Tag Archives: nyc

A Day of Downpours in NYC

Posted on by

Torrential downpours drenched New York City yesterday.  In fact, the Big Apple received nearly a month’s worth of rain in just one day.

According to the National Weather Service, 3.02 inches of rain fell in Central Park.  Not only is that a new daily record, it is more than double the amount of rainfall the city received during the entire month of April.

After a stretch of twenty-five days with hardly any significant precipitation, yesterday’s rain was very beneficial for the area.  The rate at which it came down, however, caused a number of localized flooding problems.

NYC Monthly Summary: April 2013

Posted on by

April’s famous showers were few and far between in New York City this year.  We only collected 1.31 inches of rain, which is 3.19 inches below normal.  This makes April 2013 the city’s fourth driest April on record.

Bouncing up and down throughout the month, temperatures in the city felt like they were on a roller-coaster. One day even brought the Big Apple a taste of summer with a high reading of 82°F. Despite these extremes, the city finished the month with an average  temperature of 53°F.  That is neither warmer nor colder than normal.

April2013Graph Credit: The Weather Gamut

Sandy is Retired from List of Hurricane Names

Posted on by

There will never be another Hurricane Sandy – at least not in name.  The World Meteorological Organization has announced that it is officially retiring the name from its list of Atlantic cyclones.

The WMO is responsible for naming tropical storms and hurricanes around the world.  It maintains a set of six rotating lists for each hurricane-prone region. After a six-year cycle, names are re-used.  Names are only retired when a storm was particularly noteworthy – causing a large number of fatalities or an extraordinary amount of damage. In terms of Sandy, the late October storm claimed the lives of 72 people and caused more than $50 billion worth of damage in the United States alone.

Sandy is the 77th name to be retired from the Atlantic list since the current naming system began in 1953. It will be replaced with Sara beginning in 2018, when last year’s list is recycled.  Some other retired Atlantic Basin names include: Andrew, Katrina, and Irene.

A Brief Taste of Summer in NYC

Posted on by

The Big Apple had a sweet, but brief, taste of summer this week.

The city’s high temperature reached 82°F on Tuesday, which is 23°F above average.The warm conditions did not last long, however.  In fact, they ended with a bang as a severe thunderstorm rolled through the area mid-week.  Producing strong winds and heavy rain, the storm ushered in cooler air and brought temperatures back to more seasonable levels.

Despite the rollercoaster-like sensation that dramatic temperature swings produce, this recent warm-up was a welcome change of pace for many winter-weary New Yorkers.

AprilTempSwingGraph Credit: The Weather Gamut

Event: The Science Behind Sandy

Posted on by

On Thursday, April 4th, Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory will be hosting a public lecture, “The Science Behind Sandy”.

Adam Sobel, an atmospheric scientist and professor at Columbia, is expected to address many of the meteorological questions raised by the historic storm.  Some of these include: What kind of storm was Sandy?  How rare was it?  Can we expect more storms like it in the future?

In light of the catastrophic damage that Super-storm Sandy caused in the New York City area, and the current debates on how to re-build, this talk should be very informative.  For more details, please visit the LDEO website.

 

NYC Monthly Summary: March 2013

Posted on by

March roared like a lion in New York City this year, with cold and blustery conditions dominating the month. With all but ten days posting cooler than normal readings, the city’s average monthly temperature only reached 40.1°F.  That is 1.9°F below normal. In fact, this was the first March in twelve years that we did not have a single day break the 60°F mark. This was a huge departure from last March, which was the second warmest March on record for the Big Apple.

In terms of precipitation, snowfall was abundant.  March usually brings the city 3.6 inches of snow, but this year we saw 7.3 inches accumulate in Central Park.  Rainfall, however, was scarce.  The city only collected 2.90 inches, which is 1.46 inches below normal.

March2013Graph Credit: The Weather Gamut

NYC Monthly Summary: February 2013

Posted on by

February is usually New York City’s snowiest month, and this year it lived up to expectations.  We accumulated 12.2 inches in Central Park, which is 3.4 inches above average.  Most of this snow fell during the massive northeastern blizzard at the beginning of the month.  Rainfall was also abundant.  The city collected 4.25 inches, which is 1.16 inches above normal.

In terms of temperature, New York was fairly cold this February.   With eighteen out of twenty-eight days posting cooler than normal readings, the city’s average monthly temperature was only 33.9°F, which is 1.1°F below normal.  This was a significant departure from last February, which was the warmest February on record.

Feb2013Graph Credit: The Weather Gamut

 

Blizzard of 2013

Posted on by

A massive winter storm clobbered the northeastern Unites States overnight.  Snow accumulated from New Jersey to Maine with some areas collecting more than three feet.

This storm was a classic winter nor’easter.  It formed when two weather systems – one with cold air coming in from the west and the other with warm air approaching from the south – merged and moved up the coast.  The deep moisture content of this particular event, however, helped make it an exceptional snow maker. In producing both heavy snowfall and powerful winds, this storm brought travel of all kinds to a standstill across the region and caused widespread power outages.  Some communities also experienced coastal flooding.

In New York City, we received 11.4 inches of snow in Central Park.  While this was a minor accumulation compared to nearby cities and towns, it was the most snow the Big Apple has seen in two years.

The northeastern Blizzard of 2013, as seen from Space

The northeastern Blizzard of 2013, as seen from Space

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

Groundhog Day 2013

Posted on by

Today is Groundhog Day, the halfway point of the winter season.

According to folklore, on this particular date, the weather conditions of the second half of winter can be forecast by the shadow of a prognosticating groundhog.  Upon emerging from its burrow, if the groundhog sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter.  If it does not see its shadow, then spring will arrive early.

In New York City, our local weather-groundhog is “Staten Island Chuck”. This year, he did not see his shadow and is predicting an early arrival of spring-like conditions for the city.

Staten Island Chuck, officially known as Charles G. Hogg VII

Staten Island Chuck, officially known as Charles G. Hogg VII

Image Credit: silive.com

NYC Monthly Summary: January 2013

Posted on by

January, the dead of winter, is typically the coldest month of the year in New York City.  This year, despite the frigid arctic blast toward the end of the month, temperatures were mostly above average.  In the end, the city’s monthly temperature registered 35.1°F, which is 2.1°F above normal.

In terms of precipitation, NYC was mostly dry.  We collected 2.76 inches of rain, which is 0.89 inches below normal.  Snowfall was also lacking.  Only 1.5 inches was measured in Central Park.  On average, January usually brings the city 7.0 inches of snow.

NYC_JanTempsGraph Credit: The Weather Gamut