Tag Archives: nyc

Andrea Shatters Rainfall Record in NYC

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The remnants of Andrea, the first named storm of this Atlantic hurricane season, drenched most of the northeastern United States on Friday.  In fact, it shattered daily rainfall records in numerous communities along the Eastern Seaboard.

In New York City, the storm dumped 4.16 inches of rain in Central Park.  That is more than double the previous record (1.95 inches) for the date, which was set in 1918.  On average, the city usually receives 4.41 inches of rain for the entire month of June.

This was the second time in less than a month that a daily rainfall record was broken in NYC. More rain and flood watches are in the forecast for this afternoon.

NYC Monthly Summary: May 2013

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May 2013 was warm and soggy in New York City.  Despite a number of chilly days, the city’s average monthly temperature was 62.9°F.  That is 0.9°F above normal.  The heat wave at the end of the month helped contribute to this slightly above average reading.

In terms of precipitation, rainfall was abundant this May.  In fact, this was New York City’s seventh wettest May on record. The city received 8.00 inches of rain, which is 3.81 inches above normal.  Most of this fell during a few heavy rainstorms, including the torrential downpours on May 8th that set a new daily record with 3.02 inches measured in Central Park.  This was a significant departure from last month’s unusually dry conditions.

May_rainChart: The Weather Gamut

A Late Spring Heat Wave in NYC

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Temperatures have been soaring in the northeastern United States.  In fact, it feels like mid-summer and the start of that season is still more than two weeks away.

In New York City, temperatures reached 90°F for three consecutive days.  This marks the city’s first official heat wave of the season.  Our normal high for this time of year is a more moderate 75°F. This extreme heat also caused a number health concerns, including air quality alerts.

The dramatic rise in temperature across the region was the result of a Bermuda High – an area of high pressure that steers hot air from the Gulf of Mexico toward the northeast.  The summer-like conditions of this weather pattern, however, are expected to come to a stormy end late tonight as a cold front moves into the area.

A Day of Downpours in NYC

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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