December was unseasonably warm in New York City this year. We had 14 days post above average readings, including Christmas Day, which produced a high temperature of 62°F tying the record for the city’s third warmest Christmas. Several stretches of unusually balmy weather brought the city’s mean temperature for the month up to 40.5°F which is 3.5°F above normal.
On the precipitation side of things, the city had 16 days with measurable rainfall. In all, we received a remarkable 6.04 inches of rain, which is 2.04 inches above normal. Of this impressive total, 2.54 inches fell in a single day, December 9th, and set a new daily rainfall record for the date. Snow, however, was scarce. With unusually warm temperatures in place for most of the month, only 1.0 inch was measured in Central Park. On average, NYC usually receives 4.8 inches of snow in December.
