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September 2016 Weather Review - Summer Hangs On

 

September song

 

September 2016 was characterized by seasonable temperatures at both the beginning and end of the month and unseasonably warm conditions during the days in between (Sept. 6-23); temperatures during this summery two-and-a-half week period were nearly seven degrees above average.  As a whole the month was 3.8 degrees warmer than average, tying Sept. 1983 and 1884 as the tenth warmest on record (this followed the third hottest August). 

 

Three days had highs in the 90s and seven had mean temperatures that were ten degrees or more above average (one of which was the first day of autumn).  There were just five days with below average temperatures.  The most below average was 9/30, with a high of 59/56 (it was the high that was below average, by 11 degrees) - this was the first day in September with a high in the 50s in fifteen years. 

 

50 Deg Highs in Sept 

OTHER SEPTEMBER HIGHLIGHTS

  • The high on Labor Day was 84°, which was the same as Fourth of July and very close to Memorial Day's high (82°).  This was just the third time since 1970 that that three summer holidays had very similar highs.  But whereas Memorial Day's high was seven degrees above average and Labor Day's five above, 4th of July's was at the seasonal average.
  • On Sept 11 the heat index was 101°.
  • The three 90-degree days in September brought the year's total to 22, five above average and the most since 2010.  The 91-degree reading on 9/14 was the latest high in the 90s since 1995 (when it occurred on 9/15).
  • Although September's rainfall was below average, more fell than in August (2.79" vs. 1.97").  There were no storms that produced an inch or more of rain but three had a half-inch or more (on 9/14, 0.56" poured down in an hour during a late afternoon thunderstorm).  The rainiest day was 9/19 when 0.68" fell.  Since March, all but one month (July, with 7.02") has had below average rainfall, resulting in a deficit of nearly 10 inches in these seven months (20.91" vs. 30.78") .

 

September sun

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The Towering Clouds & Beautiful Sunsets During Summer 2016

 

Sheridan sq sunset

 

I've always had an appreciation for clouds and sunsets.  Five years ago I probably wouldn't have been able to write this post because I didn't have my smartphone with its camera.  Now I'm able to snap photos at a moments notice, enabling me to capture this summer's overabundance of photo-ready thunderheads and stunning sunsets.  And because I live in the West Village I probably notice them more since the low-rise buildings make the sky much more accessible than in Midtown Manhattan.  I hope you enjoy the photo revue that follows ... 

 

Sunset in my face
The photo display begins with one of me along the Westside Highway at dusk during Memorial Day weekend.

 

Rays of sun
Rays of the setting sun stream over Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village.

 

Sunset in mckees rocks
I took this photo during a June visit to Pittsburgh to see my mother. These clouds brought to mind those I'd often see over the Atlantic Ocean close to sundown on Fire Island.

 

July 1 2016
Taken on July 1, this photo shows a thundercloud from a storm that struck half an hour earlier. Although it was around 9PM the top of the cloud was catching the rays of sun that was below the horizon.

 

Sun thru slate gray
Early evening sun filtered through a slate gray sky over Sheridan Square.

 

Towering thunderclouds in glen rock
This isn't a cloud formation in New York but it deserves an honorable mention.  I snapped the photo of this breathtaking thunderhead during a weekend visit to south central Pennsylvania in the midst of a late July heat wave.

 

Moonshine
Taken from my kitchen looking east as the full moon was rising.

 

Sunset aug 3
This was the view on 7/28 looking east from the 44th floor of an apartment building on the  Upper West Side. The light pastel coloring was the result of a fire in a warehouse in Long Island City (Queens) an hour earlier.

 

Gathering clouds by grand central
Taken as I was walking to the subway after work on 42nd St. across from across from Grand Central Terminal.

 

Glorious clouds and sun
Looking west from Sheridan Square at around 6PM in mid-August. Seeing it I felt I was in the presence of the Divine.

 

Cloud tower
Early evening on a hot day in mid-August.  These mountainous clouds brought a quick downpour to upper Manhattan, but not to Greenwich Village.

 

Towering
Similar view and thunderclouds as the previous photo but on a different day one month later.

 

10 charles street
The same cloud formation as it moved behind the apartment building at 10 Charles St.

 

Puffy and wispy
Wispy and puffy clouds over the West Village.

 

Sunset christopher pier
Sunset on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, taken on Christopher St. pier, which looks out across the Hudson River.

 

Pastel sundown
This is how the sun's rays from the above sunset reflected on the bank of towering clouds in the east.  Reminds me of rainbow sherbet.

 

Up from subway
I snapped this photo shortly after I came out of the Christopher St. subway station in the early evening. This view is looking east.

 

Orange red sunset
Taken the evening of Sept. 11 as I left the gym on Seventh Ave. South.

 

Sept14 sunset
Taken on Sept. 14 close to the West Side Highway in Chelsea, shortly after a late afternoon thunderstorm. A few hours earlier the temperature was in the low 90s, the last 90-degree day of the year.

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Lga sunset
6PM on Sept. 15, awaiting take-off at LaGuardia Airport.

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Golden sunset
Finally, a golden sunset on Sept. 17 during a visit to my childhood neighborhood in McKees Rocks, PA.

 

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September 2015 Weather Recap: New York's Warmest on Record

Trophy.winner

 

After experiencing near record-warmth in May (second warmest) and August (third warmest), 2015 can now lay claim to the warmest September on record, easily topping 1961's previous record by 0.9 degrees.  Like much of the summer, September's average temperature was greatly influenced by the lack of any incursions of chilly air masses.  The coolest reading was 56°, which matched Sept. 1921 for the mildest minimum reading for the month.  (September's coolest reading is typically around 49°.)  And only five days had lows in the 50s, which was well below the average of 13.  Finally, the month joined Sept. 1968 and 1921 as the only Septembers to have no high temperatures cooler than 70°.  A typical September sees five or six such days.  Other interesting facts:

 

  • Nine days had mean temperatures (average of the high/low) that were 10 degrees or more above average, but that was no match for the 14 such days in Sept. 1961.  (1961's average high was just 0.1 degree lower than 2015, but 2015's average low was 1.7 degrees milder.)
  • This September matched that of 2005 by having just one day with a below average mean temperature.  However, in 2015 that day was just one degree below average while 2005's was four degrees below the norm.  (And Aug. 2015 had only a handful of days that were below average, and they were all also just one degree below average.)
  • This was the first time since 1998 that September was warmer than June, which was close to average (74.4 vs 71.2).
  • Despite this year's record warmth, Sept. 1961 had more 90-degree days (8 vs. 6) while Sept. 2005 had more 80-degree days (23 vs. 19).
  • The hottest high temperature of the year occurred on 9/8 when the mercury reached a record 97°.  (However, the year's highest mean temperature occurred on 7/20, with a high of 94°/82°).

 

Highline

 

  • The month saw the end of the longest streak of 80-degree days on record, 62 days.  Then shortly thereafter another warm temperature record was established - most total days of 80°+ in a year (which grew to 114 days by the end of the month).  In both instances the previous record holder was 1944.  (Despite this record number of 80-degree days, 2015 ranks 12th for most lows of 70° or warmer.)
  • The month was on the dry side and featured a 15-day stretch with no rain (the second longest streak of the year).  In total 3.28" of rain fell, with most of it falling on two days - a record 1.51" on 9/14 and 1.27" on 9/30.  And although the month had below average rainfall (one inch below average), it had considerably more rain than any of the next eight warmest Septembers, which averaged just 1.58".

 

10 WARMEST SEPTEMBERS 
(Since 1900)
           
  Mean Average Max Min
 Year Temp High Low Temp Temp
2015 74.4 82.6 66.3 97 56
1961 73.5 82.5 64.6 95 49
2005 73.3 81.6 65.0 92 50
1959 72.3 80.9 63.6 93 46
1931 72.3 81.3 63.3 99 49
1921 72.1 80.7 63.5 96 56
1930 72.0 79.8 64.1 88 52
1983 71.8 80.5 63.0 99 49
1971 71.5 77.3 65.8 91 49
2010 71.1 78.7 63.4 96 54
           
Source: NOAA Local Climatological Data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Summer of 2015 Highlighted by Record Streak of Days Above 80 Degrees

 

80Plus

 

The Arctic air that was entrenched over the Northeast during the harsh winter of 2015 became a distant memory later that summer when New York experienced 62 days in a row with high temperatures of 80° or warmer (July 10-Sept. 9).  This was a record streak, besting the previous record from 1944 by three days.  (On the day the streak ended the high was 79°.)  Of course, summertime temperatures in the 80s or warmer aren't unusual; what was unusual is that for nine weeks there were no incursions of Canadian air or back-door cold fronts from New England.  (These are responsible, on average, for twelve days with highs in the 70s or cooler in July and August.)  The average high during these weeks was 87.5°, five degrees above average.  Below are some other tidbits of interest:

 

  • This year's streak joined ten others that were five weeks or longer.  Among them, four have occurred since 2005.
  • 2015's s streak included 19 days in the 90s, but 1944's and 1966's (second and fifth longest, respectively) had even more, 30 and 23.  And among the ten longest streaks, the streak in 1966 was the hottest, with an average high temperature of 91°.
  • 2015's streak was instrumental in making the August 2015 the third hottest on record and July/August the fifth hottest.
  • Finally, this year's streak of warm days matched a streak of cold weather during the winter when another record was set - 61 days in a row with high temperatures that never went above 45°. 

 

LONGEST STREAKS OF 80-DEGREE+ HIGHS
           
# of      Average Days Days
Days Year Dates High 90s 80-81
62 2015 July 10 - Sept 9 87.5 19 4
59 1944 June 26 - Aug 23 89.7 30 5
41 2011 July 4 - Aug 13 88.8 17 1
41 1943 July 8 - Aug 17 87.4 14 1
40 1966 June 20 - July 29 91.0 23 2
37 1917 July 16 - Aug 21 86.1 5 3
36 1999 July 15 - Aug 19 89.5 17 2
35 2008 July 7 - Aug 10 86.4 7 7
35 2005 Aug 20 - Sept 23 84.2 3 6
35 1998 July 9 - Aug 12 85.5 3 3
35 1953 June 18 - July 22 88.6 15 2
           

 80degdays

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90-Degree Days in September

 

Hotweather.1940s

 

September is more likely than May to see 90-degree temperatures.  While May experiences a 90-degree day once every three years, September sees one about every two years.  The most such days in occurred in 1961, when there were eight, followed by seven in 1895, 1970 and 1983.  The most consecutive years to have a 90-degree reading in September is eleven, from 1936 to 1946.  (More recently, there was a seven-year streak between 2012-2018.)  The most consecutive years without one is six, from 1885 to 1890.  Finally, three days in September have never had a reading in the 90s: 9/28, 9/29 and 9/30 (9/24 was on this list until 2017). 

 

Only four of New York's ten warmest Septembers are among those with the most days in the 90s: 2015 (warmest September on record/six 90-degree days); 1961 (second warmest September/eight 90-degree days); 1931 (sixth warmest/five 90-degree days); and 1983 (tenth warmest/seven 90-degree days).  And one of the ten years with the most 90-degree days, 1988 (32 days), reported no 90-degree days in September.

 

Lastgaspofsummer

 

Finally, there have been five years with 90-degree readings in October - four were concentrated between 1938-1941, and the last time was in 2019.  Two of those years were back-to-back (1938 and 1939), and in both years there were no 90-degree days in September.  October 1941 had two 90-degree days, including the hottest October reading on record - 94° on 10/6.  In addition, there have been nine  years in which there were 90-degree days in the last ten days of September, most recently in 1980.

 

Most 90 Degree Days in September

 

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The 'Last Gasp' of Summer - Noteworthy Late Summer Warm Spells

 

Cool.dog

 

Late season heat waves can be great if your vacation happens to coincide with one of them, or if it occurs over the Labor Day weekend.  However, they can also be unwelcome, especially in years when a hot summer doesn't want to let go of its grip (as was the case in 1980, 1983, 1993 and 2010).  Since 1940 there have been more than two dozen of these last gasps of summer (of at least five days).  Some are distinguished by temperature, others by number of days.  For this analysis I discuss seventeen I found to be of greatest interest. (By "late season" I'm referring to any unseasonably warm spell that occurred between Aug. 20 thru about Sept. 20.) 

 

1947 (Aug. 22-26 and Sept. 7-15)

1947 is the only summer in this analysis with two late warm spells.  The first had an average high of 91°, which was nine degrees above average; the second's average high of 86° was ten degrees above average.  

1948 (Aug. 25-30)

This six-day sizzler merits attention because three of the days had highs in the triple digits and two others had highs of 95°.  With an average high/low of 97/76 this is the hottest of the late summer heat waves.

1953 (Aug. 24 - Sept. 5)

This one is the stand-out of all the late season hot spells - all twelve days were in the 90s, including six in a row with highs of 97° or hotter (two of which were in the triple digits).  This is also the longest heat wave in NYC history.

1959 (Aug. 25 - Sept. 9)

This sixteen-day stretch followed an eleven-day hot spell between Aug. 12-22 that ended when two days had unseasonably cool highs in the low 70s.  Then the heat returned beginning 8/25 and continued for sixteen days.  And there would be an early autumn warm streak of nineteen days from Sept. 22 thru Oct. 9.

1961 (Aug. 25 - Sept. 14) & 1964 (Aug. 22 - Sept. 11)

These two are grouped together because they were very similar.  Both lasted for 21 days, the lengthiest of any of the late summer warm spells.  And both had very similar dates.  1961's was a bit hotter than 1964's, with an average high/low of 89/71 versus 87/65; 1961 had nine 90-degree days while 1964 had seven.  However, unlike many of the periods of unseasonably warm weather, there were no highs hotter than 95° in either year.  1964's sultry period was notable because the first three weeks of August had been very cool, five degrees below average, with just one day reporting an above average mean temperature.  

1973 (Aug. 26 - Sept. 5)

Very similar to the late summer heat wave of 1953, this one featured eight days in a row with highs in the 90s, including highs of 98° on 8/28 and again on 8/30.  For the entire eleven-day stretch the average high was 93°.

1979 (Aug. 25 - Sept. 7)

Although three days were in the 90s, what was more striking was the twelve days in a row with lows in the 70s.  The average low during these days was 74°, nine degrees above average. This warm spell was also distinguished by having the smallest difference between the average high and low, twelve degrees.  The only late summer warm spell with a warmer average low would come six years later (but it lasted only five days).  This warm spell featured a cameo by the remnants of hurricane David, which dropped 1.29" of rain on the morning of 9/7.

1980 (Aug. 23 - Sept. 7)

Half of the sixteen days were in the 90s (five of which were 95+) and three other days reached 89°.  The average high for this stretch f days was 90°, ten degrees above average.  (Fifteen days after this hot spell ended the high reached 94° degrees on 9/22.)

1983 (Sept. 3-12)

The highlight was a high of 99° on 9/11, the hottest reading of a hot summer.  And the mercury hit 97° the day before.  Overall, these ten days had an average high of 91°, which was fourteen degrees above average.

2005 (Sept. 12-23)

This was one of the latest of the late incursions of summertime heat; it was also part of 35 days in a row with highs in the 80s that began Aug. 20.  This five-week period was also very dry, with just 0.33" of rain measured in Central Park.

2010 (Aug. 29 - Sept. 2)

The hottest summer on record extended into the first few days of September during this five-day streak of temperatures in the 90s.  And Sept. 3 would probably have reached into the 90s as well if not for cloud cover brought by hurricane Earl (the AM low was a sticky 75°).  Five days after this hot stretch ended saw two days with highs of 89° and 90°.

2014 (Aug. 29 - Sept. 5)

In 2014 New York didn't experience an extended period of hot weather until late in the summer.  Seven of the eight days saw highs of 88° or hotter, with four of them in the low 90s.

2015 (Aug. 30 - Sept 9)

This eleven-day period began with a five-day heat wave and ended with a three-day heat wave, which included the hottest reading of the year, 97°, on Sept. 8. 

2016 (Aug 26-31)

For the third year in a row late summer featured unseasonably warm weather.   Earlier this summer there were two five-day heat waves, and while this six-day period didn't meet the definition of a "heat wave" (i.e., every day has a high of 90+), these days were eight degrees above average.  

 

Summer

 

2018 (Aug. 27 - Sept. 6)

This eleven-day stretch was comprised of two four-day periods of hot weather at the beginning and end, with three close to average days in between.  Each four-day period had three days in the 90s and three days with lows of 75°+.  The average high/low of the entire eleven days was 88/75°, eight degrees above average.  The average low is the warmest of any late summer hot spell of ten days or longer.

 

 Chart - Hottest Late Summer

Chart - Last Gasp of Summer

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September 2014 Weather Recap: Dry & Warm

Sept2014calendar

September 2014 began and ended with significantly warmer than average temperatures.  Sept. 1-6 was 8.5 degrees above average while Sept. 26-30 was +7.5.  Meanwhile, the days in between (Sept. 7-25) were 1.5 cooler than average.  For the entire month, September was 1.7 degrees above average, with a dozen days five degrees or more above average.  This was the mildest September in three years, and the 35th mildest among all Septembers since records began in 1869. 

 

The warm spell between Aug. 31 thru Sept. 6 was the longest stretch of warm weather all year (every day had a high of 86° or warmer), and included the hottest day of the year, Sept. 2, which had a high/low of 92°/77° (thirteen degrees above average).  And the fifteen-day streak of 80-degree (or warmer) days between Aug. 24 to Sept. 7 was also the lengthiest of the year.

 

Since 1960, only September 2005 was drier than this September, as just 1.21" of rain fell.  Since records began, this ranks as twelfth driest September.  (Sept. 2005 is tied for second place, with just 0.48" measured.)  The "rainiest" day was on 9/25, when 0.32" was measured in Central Park.

 

No.rain

 

August and September's combined rainfall of 3.46" was five inches below average, and the least to fall during these two months since 1995.  Among all years on record this two-month combo ranks eleventh.  

 

Finally, this was New York's most above average month, temperature-wise, since last October (which was 3.3 degrees above average), and the driest, also since last October (which had just 0.36" of rain).

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Comparing Weather Conditions of Summer's Three Big Holidays

 

Previously, I've published separate posts about weather conditions over the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends and for the 4th of July.  This post compares the three side-by-side, looking at them as single-day holidays (i.e., the Mondays of Memorial Day and Labor Day, and the 4th of July) for each year going back to 1970 (thru 2022).

 

Coney.island.crowded    

 

Because of where they fall on the calendar, you'd expect the 4th of July to be the warmest of the three holidays and Memorial Day the coolest, but that's happened in just one-third of the summers.  (On average, the high on Memorial Day is 75°, on 4th of July it's 84°, and 81° on Labor Day.)  Memorial Day has actually been the warmest of the three holidays in five of the years (the last time was in 2014; and tied with 4th of July in two other years), while in fifteen years Labor Day was the warmest (including 2021 and 2022; and tied with 4th of July in two other years).  And July 4th had the coolest high temperature in six years (most recently in 2014 and 2015).

 

YEARS IN WHICH MEMORIAL DAY WAS THE  WARMEST SUMMER HOLIDAY
         
    High Temperature
    Mem Day 4th of July Labor Day
2011   86° 86° 70°
2009   81° 79° 74°
2007   83° 71° 82°
2006   88° 87° 75°
1991   89° 82° 74°
1985   86° 86° 83°
1981   87° 75° 74°
         
         
YEARS IN WHICH  4TH OF JULY WAS COOLEST SUMMER HOLIDAY
         
    Mem Day 4th of July Labor Day
2015   85° 75° 92°
2014   86° 74° 88°
2008   80° 78° 84°
2007   83° 71° 82°
1979   75° 71° 86°
1978   79° 62° 80°
         
     

The summer of 1999 has the distinction of having the warmest three-holiday average temperature, 10 degrees above average, while the summer of 1982 was the coolest, eight degrees below average (with 1992 close behind, at 7.5 degrees below average).

 

WARMEST 3-HOLIDAY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
       
Summer of 1999      
  High Low Mean
Memorial Day 89 68 78.5
4th of July 96 79 87.5
Labor Day 83 74 78.5
Average 89 74 81.5
       
COOLEST 3-HOLIDAY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
       
Summer of 1982      
  High Low Mean
Memorial Day 55 50 52.5
4th of July 77 60 68.5
Labor Day 82 60 71
Average 71 57 64
       

 

The holidays during four summers - 1972, 1986, and 2016 had nearly the same high temperatures.  In 1972 the high was 78° on Memorial Day, 79° on 4th of July and 77° on Labor Day, while in 1986 the highs were similar to 1972's, but in a different order (76-77-78).  And 2016's were all in the 80s, with a high of 82° on Memorial Day and 84° on both July 4 and Labor Day.  On the flip side, the greatest variations in high temperatures occurred in the summers of 1974 (55-95-73) and 2003 (56-92-69).

 

In the years covered by this analysis there has never been a summer in which all three holidays had highs in the 90s.  In fact, there has been only one year, 1983, in which two of the three holidays had 90-degree readings (95° on 4th of July, 91° on Labor Day).  Looking at cool temperatures, three summers saw all three holidays fail to reach 80° (1972, 1986 and 2001).

 

Labor Day 1986 has the distinction of having the "coolest" high temperature that was the warmest reading of the summer holidays of any year - 78°.  And in 1972 and 2001 the warmest reading of the three holidays was 79° on 4th of July in both years.

 

Fifteen summers (i.e., about one out of four) were rain-free across all three holidays.  The last time this happened was in 2021.  Conversely, just three years saw rain on each holiday, in 1979, 1984, and 1998.  Although in 1984, the 4th of July had just 0.01", but the other two holidays picked up ore than an inch. 

 

Labor day weekend
  

 

 

 

 

 

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Hurricanes & Tropical Storms That Have Lashed New York City Since 1970

 

Hurricane

 

Since 1970 (thru 2024), nearly 40 hurricanes and tropical storms have made their presence known in the New York City area, with the most serious being Gloria in 1985, Floyd in 1999, Irene in 2011,  Sandy in 2012, and Ida in 2021.  And 2004 was noteworthy for having three tropical storms that flooded New York in the month of September (2020 had three, but over the course of 13-1/2 weeks).  These tropical systems have lashed the area as early as the first week of June and as late as late October, but September is by far the month when the majority have struck.  The longest stretch with no tropical systems visiting the area is five years (1986-1990) 

Although tropical systems often cause flooding and wind damage, nor'easters can wreak as much, if not more, havoc.  When tropical storms reach this far north they are in the process of weakening, while nor'easters are usually gaining strength at this latitude.  To read about some of New York's memorable nor'easters click here.  The hurricanes and tropical storms discussed below are listed in chronological order.  (Please note that three named storms that had no impact on New York are included because they were originally expected to affect us.)

 

DORIA

Rain from tropical storm Doria moved in shortly before daybreak on Aug. 27, 1971, and continued through early evening.  Rain was heaviest between 1:00 and 3:00 PM, when 1.76" poured down.  In total, 4.16" was measured - a record for the date.  Wind gusts of 40-50 mph accompanied the rain.  Then, after a break of about four hours, a second round of rain moved in on Aug. 28 between 1-6 AM.  1.80" fell, with more than half (1.11") falling in the hour between 3-4 AM.  In total, Doria produced 5.96" of rain in Central Park.  Rainfall amounts were even greater in New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania.     

 

HEIDI

On Sept. 14, 1971, less than three weeks after Doria, tropical storm Heidi brought heavy rain to the area.  Between 4-9 AM and 2-4 PM, 3.76" of rain poured down.  Today's amount was 0.06" shy of the record for the date.      

 

AGNES

Rain and gusty winds from the remnants of what was Hurricane Agnes moved through the area on June 22, 1972, mostly between 7 AM-7 PM.  By the standards of tropical systems, rainfall wasn't particularly heavy as just 1.19" was measured.  This paled in comparison to the catastrophic rains of 8-12 inches that Agnes dumped on parts of New York state and Pennsylvania.  Although the main thrust of the storm was today, wraparound rain would fall tomorrow and on the morning of June 25, delivering an additional 1.39".   

 

BELLE

Hurricane Belle made landfall as a Category 1 storm near Jones Beach around midnight on Sunday, Aug. 9, 1976.  A little more than four inches of rain fell, much of it between 10 PM and midnight, when 2.37" poured down.  This deluge is memorable for me because it happened on the evening my brother and I drove from Pittsburgh to New York for my first visit to the Big Apple - and we were clueless about the hurricane.  I remember being alarmed by the blinding sheets of rain as we made our way through northern New Jersey.  Fortunately, because the eye was 75-100 miles to the east, we escaped any high winds.    

 

DAVID

The remnants of tropical storm David moved through between 4 AM and daybreak on Sept. 6, 1979, with 50-mph wind gusts and 1.22" of rain.  When it was a hurricane, David was one of the most powerful on record, the only category 5 storm to strike the Dominican Republic, where it killed thousands.  By the time it made US landfall in Georgia, it was considerably weaker. 

 

DEAN

Rain from tropical storm Dean moved through during the early morning of  Sept. 30, 1983.  2.64" fell between 3-8 AM, but the bulk of it poured down in the hour between 6:30-7:30, when 2.05" was measured.  Today's rainfall was comparable to the amount that fell between Sept. 1-29. 

 

GLORIA

Hurricane Gloria made landfall on Long Island near the Nassau/Suffolk county line on Sept. 27, 1985, and dumped heavy rain in NYC during the morning (3.13", a record for the date), with most falling between 8:30-11:30.  The sky cleared around 1:00 and the rest of the afternoon was beautiful.  The bountiful rain helped put a dent in the year's rainfall deficit.  (To read my first-person account of the storm double click here.) 

 

HUGO

Powerful category 4 Hurricane Hugo made landfall near Charleston, SC overnight on Sept. 22, 1989, and the New York metro area was prepared for 5-10 inches of rain when the storm's remnants moved up the coast.  However, the region was spared when the storm moved inland instead and stayed well to the west.  This was a big relief since six inches of rain had already fallen between Sept. 14-20.  What the City did experience was warm and humid conditions.

 

BOB

Hurricane Bob struck the eastern end of Long Island on Aug. 19, 1991, and then struck southeastern New England and Cape Cod.  The impact on New York City was heavy rain, mostly between 3 AM-noon, that amounted to 2.53".

 

BERTHA

Rain and wind from tropical storm Bertha moved in late on July 12, 1996 (a Friday), and continued until mid-afternoon on July 13.  About two inches of rain fell and was accompanied by winds of 30-45 mph.  Western New Jersey and the lower Hudson River valley had the heaviest rain, picking up between three and seven inches.    

 

EDOUARD

An early forecast caused concern on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend in 1996 when Hurricane Edouard was predicted to make landfall on Long Island.  However, the storm stayed away, and the only effect from the hurricane was heavy surf, especially out in the Hamptons.

 

DANNY

On July 24, 1997 the remnants of hurricane Danny dumped 3.75" of rain, the rainiest 24-hour period on record for the month of July in New York.  (Rain that fell after midnight brought the storm's total rainfall to 4.62".)  Rain was heaviest between 8:21-9:21 PM when 0.94" fell.  With winds out of the east/northeast, it was also a very cool day; the high of 68°/low of 58° was fifteen degrees below average. 

 

FLOYD

Tropical storm Floyd flooded the area with 5.02" inches of rain on Sept. 16, 1999, forcing many businesses to close early and causing service on some subway lines to be suspended because of track flooding.  Today's rainfall, a record for the date, was an inch more than we had for the entire summer.  More than half of it fell between 8 AM and 1 PM, but an additional 0.76" fell from a final band of heavy rain that moved through between 6-7 PM.  Rainfall in Newark and Philadelphia exceeded seven inches.  Floyd produced historic flooding in North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey and was one of the ten most destructive natural disasters in US history.    

 

FRANCES

Heavy rain (3.77") from tropical storm Frances flooded the area on Sept. 8, 2004 shortly before the morning rush hour (most fell between 4-7 AM).  1.76" fell between 5-6 AM.  Frances' effects were felt here three days after it made landfall as a slow-moving category 2 hurricane on Florida's east coast.  

 

IVAN

2.18" of rain fell during the morning of Sept. 18, 2004, most of it between 8-10 AM, as the remnants of Hurricane Ivan moved through.  Ivan's rainfall was much heavier in Pennsylvania and upstate New York.  Damage -wise, the storm was one of the five costliest hurricanes (until 2010's Hurricane Irene pushed it down to sixth).  

 

JEANNE

Three weeks after the remnants of Frances, and ten days after Ivan, the remnants of a third tropical storm, Hurricane Jeanne, moved through on Sept. 28, 2004.  By the time its rain ended the following morning, 4.66" had fallen, the most from a storm system since tropical storm Floyd dumped 5.44" in 1999.  The rain that fell today, 3.84", was a record for the date and brought the month's total to 11.41" making this the rainiest September since 1934.  

 

ERNESTO

Sept. 2, 2006 was the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, and it was cool and wet as tropical storm Ernesto moved through, dropping 1.24" of rain; the day's high was just 66°, thirteen degrees below average.  Sunday and Monday, however, were very nice, but a bit cooler than average (mid-70s).  

 

BARRY

After beginning the night before, nearly four inches of rain was dumped on the City as the remnants of tropical storm Barry moved through on June 4, 2007.  The rain was over by noon.  The amount that fell from the storm was twice as much as fell during the entire month of May. 

 

HANNA

Tropical storm Hanna dumped 3.54" of rain on Sept. 6, 2008, mostly between 3-9 PM.  Rain was heaviest between 5-6 PM when 0.97" poured down.  As a hurricane, Hanna devastated Haiti and killed more than 500.  It made landfall in the US near Myrtle Beach, SC.  The rainfall Hanna dumped on New York was the biggest 24-hour soaker of the year, and the most in sixteen months.  It was also a record rainfall for the date. 

 

EARL

Hurricane Earl brought only overcast skies and muggy conditions to the New York area, but it lashed the Eastern end of Long Island on Sept. 3, 2010.  Then, as a downgraded tropical storm, it made a direct hit on Cape Cod.  

 

IRENE

During the evening of Aug. 27, 2011 wind and rain from Hurricane Irene began lashing the area as it slowly made its way north from the North Carolina and Virginia coasts.  By midnight, 2.88" of rain had fallen, and 3.99" fell the morning of the 28th.  As a precaution, New York's transportation system was shut down at noon and 350,000 residents were evacuated from low-lying areas. 

Irene dumped a total of 6.87" of rain, one of the greatest 24-hour rain totals measured in Central Park.  This tropical deluge brought August's total rainfall to 18.95" - the most to fall in any month.  In addition to the flooding rains, winds gusted between 50-70 mph (a gust of 62-mph was recorded at Central Park), downing more than 2,000 trees along City streets and in parks. 

 

LEE

A week and a half after Irene, the moisture from tropical storm Lee, combined with a cold front, dropped 5.33" of rain over the three-day period Sept. 6-8, 2011.  Rainfall amounts of up to ten inches flooded Maryland, central and eastern Pennsylvania, and much of the same terrain in New York State flooded by Irene.

 

SANDY

One year after a pre-Halloween snowstorm crippled the area, superstorm Sandy struck on Oct. 29, 2012 between noon and midnight.  It lived up to its advance hype - and then some.  Although heavy rain wasn't an issue (less than an inch fell), 60-80 mph wind gusts, and a record storm surge wreaked havoc on New York's transportation system and power grid.  The storm surge struck not only at high tide (8:30 PM), but during a full moon, creating flooding that Manhattan had never experienced before.    

 

ANDREA

A soaking rain fell throughout the day on June 7, 2013 as the remnants of tropical storm Andrea moved up the coast.  Rain came down especially hard after dark.  In total, 4.16" fell, a record for the date - and the second greatest June rainstorm on record (an additional 0.43" fell after midnight on 6/8).  This was the second earliest tropical system to affect New York in the 1970-2020 period; the earliest was tropical storm Barry on June 3-4, 2007.  Because of the rain and cloud cover, today's high only reached 63°, thirteen degrees below average. 

 

ARTHUR 

Although hurricane Arthur put somewhat of a damper on the 4th of July in 2014, New York was on the northwest fringe as the system raced northeastward from the North Carolina coast.  Through mid-afternoon skies were gray with light showers, but just 0.14" was measured.  (By contrast, severe thunderstorms on the evenings of 7/2 and 7/3 produced 2.74" of rain.)  It was a breezy day, with winds occasionally gusting to 30 mph.  By the time Macy's fireworks exhibition began skies were clear.  However, conditions further east, on Fire Island and in the Hamptons, were worse.    

 

FLORENCE & GORDON

The remnants of Hurricane Florence, which brought disastrous flooding to southeastern North Carolina a few days earlier, synched-up with a cold front and brought heavy rain during the afternoon of Sept. 18, 2018, producing 1.16".  When the rain began the dew point was at a sticky 74°.  This rain came eight days after the remnants from Hurricane Gordon brought 1.38" of rain (but it fell over the course of nearly 24 hours). 

 

BARRY

This was the second tropical system named Barry to visit the New York area.  Its moisture arrived during the evening of July 18, 2019, producing 1.82" of rain between 8 PM and midnight, with more than half of it pouring down in the initial hour (this was more rain than had fallen in the previous three weeks).  Before the rain arrived, the afternoon had been hot and steamy, with a high of 93°, dew points in the low-to-mid-70s and a heat index of 105°.  Barry 2.0's rainfall was half the amount that fell from Barry 1.0 in 2007. 

 

DORIAN

The northernmost bands of showers from hurricane Dorian moved through the City during the afternoon and early evening of Sept. 6, 2019, with most of the minimal rainfall pouring down between 3-4 PM (when 0.27" was measured).  With the storm situated to the south-southeast of the metro area, winds were from the east-northeast (peak gust in Central Park was 29 mph), drawing in unseasonably cool air.  Before the rain moved in at lunchtime the mercury rose to 67°, but then dropped to 58° by evening.  This was the first time since mid-June that a high and low were in the 60s/50s.

 

Hurricane dorian

 

FAY

This quickly developing tropical storm zipped from North Carolina to the Jersey Shore on July 10, 2020, soaking New York with 2.54" of rain, with most of it pouring down between 1:30-4:30 PM.  This amount was a record for the date, and the greatest one-day rainfall since May 2018.  The temperature and dew point were in the 70s all day long, giving the air a pronounced tropical feel.  This was the fourth "F"-named tropical system since 1970 to affect NYC, but it was the only one that didn't strike in September. 

 

ISAIAS

After making landfall late last night in North Carolina as a hurricane, Isaias sped through the mid-Atlantic on Aug. 4, 2020.  Because the center of the storm moved further west than was anticipated, New York City was spared heavy rain, but winds gusted to 48 mph in Central Park and 78 mph at Battery Park City in lower Manhattan (and 68, 69 and 70 mph at Newark, LaGuardia and JFK airports. respectively).  There were extensive power outages caused by downed trees. 

While just 0.55" of rain fell from daybreak to lunchtime in Central Park (most between 11 AM-noon), four inches+ flooded eastern Pennsylvania.  And although it wasn't associated with Isaias, a severe thunderstorm late last night dumped the same amount of rain in about 30 minutes as fell this morning.

 

Hurricane isaias

 

DELTA

Moisture from the remnants of hurricane Delta moved into the area on Oct. 12, 2020 and produced a steady, but light, all-day rain that amounted to nearly one inch (0.96"); an additional 0.34" fell the following day.  Winds out of the northeast, gusting between 25-30 mph, kept the temperature unseasonably cool.  The high of 57° (which occurred shortly after midnight) was the first maximum reading in the 50s since 5/9.

 

ELSA

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 (July 9, 2021).  1.79” of rain fell this morning, largely between 3-9AM.  (Elsa produced significantly more rain over Long Island, largely in the 3-4” range.)  By afternoon, the sun broke through and the temperature rose into the mid-80s.  This tropical system moved through the area one day before the one-year anniversary of tropical storm Fay lashing the metro area.

 

HENRI

Hurricane Henri was a huge rainmaker for the New York area.  In fact, the City received much more rain than areas that were closer to the storm’s center.  Between the evening of Aug. 21, 2021, when the rain first arrived, through early afternoon on Aug. 23, 8.19” of rain fell.  All three days had more than inch of rain (4.45”, 2.67”, and 1.07”), with more than half of the total falling in the storm's first five hours (when Henri was still a few hundred miles to the southeast, and 16 hours away from landfall in Rhode Island). 

The rain was made a bit more bearable, due to the fact that there were no winds of tropical storm strength.  Henri's rainfall was the most from a hurricane/tropical storm since the "Great Atlantic Hurricane" of Sept. 12-14, 1944 flooded Central Park with 9.40".

 

IDA

Although Hurricane Ida, which made landfall in Louisiana four days ago as a category 4 storm, had weakened to a tropical depression when it arrived in the Mid-Atlantic on Sept. 1, 2021, what energy remained packed quite a punch, flooding New York with extreme rainfall (and causing many more disruptions than tropical storm Henri did a few 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 – 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 issued, for the first time, a Flash Flood Emergency for NYC, and subway service was suspended throughout the City.  Shockingly, thirteen residents died from flood-related causes in the five boroughs (and 25 in NJ).  Unlike Henri, which wasn’t a wind producer, Ida’s visit was accompanied by winds that gusted between 35-50 mph.  

 

IAN

The remnants of hurricane Ian, which pummeled southwestern and central Florida on Sept 28, 2022, brought rain and wind to NYC during the first five days of October (beginning at daybreak on 10/1) after the center of circulation moved eastward from West Virginia and then stalled off the Mid-Atlantic coast.  In total, 3.28" of rain fell, with more than half of it (1.85") pouring down on 10/4 (between 2-4 AM the 1.05" that was measured was comparable to what fell on 10/1 and 10/3). 

Interestingly, Central Park reported no measurable rainfall on 10/2 but significant rain fell in other areas of the metro area.  Winds gusting between 25-35 mph were common through 10/4.  Temperatures during the five days were unseasonably cool, with the average high of 58° 12 degrees below average.      

 

NICOLE

The remnants of hurricane Nicole, which made landfall on Florida's east coast yesterday, brought rain during the afternoon and evening of Nov. 11, 2022, 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.  This was the latest a tropical system impacted the New York area since 1925 when one brought rain over a five-day period from Dec. 1-5.

 

OPHELIA

Once tropical storm Ophelia made landfall in North Carolina, rain and gusty winds moved into NYC at sunrise on Sept. 23, 2023 (a Saturday) and continued thru early afternoon on Tuesday, the 26th.  Although the rain didn't fall at an especially heavy rate, 3.00" of rain was measured in Central Park (0.96" on the 23rd; 1.25" on the 24th; 0.59" on the 25th; and 0.20" on the 26th).  The rain was lashed by wind gusts between 25-35 mph. 

 

HELENE

Although its center of circulation was never closer than northeastern Georgia (800 miles away), wraparound showers from the remnants of Hurricane Helene (which pounded the panhandle of Florida late on Sept. 26, 2024) extended all the way to the mid-Atlantic, producing three days of showers on 9/27 (0.18" fell); 9/28 (0.26"); and 9/29 (0.78").  The amount that fell on the last day was nearly equal to what fell in the first 28 days of the month.  

 

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