Tag Archives: nyc

NYC Monthly Summary: September 2013

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September 2013 was a bit of a weather roller coaster in New York City.  We had high temperatures that ranged from a sweltering 96°F to a cool 65°F.  All together, though, the city’s average monthly temperature was 68°F, which is exactly normal.  Transitioning from summer to autumn, these wide fluctuations are not that unusual.

In terms of precipitation, the city was mostly dry.  We received 2.95 inches of rain in Central Park, most of which fell during two separate heavy downpours. Nonetheless, we were still 1.33 inches below normal.  September now marks the third consecutive month that the city received below average rainfall.

Sept_tempsGraph Credit: The Weather Gamut

Air Quality Improvements in NYC

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New Yorkers can breathe easy.  The city’s air quality is the cleanest it has been in fifty years.

While speaking at a Climate Week NYC event yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg announced that the city’s sulfur dioxide levels have decreased by 69% since 2008 and soot pollution has dropped 23% since 2007. This data is based on the results of a New York City Community Air Survey, which monitored air quality at one hundred locations across the five boroughs.

This impressive reduction is largely attributed to the Clean Heat Program, part of the larger PlaNYC initiative for an environmentally sound city.  The program encourages building owners to phase out the use of heavy heating oils that pollute the air.  Over the past three years, according to the mayor’s office, approximately 2,700 buildings have converted to cleaner fuels.  Following regulations established in 2011, the use of dirty heating oils in NYC will be illegal by 2030.

Since air pollution is known to aggravate cardiovascular and lung diseases, public health officials estimate that the cleaner air is preventing 800 deaths and more than 2,000 emergency room visits each year.

Climate Week NYC

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Climate Week NYC begins today.  This annual global summit brings together leaders from a variety of sectors, including business, government, agriculture and health to discuss ways to lower greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.  This year’s theme is “Our Low Carbon Future – Leadership. Opportunity. Security.”

Taking place in an environment that includes President Obama’s recent call for action on climate change, the impending release of the IPCC’s fifth assessment report, and the upcoming first anniversary of Super-storm Sandy, this event has attracted some big names. Some of the scheduled speakers include, Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the UK, Jim Young Kim, President of the World Bank, Richard Branson, CEO of the Virgin Group, and Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, among others.

Hosted by The Climate Group, this conference is now in its fifth year.  For a list of events across the city and online, visit the Climate Week website.

NYC Monthly Summary: August 2013

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In spite of getting off to a cool start, August hovered around average in New York City this year.  Nineteen out of thirty-one days posted below average temperatures, but one day reached the 90°F mark.  All together, the city’s average monthly temperature was 74.6°F. That is only 0.4°F below normal.

In terms of precipitation, NYC was mostly dry.  Despite a few heavy downpours, the city only collected 2.85 inches of rain in Central Park.  That is 1.59 inches below normal. This was the second month in a row that we received below average rainfall.

August TempsGraph Credit: The Weather Gamut

NYC Updates Hurricane Evacuation Zones

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Super-storm Sandy devastated New York City last autumn.  In its wake, emergency management officials have re-drawn the city’s hurricane evacuation zones.

The new zones are based on improved data from SLOSH (sea, lake, and overland surges from Hurricanes), a national Weather Service computer model designed to estimate storm surges.  This new system takes the width of a storm and its wind field into account whereas the old zones were primarily based on a hurricane’s Saffir-Simpson category.

NYC’s new zones are labeled 1 through 6, with zone 1 being the first to be evacuated in the event of a storm.  This system is numeric to avoid confusion with FEMA’s flood zone maps used for insurance purposes.

Go to nyc.gov/hurricane to see if you live or work in an evacuation zone.

NYC's new hurricane evacuation zones.

NYC’s new hurricane evacuation zones.

Image Credit: nyc.gov

NYC Monthly Summary: July 2013

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July is usually the hottest month on the calendar for New York City, and this year temperatures soared. We had two separate heat waves and a total of ten days reaching 90°F or higher.  The second heat wave of the month was a lengthy event.  Lasting seven days, it was the city’s longest heat wave in eleven years. This extreme heat brought the city’s average monthly temperature up to 79.8°F. That is 3.8°F above normal.

While searing temperatures dominated the month, the city also experienced a few cooler than average days this July.  In fact, July 25th set a new daily record for the coldest high temperature in Central Park with a peak reading of only 68°F.

In terms of precipitation, NYC was mostly dry.  We received 2.84 inches of rain, which is 1.76 inches below normal.  This was a significant departure from last month’s near record rainfall.

July_TempsGraph Credit: The Weather Gamut

Long Duration Heat Wave in NYC

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Temperatures have been soaring in New York City. Today was our third consecutive day with temperatures in the 90s and more are on the way.

Forecasters say this heat wave – the second this month in NYC – will be of unusually long duration.  Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-90s everyday for another three to four days. Humidity levels will also remain high, making it feel even hotter.  Heat index values, which combine temperature and humidity, are projected to persist in the triple digits.

While these conditions are oppressive, they are also very dangerous.  Extended exposure can cause a number of serious health hazards.  According to the CDC, extreme heat is one of the leading causes of weather related deaths in this country.

To help people beat the heat, the city is operating cooling centers.  To find one near you, go to nyc.gov.

Public Display Thermometers

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New York City, like most large cities, is a heat island.  With miles of paved surfaces, it is generally warmer than surrounding rural areas.

Within city limits, public display thermometers – on banks and gas stations – demonstrate this phenomenon on a micro scale. They are often positioned in the sun and over a concrete or asphalt surface that absorbs heat. As a result, they can read 5°F to 10°F higher than the city’s official air temperature taken in the more bucolic conditions of Central Park.

Gas station thermometer reads 104F, but the official high temeprature for the day was 92F.

The thermometer on this NYC gas station reads 104°F, but the official high temeprature for the day was 92°F.

Image Credit: The Weather Gamut

NYC Monthly Summary: June 2013

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One word can sum up the weather in New York City this June, wet. Receiving 10.10 inches of rain in Central Park, which is 5.69 inches above average, this was the second wettest June ever recorded in the Big Apple.  Nearly half of this impressive total came down in one day when the remnants of Tropical Storm Andrea passed through the area, breaking a daily rainfall record. Given this abundant precipitation, it is interesting to note that NYC’s top three wettest Junes have all occurred in the past eleven years.

In terms of temperature, the city finished the month with an average reading of 72.7°F.  That is 1.7°F above normal.  While New York did not technically have a heat wave this June, the last week of the month was extremely hot and humid.  In fact, heat index values were high enough for the NWS to issue a heat advisory for the city.

JuneRain_NYC

Table: The Weather Gamut

Weather and Art: Rain Room

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Have you ever wanted to control the weather?  Rain Room, a large-scale interactive art installation at MoMA/PS1 in New York City, is offering a simulated experience.

Created by Random International, a London-based team of artists, Rain Room allows visitors to walk through an indoor downpour without getting wet.  The secret to staying dry is a combination of multiple 3-D sensors installed around the room and the motion of museum visitors themselves.  When the sensors detect the presence of a human body, they pause the precipitation in precise locations giving people the feeling that they control the rain.

The Rain Room is part of Expo1: New York, a multi-venue exhibition that explores challenging environmental issues.  According to MoMA’s website, Rain Room “invites visitors to explore the roles that science, technology, and human ingenuity can play in stabilizing our environment.”

Rain Room runs through July 28th.

rain-room-at-moma-2Image Credit: MoMA/Random International