Tag Archives: nyc

Post-Sandy Nor’easter

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A nor’easter blasted the eastern seaboard yesterday from the mid-Atlantic states to New England.  This type of storm is not unusual in the area, but its timing left a lot to be desired.

Arriving only nine days after Super-Storm Sandy devastated the region, this winter storm slammed the area with high winds and heavy, wet snow.  In New York City, 4.7 inches of snow was reported in Central Park – a new daily snowfall record.

The weight of the snow on the region’s already storm damaged trees caused many branches to break and fall.  This, in turn, resulted in even more power outages in communities still struggling to recover from Sandy, adding insult to injury for tens of thousands of people.

The local forecast is calling for a significant warm-up over the next few days, so the snow will not be sticking around for long.

NYC Monthly Summary: October 2012

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Super-storm Sandy slammed New York City this October.  Its powerful winds and flooding storm surge devastated the metro-area. In terms of precipitation, however, it only produced 0.95 inches of rain locally. This brought the city’s monthly rainfall total up to a mere 2.92 inches. That is 1.48 inches below normal.

Bouncing up and down throughout the month, temperatures in the city felt like they were on a roller-coaster.  As we are transitioning from summer to winter, however, this is not unusual.  In the end, NYC finished the month with an average temperature of 58.1°F, which is 1.1°F above normal.  While this may not seem exceptionally warm, it is interesting to note that the city’s average monthly temperature has been above normal for nine of the last ten months.

Sandy Wallops New York City

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Barreling through New York City late last night, post-tropical storm Sandy caused widespread damage and power outages.  Eighteen storm-related deaths – so far – have also been reported across the city’s five boroughs.

Powerful winds – with gusts reaching 79 mph – toppled countless trees and helped create a record storm surge of 13.88 feet in lower Manhattan.  As a result, streets flooded and the subway tunnels were inundated with water.  In addition, the encroaching seawater shorted out power substations, leaving a large part of southern Manhattan in the dark.

The city’s outer boroughs were also seriously battered in this storm.  Many homes and businesses in the low lying coastal areas of Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx were damaged or destroyed by unprecedented flooding.

The extensive damage from Sandy is still being assessed, but officials say this storm may be the worst in New York City’s history.

First Taste of Fall in NYC

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Autumn’s chill arrived in New York City this weekend, two weeks after the official start of the season.

Following days of above average warmth, temperatures dropped dramatically overnight on Saturday when a cold front moved through the region. This arctic blast brought the city its coldest air of the season to date.  Daytime highs plummeted from 78°F on Friday to 54°F on Sunday.

This jarring cold snap is a reminder that what goes up must come down, especially in a transitional season like autumn.  Forecasters expect to see a rebound in temperatures later this week, but only to seasonal levels.

Graph Credit: The Weather Gamut

LDEO Open House

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On Saturday, October 6th, Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory will be hosting an Open House.  This event offers the public tours, demonstrations, lectures, and panel discussions on a variety of earth science topics, including current research on climate change.   Having attended in the past, I can say that this is usually both an informative and enjoyable day.

For more information, including a full list of the day’s lectures and activities, visit the LDEO website.

NYC Monthly Summary: September 2012

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September was slightly warmer and wetter than usual in New York City this year.  Starting off with readings in the 90’s, our daily high temperatures dropped off as the month progressed and summer turned to fall.   Notwithstanding this seasonal cooling, the city finished the month with an average temperature of 69°F, which is 1°F above normal.

Precipitation was above average as well.  In Central Park, 4.39 inches of rain was collected, which is 0.11 inches above normal.   Most of this came down in two separate, yet significant rain events.  This September also marks the first time since May – and only the second time this year – that NYC recorded above average monthly rainfall.

Graph Credit: The Weather Gamut

NYC Tornado Watch

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A tornado watch is in effect for New York City today until 9 P.M. This means that isolated tornadoes could possibly develop as severe thunderstorms move through the area.

Tornadoes, historically, have been rare events in NYC.  In recent years, however, they have been happening more frequently.  Of the eleven twisters that have touched down in the city since 1950, seven have occurred in the past nine years.  In fact, two roared through the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens earlier this month. Many experts consider this increase in severe weather to be an indication of a changing climate.

Note: Tornado ratings moved from the Fujita Scale (F) to the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF) in 2007.  Chart Data: NWS

Two Tornadoes Touchdown in NYC

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Severe weather battered much of the northeastern United States this weekend.  Here in New York City, strong thunderstorms spawned two confirmed tornadoes.

The first twister touched down in Breezy Point, Queens.  With wind speeds of 70 mph, it was rated an EF-0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.  Minutes later, a more powerful EF-1 storm tore through the neighborhood of Canarsie, Brooklyn.  Winds blowing at 110 mph ripped branches from trees and damaged numerous homes.  Luckily, no fatalities have been reported.

Tornadoes are rare in New York City, but they can form anywhere given the proper conditions.  This weekend, an intense cold front overtook the city’s existing warm, humid air mass, which created an atmosphere unstable enough to power these violent storms.

NYC Monthly Summary: August 2012

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August was another warm month for New York City. We had three days when the mercury reached 90°F or above. This helped drive the city’s average monthly temperature up to 76.7°F, which is 1.69°F above normal.

On the precipitation front, a number of thunderstorms rolled through NYC this August. Although they brought periods of heavy rain, the city finished the month on the dry side.  We collected a meager 2.91 inches of rain in Central Park, which is 1.53 inches below normal.  This is a huge departure from the record rainfall – 18.95 inches – which we received in August last year.

Graph Credit: The Weather Gamut

Hurricane Irene: One Year Later

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One year ago today, Tropical Storm Irene made landfall in New York City and roared through the northeastern United States.

Originally a category-one hurricane, Irene was a massive storm that left a trail of destruction from North Carolina to Maine.  Locally, the storm dumped 6.87 inches of rain on NYC and caused widespread power outages.  Most of Irene’s impact, however, was felt further inland.  Drenching rains in the mountains of upstate New York and interior New England caused extensive and catastrophic flooding.  In the end, Irene claimed the lives of 58 people across 13 states and caused approximately $16 billion worth of damage.

Today, Hurricane Isaac, another category-one “i” storm, is bearing down on the Gulf Coast.  While every hurricane is unique, the enormous size of this current storm is reminiscent of Irene.

Hurricane Irene, 2011

Image Credit: NOAA