken ten years later).  Then skies quickly cleared in the afternoon, salvaging Father's Day.

 

2004 (Thursday)

After a muggy afternoon, in which the high reached 87°, 0.57" of rain poured down during a thunderstorm between 5-6 PM.  Then more thundershowers popped up later, producing an additional 0.42" of rain.  

 

2010 (Thursday)

This was the fifth morning in a row with a low temperature of either 64° or 65° (a few degrees above average).  Today's and 6/13's low of 65° book-ended three days with lows of 64°.

 

2011 (Friday)

Two thunderstorms moved through before dawn and then two more during the afternoon, dropping 1.82" in Central Park's rain bucket, a record for the date (breaking the previous record set ten years earlier).     

 

 

2014 (Tuesday)

It was very warm and humid, but the first 90-degree day of the year was not to be as the high topped out at 89° (it reached 91° in Newark).  However, the first 70-degree low of the year was registered (two weeks later than usual).

 

2017 (Saturday)

The 1.39" of rain that fell between 11:30 AM and 2 PM was nearly three times the amount that had fallen so far this month (0.48"), and almost equal to the amount that fell since May 23 (1.42"). 

 

2018 (Sunday)

Mostly clear and hot, with a high of 91°, making this the first Father's Day to reach the 90s in twelve years.   Today's heat was somewhat mitigated by low humidity (24% during mid-afternoon), which produced a "feels like" temperature three degrees cooler than the air temperature.  Today's high was 37 degrees hotter than Mother's Day.

 

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2024 (Monday)

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

Today in New York Weather History: June 6

 

1923 (Wednesday)

Highs today and the previous four days: 89°-88°-89°-92°-91°(today), sixteen degrees above average.  Strong thunderstorms struck during the afternoons of the 3rd (0.61" rain fell) and today (0.59").

 

 

1945 (Tuesday)

For the fifth time in the past six days the low was in the 40s (and the one day that didn't drop into the 40s had a low of 50°).  No other June has had this many days with temperatures in the 40s.  What made this streak even more noteworthy is the fact that it came only a few months after the mildest March on record (a record which still stands).  Today's high of 70° was the first that warmed into the 70s since 5/29.

 

 

1989 (Tuesday)

During an afternoon thunderstorm, 1.18" of rain fell in just half an hour (2:30-3:00). 

 

 

2000 (Tuesday)

A rare June nor'easter dumped 2.62" of rain, with 1.10" of it falling between 7:30-10:30 AM.

 

2002 (Thursday)

0.32" of rain poured down in just 10 minutes between 8:50-9:00 PM.

 

2010 (Sunday)

Today was the eighth day in a row in which afternoon temperatures rose into the mid-to-upper 80s (but no 90s).  These readings were eleven degrees above average.

 

 

2017 (Tuesday)

Measurable rain fell for the eighth day of the last nine, but the total amount was unimpressive - just 0.41" (by comparison, the deluge of May 5 saw 2.72" fall in just two hours).  Today's light rainfall was 0.06", which fell throughout the day.  Temperatures during these nine days were  five degrees below average.

 

2020 (Saturday)

Warm and uncomfortably humid, with a high of 86°; the dew point was in the 68°-70° range all morning thru mid-afternoon.  This was the first reading of 85° or warmer this year, the latest date for this occurrence since 2008 (when it happened on 6/7).   Today also had the year's first low of 70°+, which was just a few days later than the average date.  The humidity dropped sharply after a mid-afternoon shower.  Meanwhile, Newark and LaGuardia airports had their first readings in the 90s.

 

2021 (Sunday)

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° and 92°, and those of two weeks ago, 89° and 88°, were in very stark contrast to last weekend's highs of 51° and 51° (Memorial Day weekend).

 

 

2024 (Thursday)

It was a day of wicked humidity as the dew point held steady at 72° for nearly six hours between 7:30 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, during mid-afternoon, and between 9:30-10 PM produced 0.77" of rain.  

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Today in New York Weather History: June 2

 

1928 (Saturday)

Today's high of 83° was the second reading in the 80s of the year and came nearly two months after the year's first, on April 5 (a record for the date).  In the years since 1900 (thru 2024) this 57-day hiatus is the longest on record.

 

1946 (Sunday)

Two days after a summery high of 86°, today was more than 30 degrees colder, along with a soaking rain of more than two inches (six days after another two-inch rainfall).  Today's high was just 52°, twenty-four degrees below average and came one year after an equally chilly three-day period from June 3-5 that saw an average high/low of 53°/49°.     

 

1967 (Friday)

Like yesterday, today's diurnal variation was 30 degrees, but today's high/low of 88°/58° was ten degrees warmer.  Both days featured clear skies.

 

1988 (Thursday)

Today's high of 63° was twenty-seven degrees cooler than yesterday's high of 90°.

 

 

1997 (Monday)

An all-day rain produced 0.99" of rain and would be more than half of the month's total (1.93").  This was the first measurable rainfall on this date in 10 years.

 

2005 (Thursday)

Although it was on the cool-ish side (high/low of 69°/54°), skies were clear and it was a beautiful evening for an after-work excursion around Manhattan on the Forbes yacht.

 

2006 (Friday)

A severe thunderstorm struck shortly after lunchtime on Friday and dumped 1.73" in an hour (2:35-3:35 PM).  During this hour, 0.54" fell in five minutes, and 1.02" in ten minutes.  Total rainfall for the day was 2.79", a record for the date.  

 

 

2007 (Saturday)

This was the tenth day in a row with a high temperature of 80° or warmer.  The average high during these days was 86°, twelve degrees warmer than normal.

 

2011 (Thursday)

Similar to four years ago, the past ten days were nice and balmy, with sunny skies predominating.  Afternoon highs averaged close to 84°,  ten degrees above average.

 

 

2013 (Sunday)

A day that was very warm (upper 80s) and humid was capped off by a late night thunderstorm featuring vivid lightning that dumped a half-inch of rain in just fifteen minutes (10:25-10:40).  

 

2015 (Tuesday)

One day after a chilly high/low of 58°/51°, today was even chillier.  With a high/low of just 55°/50° this was the chilliest day in June since June 2, 1946 (52°/48°).  Today's high was twenty-three degrees below average.  Drizzle and light rain fell throughout the day, bringing Central Park's total rainfall since 6 PM on 5/31 to 2.55" - more than what fell during the previous sixty days. 

 

2019 (Sunday)

A nighttime thunderstorm dumped 0.78" of rain in the 30 minutes between 9:45 and 10:15.  This was the greatest amount in such a brief period so far this year.  Central Park appeared to be the bulls-eye for the heaviest rain as Newark Airport reported 0.31", LaGuardia had 0.30" and JFK just 0.03".  (And at Yankee Stadium there was no rain delay for its game).      

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Today in New York Weather History: May 31

 

1880 (Monday)

Until the last two days of the month just 0.11" of rain had fallen, but 0.28" fell yesterday, and 0.23" fell today.  At the time this was the driest May on record (it's since fallen to fourth place).

 

1885 (Sunday)

Today's rainfall of 0.11" brought this spring's total rainfall to 4.95", making it the driest meteorological spring on record (a record that still stands).  And these dry conditions would continue in June, with just 1.32" of rain  measured. 

 

1929 (Friday)

Today's high was 93° and was the seventh day in a row in which the high was warmer than the day before: 65° (May 25)-72°-74°-76°-77°-84°-88°-93° (today).

 

 

1940 (Friday)

In what would be the biggest rainstorm of the year, 3.13" drenched the City between 1:00 and 11:00 AM (two inches fell between 4-7 AM).  This was also a record for the date (which still stands).

 

1984 (Thursday)

Since May 28, more than five inches of rain fell, helping to make this the rainiest May on record (until May 1989 surpassed it by half an inch, 10.24" vs. 9.74").

 

 

1986 (Saturday)

On a sizzling-hot day that saw the temperature reach 93°, a mid-afternoon thunderstorm dumped 0.70" of rain in a 60-minute period between 3:50-4:50 PM.

 

1987 (Sunday)

Just like last year, it was a scorching hot day, with a high/low of 94°/76°.  (But unlike last year, there was no thunderstorm.)  This was just the fifth time a weekend in May had readings in the 90s on both Saturday and Sunday.  It was also the hottest of the five, and the last time there's been such a weekend in May (through 2024). 

1988 (Tuesday)

For the third year in a row, the high was in the 90s on this date.  Today's high of 91° was also the first ninety-degree day of the year; thirty-one more would follow in the next eleven weeks (thru Aug. 15).

1989 (Wednesday)

For the second year in a row the year's first low in the 70s was on May 31 (the typical date is in early June).  However, this year the afternoon high of 82° was significantly cooler than last year's high.

 

1991 (Friday)

This was the warmest May on record, 6.7 degrees above average.  From May 11 onward, temperatures were nine degrees warmer than average.  These three weeks had temperatures comparable to the second half of June.  Ten days had highs of 85° or warmer (and three others had highs of 84°).  And today was no exception, as the high/low of 91°/71° was fourteen degrees above the norm.  This was the fourth time in the past six years that the high on this date was in the 90s.

 

 

1992 (Sunday)

Half of the month's rain fell today as 1.99" of rain poured down between 3 AM-7 PM, the biggest rainstorm since August of last year.  The rainy conditions and cloud cover resulted in just a two-degree difference in the day's high (61°) and low (59°).  Although the low was average for the date, the high was fourteen degrees below average.  This was the third day this year to have a two-degree diurnal temperature variation, the most of any year in the 1970-2023 period.   

 

1993 (Monday)

Like last year much of the month's meager rainfall (of 1.56") fell today as 0.90" was measured.

 

1998 (Sunday)

High temperatures during the past four days: 85°-84°-85°-84° (today).

 

2003 (Saturday)

This was the coolest May since 1967, and 0.8 degrees cooler than the chilly May of 1997.  Much of the month's 3.40" of rain fell since May 21, including today's 0.59".

 

 

2005 (Tuesday)

The warmest temperature in May was 79° and it occurred not only today, but on 5/27 and 5/28 as well.  This was the last year (thru 2024) in which May's warmest reading failed to top 80° (on average, the warmest temperature in May is 88°).

 

2010 (Monday)

Under sunny skies, it was a summery Memorial Day, with a high/low of 86°/69°, eleven degrees above average.  It was also the fifth year in a row with no rain on the holiday. 

 

2012 (Thursday)

The last day of the month was beautiful, with bright blue skies and warm temperatures (high/low of 79°/66°).  May had fourteen days with morning lows of 60° or warmer, the most since May 1991 (which was the mildest on record).  While May's average high temperature was one degree above average, the average low was four degrees warmer.

 

 

2015 (Sunday)

Today's high of 87° made this the eighteenth day in May with a high of 80° or warmer, a new record for the month (but no days were in the 90s).  It was also the seventh day in a row with a high of 85° or warmer.  During these days, highs averaged 86°, twelve degrees above average.  The month was the second warmest May on record, 0.2 degrees behind May 1991. 

Up until 4 PM it appeared this was going to be the first May since 1964 with less than an inch of rain, but then strong thunderstorms moved in and dumped 1.46" of rain - three times the amount that had fallen in the first 30 days of the month (0.40").  In fact, more rain fell in the 45 minutes between 4:00 and 4:45 (0.93") than had fallen in the previous 40 days. By midnight, the temperature had tumbled to 57°, 30 degrees colder than twelve hours earlier.

 

2016 (Tuesday)

Sunny and warm with a high of 85°, the seventh day in a row with temperatures in the 80s.  This was in stark contrast to the first week of May, which was characterized by overcast skies and cool temperatures.  The average high that first week was 57° (12 degrees below average), while the average high during the last week of the month was 87° (13 degrees above average).

 

2021 (Monday)

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°.  

 

2022 (Tuesday)

It was 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 this year saw a high of 96° in April).  This was the second reading in the 90s 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 to 10 degrees lower than what it was during the afternoon of 5/21. 

Today would be the hottest day of the year until 7/20, when the high/low was 95°/78°.

 

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Today in New York Weather History: May 29

 

1968 (Wednesday)

After starting last night at around 10:00, heavy rain continued thru this morning.  By the time it ended, shortly before 12:00-noon, 4.88" had flooded the City, snarling the morning commute.  The 3.99" that fell today set the daily record for the month of May (breaking the previous record of 3.82" on May 9, 1908).

 

 

1969 (Thursday)

Not only did today have the first reading in the 90s this year, but with a high of 97° it would be the hottest reading all year (there would be highs of 96° on June 28 and July 17).

 

1987 (Friday)

Today, with a sizzling high of 96°, was the first day of an early heat wave that lasted four days; the other three days had highs of 97°, 94° and 93°.  There hasn't been a reading in the 90s on 5/29 since (through 2024).

 

1990 (Tuesday)

Beginning at 9 AM, and continuing for the rest of the day, 2.40" of rain fell.  This was a little less than two weeks after 2.32" fell, and brought the month's rainfall up to nine inches.  Today's heavy rain kept the temperature well below average, as the high was only 60°, fourteen degrees below average.

 

 

1995 (Monday)

During a severe nighttime thunderstorm on Memorial Day, 0.50" of rain fell in just 30 minutes (11:40-12:10 AM).  The storm was also accompanied by hail.   

 

1999 (Saturday)

The Memorial Day weekend began today, and all three days were marked by sunny skies and high temperatures in the upper 80s (87°-88°-89°).

 

 

2001 (Tuesday)

Including today's 0.18" of rain, all but 0.07" of the month's 2.03" rainfall came in the past nine days (the first seventeen days of the month had no measurable rain).

 

2006 (Monday)

Today was Memorial Day, and for the first time since 1999 the temperature rose into the 80s.  The afternoon high of 88° was fourteen degrees above average.

 

 

2012 (Tuesday)

Under sunny skies, chances appeared very good that the year's first reading in the 90s would happen today.  Alas, the high came up short by one degree, mirroring yesterday's high of 89°.  However, very high humidity (the dew point was in the low 70s) pushed the heat index into the mid-90s.

 

2016 (Sunday)

Today was the fifth day in a row with a high temperature of 87° or warmer, and a mean temperature that was ten degrees or more above average (two days had highs in the 90s).  Temperatures during this five-day period were 14 degrees above average.

 

2017 (Monday)

Overcast skies and light rain from 6 AM until 1 PM kept temperatures on Memorial Day stuck in the upper 50s for much of the day (the official high, 61°, occurred shortly after midnight).  This was the chilliest Memorial Day since 2003, when the high was 56°.

 

2023 (Monday)

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

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Today in New York Weather History: May 17

 

1924 (Saturday)

Today's high was 75°, the first 70-degree reading of the month, and it would be the warmest reading of the entire month - the coolest reading to have this distinction in May (79° is the second coolest warmest reading).  Today's reading wouldn't be topped until 6/5.

 

 

1970 (Sunday)

Rain fell between 9 AM and 7 PM and amounted to 0.56", the first rain to fall on this date in 16 years.

 

1974 (Friday)

Today's high temperature reached 92°.  Not only was it twenty-one degrees above average, but a record for the date (which still stands), and the first day in the 90s of the year.

 

  

 

1987 (Sunday)

This was the 18th day in a row in which no high temperature was duplicated (the streak began on 4/30).  During these days, highs ranged from a chilly 48° to a blazing 90°.

 

1989 (Wednesday)

3.35" fell during a rainstorm that began the previous day.  Measurable rain fell for twenty-nine consecutive hours and ended shortly before 10:00 this morning.  Today's rainfall of 1.09" was a record for the date, a relatively low amount for such a designation.  This is the only time an inch of rain has fallen on this date since record-keeping began in 1869.

 

 

1991 (Friday)

Today's high was 83°, the seventh day in a row with a high temperature of 80° or warmer.  The average high during this week was 84°, thirteen degrees above average.

 

 

2017 (Wednesday)

After nearly two weeks without a reading of 70° or warmer (May 3-15), yesterday's high reached 79°, and today's soared to 90°.  This was the earliest date for a reading in the 90s since 2010 (when it happened on April 7, earliest on record).  And it came four days after a high of 53°.

 

2018 (Thursday)

Light rain during the morning made this the sixth day in a row with measurable precipitation.  This was the third six-day streak this year, joining 1945 and 1919 as the only years with three streaks of six days or more.  However, the amounts from this year's streaks were unimpressive: 0.90" (Feb 14-19); 1.33" (Apr 24-29); and 1.49" (May 12-17). 

 

2019 (Friday)

Measurable rain fell for the eighth day a row, the longest rainy streak since another streak of eight days in the summer of 2006 (and the thirteenth eight-day streak since 1900).  The rain that fell today was minimal, 0.03", and came from light showers during lunchtime, and between 9:30-10:00 tonight.  In total, 2.56" of rain fell during this streak.  This was also the seventh Friday in a row with measurable rain, and the ninth of the past ten.   Today's high of 76° was the mildest reading during the streak.

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Today in New York Weather History: May 16

 

1916 (Tuesday)

The remnants of the year's first (and very early) tropical system produced a record amount of rain for the date (2.66"), with almost all of it falling after 4 PM.  And an additional 0.30" would fall in the pre-dawn hours of the 17th. 

 

1989 (Tuesday)

Just before daybreak, 0.58" of rain poured down in an hour, between 6:23-7:23 AM.  This downpour came in the opening hours of a rainstorm (lasting through mid-morning tomorrow) that dumped 3.35" of rain (2.30" fell today).  And it came just six days after a rainstorm of 2.37".

 

1990 (Wednesday)

A year after 2.30" of rain fell on this date, 2.32" of rain fell today, much of it after 8 PM. 

 

2001 (Wednesday)

This was the 25th day in a row without measurable rainfall, making it the third longest rain-free streak since 1970, passing two streaks of 24 days in Jan/Feb 1980 and in August 1995. 

 

2007 (Wednesday)

I celebrated my 50th birthday two days after the actual date with a dinner party at a Venezuelan restaurant in Greenwich Village.  Unlike my 40th birthday, which had beautiful weather, this year featured thunderstorms between 4-10 PM that dropped 0.83" of rain.  It was a warm and muggy day, with temperatures reaching the mid-80s before the rain moved in.

 

 

2012 (Wednesday)

Overnight showers amounting to 0.09" made this the seventh year of the past nine in which rain fell on this date. 

 

2014 (Friday)

A light, wind-swept rain during the afternoon turned steadier and heavier after dark.  The 1.54" that fell was over before midnight (an inch poured down in the hour between 10-11:00).  This was the twelfth day of the past eighteen to see some rain, totaling a lucky 7.77".  Much of it fell today and on 4/30 (when 4.97" fell).

 

2015 (Saturday)

Measurable rain fell for the first time since April 22, a span of 23 days (the longest dry spell since one of 26 days in April/May 2001).  Showers fell before daybreak and then again tonight between 9:00 and midnight, measuring 0.30".  In between, skies were overcast with temperatures rising into the mid-70s. 

 

   

 

2021 (Sunday)

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.)

 

2024 (Thursday)

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°).

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Today in New York Weather History: May 14

 

May 14 is the last date until Sept. 28 not to have a record high of 90° or hotter.  The record high on the date is 88°, set in 1900. 

 

1957 (Tuesday)

Although temperatures on 5/13 and 5/15 were unseasonably warm (mid-80s), today's temperatures were at seasonable levels.  Rain moved in as evening approached and it fell heavily between 9-11:00 when two inches was measured.  In total 2.55" fell, and it was over before midnight.  This rainstorm, which was a record for the date (until 1978), accounted for two-thirds of the month's rain. (Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, I was born in the pre-dawn hours during a thunderstorm.)   

 

 

 

1978 (Sunday)

The biggest rainstorm of the year dumped 3.58" of rain thru 4 AM on 5/15.  It came down heaviest between 11:30 AM and 4 PM when 2.53" fell.  The 3.38" that fell today was a record amount for the date and the most to ever fall on Mother's Day.

 

 

1991 (Tuesday)

0.51" of rain thundered down in 20 minutes during a nighttime thunderstorm (10:25-10:45 PM).

 

1997 (Wednesday)

Sunny skies and pleasant temperatures were Mother Nature's gift to me on my 40th birthday (high/low of 70°/49°).

 

2002 (Tuesday)

The 0.05" of rain that fell between 1:00 and 2:30 AM was the first measurable precipitation on this date in 11 years.

 

2007 (Monday)

Today was my 50th birthday, and the high/low of 70°/49° was the same as it was on my 40th birthday.

 

2013 (Tuesday)

This morning's low of 42° was the chilliest reading of the month.  Today was also the eleventh day this year with a mean temperature ten degrees or more below average - one more than all of last year.

 

2019 (Tuesday)

Today was the third day in a row with gloomy, rainy and chilly conditions.  70% of the past 40 days reported measurable rainfall in Central Park, twice as many days as is typical (28 vs. 14).  However, seven of these days accounted for about three-fourths of the 8.55" of rain measured in this period.  During lunchtime today the temperature rose out of the 40s for the first time since daybreak on 5/12, a span of 56 hours.  Then after just a few hours, the mercury fell back into the 40s.

 

2023 (Sunday)

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%.

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A Look Back at New York Weather: May 8

 

1980 (Thursday)

Today's chilly high of 56° (twelve degrees below average) came three days after a high of 90°.

 

1984 (Tuesday)

This was the fourth day in a row with a high temperature of 69° (one degree above average).  And three of the mornings had lows of 53° (two degrees above average).

2000 (Monday)

Today's high was 91°, the second day in a row with a record high. 

 

2011 (Sunday)

It was a near-perfect Mother's Day, with a high of 74°, five degrees milder than average.  Bright sunshine in the morning gave way to a mix of sun and puffy cumulus clouds during the afternoon. 

2013 (Wednesday)

Nearly two-and-a-half inches of rain poured down during morning rush hour - twelve times the amount that fell in the previous twenty-five days (0.19").  Including additional showers that moved thru at lunchtime, 3.02" fell in total, equal to the amount measured during the previous eight weeks.  Manhattan was the bulls-eye for this torrential rain - the biggest rain storm since September 2011, and the most rain to fall in a 24-hour period in May since 1978.  Additionally, today's amount was a record for the date, breaking the previous one set in the 19th century.

 

 

2016 (Sunday)

After having highs of 70° or warmer on the previous five Mother's Days (with four of the five in the 74°-83° range), today's was a chillier than average 65°, which made it the chilliest MD since 2010 (when the high was only 52°).  However, after a period of rain around daybreak, the sun broke through late in the morning and the afternoon was sunny, breaking a week-long streak of overcast skies.  And although today's high temperature was four degrees below average, this was the warmest reading since 4/25.

 

 

2020 (Friday)

A rare springtime incursion of Arctic air moved through during the afternoon, and by midnight the mercury had fallen to 36°.  This was a record for the date, the first May reading in the 30s since 1978, and the coldest reading in May since 1966 (36° on 5/10).  Light rain fell during the PM hours, amounting to 0.45".  (It should be noted that the reading of 36° credited to today actually occurred shortly before 1 AM Daylight Saving Time on 5/9, but the NWS uses Standard Time year-round for its records.) Save

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Looking Back at New York Weather: April 30

 

1874 (Thursday)

The last three days of the month all had lows of 32° or colder, joining eight other days this month with lows this cold.  No other April has had this many days with lows of freezing or colder; these days contributed to this being the coldest April on record.  (The following April and April 1943 would have nine such days, the second most on record.)

 

1925 (Thursday)

It was rainy (0.55" was measured) and very cool, with a high/low of  just 45°/42°.  The high was a record for the coolest maximum temperature on this date.

 

1940 (Tuesday)

Today's high of 67°, just a few degrees above average, was the mildest reading of the month.  (The warmest high temperature in April in the years before then was typically in the 78°-82° range.)  In the years since 1900 this was the only April with no readings of 70° or warmer - until 2020.

 

 

1942 (Thursday)

Today's high of 91°, a record for the date, followed a high of 72° yesterday, and 53° the day before that.  The previous record for the date, 86°, was set just last year.  In both years, the humidity was quite low during the afternoon, at around 25%.

 

1962 (Monday)

After three days of summer-like warmth (highs of 91°-89°-80°), this afternoon was raw and showery with temperatures only in the upper-40s.

 

1963 (Tuesday)

Up until today, just 0.39" of rain had fallen this month, and it appeared it would become the driest April on record.  However, an all-day rain brought 0.89", and the month ended up tied for third driest April.  Until 2014, today's rainfall was a record for the date, which was the second smallest amount for a daily record (Sept. 9's daily record is 0.86", which was established back in 1902).

 

1990 (Monday)

Today's high of 56° (ten degrees below average) was quite a drop from 73° yesterday and 90° two days ago.

 

2012 (Monday)

The final nine days of April all had chillier than average temperatures - the longest such streak since the end of March last year.  But despite these below average conditions, the month was the unprecedented thirteenth in a row with above average temperatures. 

 

2013 (Tuesday)

With a high/low of 68°/51°, today's mean temperature was two degrees above average, just enough to move the month's mean temperature from 0.1 degree below average to right at the average.  Thus, it joined August 1999 and August 1985 as the only months since 1980 to have a mean temperature on par with the monthly average.  April's high was 0.1 above average; the low was 0.1 below average.  However, what was far from average was the month's precipitation, which amounted to just 1.31".  This was 71% below the norm of 4.51", making it the fifth driest April on record (and the driest in 50 years).

 

2014 (Wednesday)

Until this year, April 30 was one of three dates that had never seen an inch of rain.  That distinction ended today as nearly five inches flooded the area, with more than half of it falling after 6 PM.  The 4.97" that fell was the tenth greatest daily rainfall on record (now ranked twelfth).  Besides the rain, it was also a very raw day, with temperatures only in the 40s.

 

 

2019 (Tuesday)

Today was the eighteenth day this month with measurable precipitation, the most of any month since May 2012, and the most on record of any April (the most of any month is nineteen days, in Dec. 1972 and May 1973). 

However, despite this high frequency of rainy days, the amount of rain that fell in April, 4.55", was an average amount.  (Seven days had 0.03" or less.)  By contrast, New York's ten rainiest Aprils averaged 12 days of precipitation (ranging from nine to fifteen).  

 

2023 (Sunday)

After drying out overnight from yesterday’s deluge of 2.49”, 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.  Then three storms dropped more than two inches of rain in the last nine days of the month : 2.19” on 4/22-3; 2.79” on 4/28-29; and 2.32” today. 

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

 

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