Comparing Central Park's Weather to That of New York's Three Major Airports

 

 

New York City's official reporting site for weather conditions is situated in Central Park, but LaGuardia and Kennedy Airports also collect data, as does Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey (the airports are 7, 16 and 27 miles away from Central Park, respectively).  Central Park is one of the few reporting sites in the US not located at an airport.  Although the park is surrounded by the "heat island" of Manhattan, its temperatures are influenced by the grass and trees, which retain the humidity more than the concrete surroundings of airports.  As a result, afternoon temperatures in the summertime don't rise as much as they do at the three airports, and nighttime temperatures don't fall as much during the winter or summer. 

 

I've looked at five statistics, which cover temperatures and precipitation for the years 2000 to 2022.  Of the four weather stations, Central Park averages the most days with highs of 32° or colder and receives the most precipitation.  Newark is tops in the number of 90-degree days, lows of 32° or colder, and snowfall.  Of the five measures, days with highs of 32° or colder and snowfall are the closest among the four sites.

 

HOT WEATHER: HIGHS OF 90°+

Central Park: At 16.4 days, it ranks third behind Newark and LaGuardia, but ahead of JFK. The biggest difference between CPK and Newark was in 2006, when CPK had only eight days, 50% below average, while Newark had 27, an average number for that site.  2022 and 2021 also had very wide disparities, with CPK reporting 25 and 17 hot days compared to 49 and 41 at Newark.

Newark: The hottest site, with 29.2 days.  It's the site that's reported the most in all but three years (LGA led in those years).

LaGuardia: 23.2 days.  It was the site with the most hot days in 2007, 2018 and 2020.

Kennedy: 11.3 days.  In 2018 CPK, NWK, and LGA were well above their averages, but JFK had a below average number (eight). In 2003 and 2006 JFK had more 90-degree days than CPK.

 

COLD CONDITIONS: HIGHS OF 32° OR COLDER

Central Park: Averages 16.5 days, which is the most of the four reporting sites. In the 23 years since 2000 it's had the most of these cold days in 13 and had four first-place ties.  In 2022 it was in a three-way tie with Newark and LGA with 18 (and JFK was at 17).

Newark: 14.8 days.  It reported the most in one year (2016), and one first-place tie.

LaGuardia: 14.9 days.  It reported the most in two years (2004 and 2008), and one first-place tie.

Kennedy: 14.9 days.  It reported the most in two years (2005 and 2009), and two first-place ties.

 

COLD CONDITIONS: LOWS OF 32° OR COLDER

Central Park:  An average of 67.4 days.  It's never led in this category (or come in second).  The closest it got was in 2000, when it had seven fewer days than JFK.

Newark: 80.0 days.  In addition to having the most days with highs in the 90s, it also averages the most cold nights.  It had the most in all but four years, including 2018 and 2020.

LaGuardia: 61.9 days.  Like CPK, it's never led in this category.

Kennedy: 75.0 days.  It had the most in four years, including 2018 and 2020.

 

ANNUAL PRECIPITATION

Central Park:  This is CPK's area of strength as it has been the wettest site in 20 of the 23 years since 2000, averaging 51.31".  Six  of the 21 years in the period reported 55"+, and two years had less than 40"; the wettest station every year but three, which were in the last four years.

Newark: 47.68".  Four years had 55"+; reported the most of the four sites in 2017, 2019 and 2020.

LaGuardia: 46.60".  Eight years had 50"+; it's never reported the most.

Kennedy: 44.23".  Five years had 50"+, five years had less than 40"; it reported the most once, during the dry year of 2012 (when all four stations had less than 40").

 

ANNUAL SNOWFALL

Central Park: 31.3".  50"+ fell in three of the years; it had the most snow in three years, including 2018.

Newark: 33.0".  Four years had 50"+; the snowiest site, it had the most in eleven of the years of the period, and tied with CPK in 2010 (when both measured 59.1").

LaGuardia: 30.7".  Two years had 50"+; it had the most in five of the years.

Kennedy: 27.5".  One year had 50"+; it had the most snow of the four stations in 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

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Biggest Warmups Following A Snowstorm

 

 

Less than 12 hours after the the last snowflakes fell from the 8.4" snowstorm of March 21-22, 2018, the temperature rose to 50° later that afternoon.  This was the greatest rebound in temperature following a snowfall of six inches or more since 1915 (when the high reached 51° the day after a snowfall of 10.2" on April 3).  Looking at lesser snowfalls (between two and six inches), there have been six that were followed by even milder temperatures, with the the warmest reading being 58° the day after a snowfall of 2.8" on March 13, 1943.  (Coincidentally, in March 1964, on the same dates as this year's 8.4" snowfall, a high of 50° was also reached the afternoon following a snowfall of 4.9".)  And looking at major snowstorms (accumulations of a foot or more), the biggest warm-up came after the 16-inch snowstorm of Dec. 20-21, 1948, when the high reached 42° on the afternoon of the 21st.

 

Going back to 1900, there have been five snowfalls of six inches or more that have been followed by a high of 45° or milder (either during the afternoon of the day of the snowfall or, if snow continued in the PM hours, the following day).  By contrast there have been twenty snowfalls between two to six inches that have been followed by temperatures of 45+.

 

 

 

Previously, I posted an analysis that examined significant snowfalls that occurred the day after mild temperatures.  It can be found here.

 

Snowy day in SoHo (March 21, 2018)

Biggest Snowfalls In Above-Freezing Temperatures

 

 

In high school science class we learned that snow falls in temperatures of 32° or colder; however, that's not always the case as accumulating snow has been known to fall in air temperatures above the freezing mark - as was experienced three times during the winter of 2018 when 4.4" fell on 2/17, 3.2" on 3/7 and 5.5" on 4/2 (and 5" on 3/3-4 in 2019).  This phenomenon happens when snowflakes fall through a shallow layer of air close to the surface that's a few degrees above freezing.  If the air is relatively dry, some of the flakes will evaporate, cooling the air enough to keep the flakes from changing to rain.  (This is a simplified explanation; a more in-depth discussion on the topic can be found here.)

 

During the past 100 years four days have had snowfalls of four inches+ on days with temperatures above freezing, six have had three inches or more and 17 days have had accumulations of two inches or more.  The 5.5" snowfall on April 2, 2018 has the distinction of being the greatest amount to fall with temperatures above 32°, breaking the previous record set 60 years earlier (4.7" on March 22, 1958).  Perhaps the reason so much accumulated was due to the fact that it fell heavily in a short period of time (five hours), thus hindering the rate of melting.  And as mentioned in the opening paragraph, the winter of 2019 saw a five-inch snowfall on March 3-4 in which the temperature got no lower than 33°.

 

 

Please note that this analysis is limited to days that had temperatures above freezing for the entire day.  Days in which snow fell when temperatures were above freezing but also had temperatures of 32° or colder for part of the day aren't included since hour-by-hour  precipitation is provided for the liquid amount that fell rather than snow.  (However, an exception to this limitation is the snowfall on 2/17 of 2018, when the high/low was 40°/28°, since I actively monitored the hourly temperatures and, therefore, was able to verify that no snow fell during the hours in the morning when temperatures were below freezing.  Instead, 4.4" accumulated in the evening/night when temperatures were above freezing.)

 

 

The coldest temperature for the dates on the above chart were either 33° or 34°.  However, there were a few dates with smaller accumulations in which the coldest temperature was 35°: 3/17/1965, when 1.1" was measured; 3/9/1955/0.1"; 2/15/1950/0.4"; 1/9/1932/0.2" and 4/2/1927/0.1".

 

The Magic & Beauty of the Season's First Snowfall

 

 

 

Oftentimes the first snowfall of the winter is inconsequential, e.g., since 1970 half of first snowfalls have been less than an inch.  Occasionally, however, the first snowfall produces a significant accumulation and transforms the City into a breathtaking winter wonderland.  Such was the case with the first snowfall of the winter of 2017-18 when 4.6" fell on Dec. 9.  What made it extra special was the fact that it fell over the weekend and during the run-up to Christmas.  Every year I think I won't traipse around in the snow taking countless photos, because how different can they be from previous snowfalls of previous winters?  Yet I can't resist the ineffable drawing power of snow, as shown in the photo gallery below.

  

 

Washington Square Park

 

A curtain of white, looking south on Sixth Ave. in Greenwich Village

 

Traffic lights, with their green & red lights, serve as giant ornaments at Christmastime, even more so during a snowfall

 

Washington Square Park

 

A view of the Washington Square Christmas tree seen through Ai Weiwei's art installation (thru Feb. 2018), titled "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors"

 

Snow has a softening effect on wrought iron fences

 

Because Washington Square Park is just two blocks from my apartment  it's often where I start my picture taking

 

Giant illuminated snowflakes on Varick Street looked a little less out of place

 

Brings to mind an illustration by Currier & Ives

  

White lights form a tree over the fountain in Father Demo Square (corner of Bleecker St. and Sixth Ave.)

 

The snow-laden Christmas tree in Washington Square Park

 

North Square Restaurant sits on the northwest corner of Washington Square Park

 

A streetlight illuminates tree branches laden with snow and leaves (Barrow St.)

 

Photo Gallery from Winter 2017

Photo Gallery: Snowfalls of Winter 2017

Taking a break from weather statistics and analyses, here's a gallery of this winter's snowfalls in New York as captured through the lens of my smartphone. (There have been eight snowfalls thru mid-March - oops, I slipped a statistic in there!) 

 

0.4" of snow fell the evening of Dec. 11

 

Snow in lamp light on Barrow St. (Dec. 4)

 

Nearly 3" of snow fell the morning of Dec. 17.  This photo shows the slush that resulted when the temperature rose into the upper 30s during the afternoon.

 

Dec. 17, Hudson St. (Greenwich Village)

 

5.1" of snow fell on Saturday, Jan. 7. These apartment buildings are on West 10th St., off of Seventh Ave. South.

 

Of all the photos chosen for this post, this one of famed Village Cigar may be my favorite

 

Looking north on 7th Ave. South from the  second floor of my gym (Jan. 7)

 

I found the white & gray of the snow & steel on this parked on Washington Place aesthetically pleasing (Jan. 7)

 

West 23rd St. (evening of Jan. 7)

 

The park on the corner of 7th Ave. and Greenwich Ave. (Jan. 7)

 

This is the front door of my apartment building (Jan. 7)

 

Two days after a record high of 66 degrees, afternoon temperatures on Jan. 14 were below freezing and about an inch of snow fell.  This photo was taken at Sheridan Square Park.

 

Snow-covered balloons outside of my gym (Jan. 14)

 

Geese foraging in Hudson River Park (Jan. 15)

 

Wintry sunset at Bloomfield Place in lower Manhattan (Jan. 15)

 

An inch of snow fell late in the morning of Jan 31. This photo (looking at the Grand Hyatt) was taken near the corner of Lexington Ave. and 42nd St.

 

9.4" of snow fell the morning of Feb. 9, the day after a high of 62 degrees. I took this photo as I was walking to the subway.

 

This was the sight that greeted me when I stepped out of my apartment building on Washington Place

 

The clock tower of Jefferson Market Library on Sixth Ave. in Greenwich Village.  Visibility for much of the morning was less than 1/4 mile (Feb. 9).

 

In front of the NY Public Library on Fifth Ave. (10AM on Feb. 9)

 

Profiles of famed lions, Patience and Fortitude, who guard the NY Public Library (Feb. 9)

 

The obscured Chrysler Building, looking east on 42nd St./Fifth Ave. (Feb. 9)

 

On a snowy day like this it's more appropriate to call this a "Trudge" sign (Feb. 9)

 

Corner of Madison & 42nd St. (Feb. 9)

 

At the height of the snowstorm's fury (Feb. 9)

 

Steakhouse across the street from my office building (150 E. 42nd St.)

 

Lunchtime, Lexington Ave. near the corner of 42nd St. (Feb. 9)

 

Slush & snowmelt at sidewalk's edge on Lexington Ave. brings to mind modern art (Feb. 9).

 

Snowdrifts in Greenwich Village, night of Feb. 9 (Sheridan Square Park, along Christopher St.)

 

Tribeca patios prepared for evening cocktails (March 14)

 

Snow-covered statue of Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia on LaGuardia Place in Greenwich Village (March 14)

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January 2017 Weather Recap: Snowy ... for a Mild Month

 

 

The first month of 2017 was no different from the 18 preceding months, i.e., it was warmer than average.  And it was well above average, by 5.4 degrees, with only seven days colder than average (and eleven were 10 degrees or more above average).  It ranks as the 13th mildest January on record.  The period between 1/11-1/29 was especially mild, with temperatures ten degrees above average.  During this period there were thirteen days in a row in which the temperature stayed above 32° and sixteen days in a row with above average mean temperatures.  The warmest reading occurred on 1/12, when the high reached a record-setting 66° - the warmest reading in January in ten years.  Other highlights:

 

RECORD SNOWFALL

The month had 7.9" of snow, which came from four snowfalls; much of it fell on 1/7 when 5.1" piled up.  The monthly total was an inch above average, but what's noteworthy is the fact that this was the snowiest January of any of the 25 mildest (which averaged 2.3" of snow).  Additionally, four of New York's coldest Januarys had less snowfall than January 2017 (and three had a similar amount).

 

 

SMALL VARIATION BETWEEN HIGHS AND LOWS

Also noteworthy was the month's diurnal variation in temperature, which, at 9.4 degrees was the smallest of any January (the 50-year average is 12.3 degrees).  It was also the only January to have a diurnal variation less than 10 degrees (January 1960 and 2011 had DVs of 10.1 degrees).  Seven days had variations of of five degrees or less; however, one outlier was 1/13, which had a 30-degree difference between its high and low (62/32).

 

 

NOR'EASTER PRODUCES NEARLY HALF OF MONTH's PRECIPITATION

A nor'easter on 1/23-24 brought winds that gusted to 47 mph and 2.34" of rain.  This storm arrived on the one-year anniversary of New York's biggest snowfall (27.5").  And that storm's liquid precipitation was practically the same as this year's amount (2.32").

 

OLD MAN WINTER'S BRIEF APPEARANCE

A few days before the record high of 66° there was a three-day period with temperatures that were quite cold, with every day having highs only in the mid-20s.  (In a span of three days the high temperature went from being fifteen degrees below average to twenty-eight degrees above average.)  Average high/low during this cold snap was 25/17, eleven degrees below average.  This included the coldest reading of the month, 14° on 1/9.  The 5.1" snowfall fell during this cameo appearance of Old Man Winter.

 

Sheridan Square, Jan. 7, 2017

 

 

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In Winter It's A Marshmallow World: New York Snow History

 

 

Snow seems to captivate us more than rain, perhaps because it's limited mostly to four months of the year.  Or maybe it's because of its ability to transform the landscape into a magical wonderland.  What never ceases to amaze me is that snowflakes are able to pile up on Manhattan's busy streets.  And although New York may be the "City that never sleeps", at times it can be brought to a standstill, and its cacophony hushed, by a blanket of snow.  Below are some interesting facts about New York's snowfall patterns and extremes ...  

 

• Through the winter of 2018 there have been 18 winters with 50"+ of snow (going back to 1870), including four recent winters: 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2015.  And at the other end of the spectrum, nine winters have seen less than ten inches, with the most recent being the winter of 2012.

• The winters of 2014 and 2015 were the fourth pair of winters to have a combined 100"+ of snow, joining 1916 and 1917 (each with 50.7"); 1948 and 1949; 2010 and 2011.

• Nine of the 16 winters between 2003-2018 had 40" of snow or more, the greatest concentration of snowy winters on record.  Average snowfall during these sixteen winters was 36.5", nearly a foot more than the typical winter.  (However, this span also had winters with just 3.5" and 7.4".)  By contrast, none of the winters from 1979 to 1993 (15 winters) had 30" or more of snow.

 

 

• Each of the five winters between 1928-1932 had less than 15" of snow.  The six winters between 1950-1955 each had less than 20" of snow.

• The snowiest month during the winter of 1915 was April, with 10.2".  November was the snowiest month of three winters: 1884, 1939 and 1990.

• Measurable snow fell in April four years in a row in 1915-1918 and again in 1956-1959.

• Less than an inch of snow fell in four Januarys in a row, 1931-1934.

• A typical winter sees six snowfalls of an inch or more.  The winter of 2015 had thirteen, the winter of 2014 had twelve.

 

 

• There have been three winters that had two months with 20+ inches of snow: 1978, 1996 and 2011.  And the winters of 1961 and 2015 were noteworthy for having three months with 16+ inches of snow.  

• A month has had twenty inches of snow or more in consecutive winters twice - in December 1947 (29.6") and 1948 (25.4"), and in February 1978 (23.0") and 1979 (20.1").

• January 1925 is the seventh snowiest month on record, with 27.4", and it accounted for almost all of that winter's snowfall of 29.6".  And January 2016 was similar with its 27.9" of snow (all but 0.4" coming from the blizzard of 1/26-27) accounting for most of that winter's 32.8" total.

• Ten winters have had measurable snow in six months but two of them, 1950 and 1953, had minimal snow (13.8" and 15.1", respectively).

 

 

• The most time that's elapsed between a winter's first and second snowfall was nearly 12 weeks, during the winter of 2011-12, when the first snowfall was on Oct. 29 and the second didn't occur until Jan. 21.

• Finally, after starting out with meager amounts of snow thru the end of December, the winter of 1907 picked up 51.9" of snow after Jan. 1, the winter of 1978 had 50.1" and the winter of 2015 had 49.1".

 

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First Three Months of 2015 Were Second Coldest of Past 100 Years

 

In the past 100 years, only 1920 had a January thru March that was colder than 2015's.  What placed 2015 this high was February's extraordinarily cold conditions (11.4 degrees below average).  However, when all years going back to 1870 are considered, 2015 falls to thirteenth coldest (but 2015 still places among the coldest 10%).  Where 2015 stands out is in its snowfall.  Among the twelve January-March periods colder than it, 2015 was the snowiest, with snowfalls in Jan-Feb-March amounting to 49.1", which was nearly ten inches more than the second highest total.

 

  

COLDEST FIRST 3 MONTHS OF YEAR
	Mean Temperature
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Average*	Snow
1888	23.0	29.3	30.0	27.1	36.3"
1885	29.4	22.7	30.6	27.7	23.2"
1875	23.8	25.2	34.1	27.8	34.3"
1904	25.3	25.4	36.4	29.1	25.9"
1883	25.2	30.2	32.7	29.3	29.5"
1893	23.7	29.4	35.5	29.5	39.9"
1872	28.8	29.9	30.5	29.7	9.9"
1895	29.8	24.1	35.4	30.0	22.5"
1912	23.7	28.8	37.6	30.1	20.0"
1881	24.7	28.7	36.7	30.1	22.6"
1920	23.4	28.5	39.9	30.7	38.8"
1886	26.8	27.5	37.6	30.7	19.8"
2015	29.9	23.9	38.1	30.9	49.1"
Source: NOAA, Local Climate Data
*Weighted to reflect Feb's 28/29 days

New York's Winter Snow Totals Revised Upward for 2015 & 2016

If the winter of 2015 wasn't tough enough, on March 24 the New York office of the National Weather Service issued a statement announcing that the season's snowfall in Central Park had been revised upward by 3.3".  This is the only time I can recall weather records being changed so significantly weeks after the fact.  The official announcement can be found here.  I would have loved to have been privy to the discussions that led to this decision.  I'm especially curious how NWS pinpointed the three snow events that were under-reported (Jan. 6, Jan. 24, and Feb. 2). 

 

For quite a few years weather hobbyists, myself included, questioned the measurements from Central Park since it consistently reported lower accumulations than Newark Airport, LGA and JFK (yet it often had higher rainfall); therefore, it was gratifying to see the issue addressed.  Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the other reporting locations are at airports (perhaps tree branches in the park were blocking snowflakes?).  A post from New York Metro Weather addressed the subject and its implications for confidence in future snow totals.

 

 

A number of other revisions have resulted from the NWS announcement:

1. With 50.3" the new total, the winter of 2015 moves from 22nd to 18th snowiest.
2. Feb. 2's snowfall of 5.0" (revised from 3.3") ties it with 1874 as the snowiest Feb. 2.  This new amount also increased the winter's number of snowfalls of four inches or more to six, tying it with last winter.
3. With Jan. 6's total snow revised from 0.5" to 1.0", the number of snowfalls of an inch or more this winter increased to 13, which is one more than last winter (which had seven inches more total snowfall) and the most since the winter of 1994.
4. Winter 2015 is now the fourth of the past six to see 50" or more of snow.  By comparison, the average is one such snowy winter every ten years.

   

Then the following winter there was revision made to that season's snowfall - and this one had more of an implication.  On Jan. 23 a blizzard dumped 26.8" of snow, putting it just 0.1" behind the biggest accumulation of all time from ten years earlier.  Then three months later the National Weather Service announced that snow from a final band, which amounted to 0.7", had been omitted.  This additional accumulation upped the storm's total to 27.5" and made it New York's biggest snowstorm.

      

These revisions brought to mind 1983 when it was announced at the end of that year that Central Park's rain gauge had been broken since May.  This was an especially crucial matter since 1983 reported the most rain on record, but was it valid?  This put the NWS in a sticky spot, but rather than address it they let it linger for years.  The issue resurfaced in 2011 when that year received the second greatest annual rainfall.  However, some thought it could lay claim as rainiest because of 1983's shaky measurement.  Pressed, the NWS finally decided that the 1983 record would stand - although previous NOAA climate reports left monthly rainfall totals for 1983 blank and noted the equipment malfunction.  I wasn't convinced by their argument.

 

 

The Freakish Snow & Cold of March 1956, 1958, and 1967

 

 

Although many winters have a significant snowfall and a cold snap in March, it often happens in the first two weeks of the month, and is usually limited to one snow event and a few days of cold weather.  This post, however, looks at three years that fell within a twelve-year period in the middle of the 20th century that experienced freakish snow and cold in the second half of the month. 

 

1956 (March 12 - April 8)

During this four-week period 25" of snow fell and temperatures were 6.5 degrees below average.  There were snowfalls of 6.7" and 11.6" that occurred two days apart, on March 16-17 and March 18-19, and then a 4.2" snowfall occurred on April 8 (as well as two smaller snowfalls under two inches).  Up until these four wintry weeks just eight inches of snow had fallen for the entire winter.

 

 

1958 (March 14-21)

On March 14 there was a snowfall of 4.1" followed a week later (March 20-21) by a nor'easter that dumped 11.8" of wet snow.  (This storm paralyzed an area from Maryland, eastern Pennsylvania and much of New Jersey with 20-40 inches.)  And while temperatures in NYC were colder than average during both snowfalls, temperatures much of the time were above freezing.  This ended up being the snowiest month of the winter.

 

 

 

1967 (March 15-23)

During this nine-day period 15.4" of snow fell from three storms, and temperatures were 15 degrees below average.  On the 18th, the high/low was only 20°/10°, which was 27 degrees below average.  Then, on the morning of the 19th the low fell to 8° above zero, the latest date on record for a single-digit reading.  From late afternoon on the 15th until noon on the 20th the temperature was 32° or colder.  This brutal cold was followed by a 10" snowfall on March 22.

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