April 2018: Unseasonably Cold and Wet in NYC

April felt like a wild ride of weather in New York City this year. It produced both a record-breaking snowfall and a balmy summer preview with temperatures in the 80s. However, with 19 out 30 days posting below average readings, the cold won out in the end. The city’s mean temperature for the month was 49.5°F, which is 3.6°F below normal.

While unseasonably chilly, the month was not a record breaker. That dubious honor, according the NWS, belongs to April 1874 when the monthly temperature was only 41.1°F. The city’s warmest April on record was April 2010 with a mean temperature of 57.9°F.

In terms of precipitation, this April was unusually wet with 14 out of 30 days producing rain or snow. In all, the city received 5.78 inches of rain, which is 1.28 inches above average. Of that total, 49% fell during a single heavy rain event on April 16. Snow was also abundant with 5.5 inches measured in Central Park. Coming down during a single storm on April 2, it set a new daily snowfall record for the date. On average, the city gets 0.6 inches of snow for the entire month.

April was a wild ride of weather in NYC. Credit: The Weather Gamut