Tag Archives: nyc

First Freeze

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New York City had its first freeze of the season this past weekend.  The temperature dropped to 32°F late in the evening on December 10th.

This first nip of frosty air arrived a bit late, compared to the average.  The city usually sees its first freeze sometime in early to mid-November.  The earliest 32°F day on record came on October 19th twice, first in 1940 and then again in 1974.  Our latest first freeze was on December 22, 1998.

This weekend’s foray below the freezing point was brief.  The mercury rebounded the next day and the forecast is calling for a continuation of relatively mild conditions.   Although we have been experiencing above average temperatures for most of December, colder air will inevitably arrive as winter approaches.

Average Dates for First Frost in New York State

Image Credit: Cornell.edu

November Summary

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This November was warm and relatively dry here in New York City. The month finished with an average high temperature of 52°F. That is 4°F above normal.  A highlight of these unusually mild conditions was the setting of a new daily high temperature record on November 28th with a reading of 70°F in Central Park.

In terms of precipitation, despite a few heavy downpours, the city finished the month on the dry side with 3.05 inches of rain.  That is 0.97 inches below normal.  This is the first time since July that we finished a month with below average rainfall.

Record Breaking Warm Day for November

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The weather has been unusually warm for late November here in New York City.   In fact, we set a new daily high temperature record on Monday with a reading of 70°F in Central Park.  That is 21°F above normal.  The old record, set in 1896 and tied in 1990, was 69°F.

The mild conditions continued today as we marked the fifth day in a row with temperatures in the 60°F range.  The local forecast is calling for rain tonight followed by a return to more seasonable temperatures.

Graphics Credit: MF at The Weather Gamut

October: A Wild Ride

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October 2011 in New York City felt like a wild ride of weather. We had a bit of everything, from sunny 80-degree days to snow.

As a transitional month where we make our way from summer to winter, October’s wide temperature swings are not unusual.  The record breaking snowstorm storm at the end of the month, however, was exceptionally rare.

In the end, October finished wetter than normal with 6.09 inches of rain. That is 1.69 inches above average. We also had the record accumulation of 2.9 inches of snow. Most of this precipitation came at the end of the month with the nor-easter. In terms of temperature, despite the roller-coaster of changes, we finished exactly average at 57-degrees Fahrenheit. That is neither warmer nor colder than normal.  What a month!

Graphics Credit: MF at The Weather Gamut

October Surprise

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A pre-winter snowstorm left its mark on the northeast this weekend.  Heavy, wet snow fell from Maryland to Maine in record amounts for the month of October.

The storm was a classic nor-easter.  It moved up the east coast pulling in moisture from the Atlantic Ocean.  The area of low pressure also pulled in colder air from the NW producing snow, instead of just rain.  In addition, this storm delivered the rare sounds of thunder-snow.

In New York City, we set a new record for October snowfall with 2.9 inches in Central Park!  October snowfall here is rare, but not unprecedented.  The last time we saw the flakes fly this early was in 2002, but that event did not produce any accumulation.  For measurable snowfall (0.1 of an inch or more) in the October, we have to go back to 1952 when 0.5 of an inch fell.  The record amount, prior to this weekend, was 0.8 of an inch in 1925. Typically, we do not see measurable snow in NYC until December.

The excitement of this early snowfall did not come without a price.  Many of the trees in the area still have leaves on their branches.  The leaves provide more surface area for the snow to accumulate.  The extra weight was too much for some trees and caused many branches to break and fall.  In some cases, entire trees were split in two.  In Manhattan, Central Park is reported to have lost 1,000 trees in the storm.  That is more damage than the park endured from Hurricane Irene this past summer. Downed trees also damaged aboveground power-lines causing outages in many areas.

Depending on your point of view, the storm could be seen as Mother Nature’s trick or treat. Either way, the residents of the northeast will remember the snowstorm of Halloween weekend for years to come.

Pumpkin in the snow, October 2011

Autumn Tree in the Snow

Photo credit: MF at The Weather Gamut

Soggy September

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It was both warmer and wetter than normal in New York City this September.  We received 9.39 inches of rain in Central Park.  That is over twice our average amount of precipitation for the month.  We also measured in at 2 degrees Fahrenheit above average.

The first few days of October have continued the wet weather pattern.  As the month progresses, however, we should look forward to crisper air and changing leaves.

A Look Back at Summer 2011

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This summer was not the hottest on record for New York City, that honor goes to the summer of 2010 with 32 days of temperatures at or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.  The summer of 2011, however, was still pretty hot here with 20 days of temperatures at or above 90 degrees.  We hit 104 degrees on July 22, the hottest day of the season.

I have to admit that in the early part of the summer, I was concerned about the lack of rain and the possibility of a drought.  We received less than average amounts of rain in both June and July.  Then came August.  We had 18.95 inches of rain in the month of August. That is 14.52 inches more than normal.  Most of it came down during Hurricane Irene.

Summer 2011 will be remembered as the wettest summer on record in NYC with 25.23 inches of rain in a three month period.  It shattered the old record of 20.40 inches of rain from 1975.  And the rain keeps coming.

Autumn is Off to a Wet Start

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Autumn arrived a bit soggy this year with 2.61 inches of rainfall on its first day.  To add to the drama of the new season’s arrival, the New York metro area was put under a flood watch.  We have already seen more than our monthly average of rain for September on top of the record rainfall in August. The ground is saturated.

Based on NWS 30 year averages, we expect about 4.28 inches of rain in September, but as of today we have already received 8.16 inches for the month.  With more showers in the forecast this week, keep your rain gear handy!