Today is one of those days when the atmosphere disagrees with itself, giving us blah, overcast skies. Surface high pressure sitting just southeast of the city is providing a somewhat cool, dry air near the ground, but a few miles above a disturbance is approaching the area. There's just enough moisture, and the shortwave has enough energy, to produce clouds, but not enough for rain—so we're looking at overcast skies and a high in the mid to upper 60s this afternoon.
Another Cloudy Rainy Week For The Big Apple
More Rain For The Beginning Of May
You'll have to excuse us today, we are traumatized by the Weather Channel's redesign. So traumatized that we're boycotting them for a day. Anyway, as expected earlier in the week a warm front has taken up residence a couple hundred miles south of the city. The front itself isn't going to move much until Friday, but there will be episodes where warm, moist air overruns the front and gives us rain. Like this afternoon for example. Most of the rain will be light but heavier showers are possible at times.
Video: When It Rains, It Pours Inside The N Train
We've seen rain inside the subway stations—this subway waterfall photo is the gold standard in crumbling infrastructure porn—and witnessed water leaking inside plenty of older subway cars, but this is the first time we've spotted a good gusher inside one of the newer trains. It's always good for a laugh—as long as you aren't the one getting sprayed with scary city juice. This video was taken on an N train this morning by writer Kristina Monllos. Gotta love the defeated expressions on everyone's faces:
Unsettled, But Probably Cloudy, Weather This Week
Hey kids of Gothamlandia, not only is this Severe Weather Awareness Week it is also Air Quality Awareness Week! You should go read them to remind yourself of what to do when bad weather or bad air strikes. You should also read them and skip the rest of this post because this forecast is bound to be more inaccurate than usual.
Cloudy, Cool Weather Continues On
The stubborn low pressure system that's dominated the weather this week is finally moving away today. It will quickly be replaced by another low but let's not worry about that just yet. Nearly three inches of rain fell from this storm, and that much-needed rain was more than what fell in all of February and March. In addition, the last three days have been cooler than normal, which hasn't happened since mid-January. Cooler than normal weather may last until early next week. You have to go back to the time of the October snow to find a similar streak of cool weather.
Sunny Today, Soggy And Cold Saturday
March 2012 is turning the old weather proverb on its head by coming in like a lamb and going out like a lion. Oh, today will be plenty docile but tonight and tomorrow are looking like a soggy wool sweater. High pressure centered over Elmira this morning will give us a sunny and seasonable day. Look for a high in the mid 50s with a brisk wind out of the west this afternoon.
A Final Warm Day Before The Rain Arrives
Yesterday's Central Park high of 78 surpassed by one degree the record for March 22nd set in 1938. If the thermometer reaches the forecast high of 76 this afternoon we will tie the 1923 record for this date. Nobody will be surprised by this, but as of now March is running at a record warm pace.
Warmest February, Second Warmest Winter, Ever Recorded In Central Park!
Break out the party hats and noisemakers! With an average of 40.9 degrees last month was the warmest February in Central Park since records began in 1870. The coldest February, which coincidentally was the last time a coldest month was set, happened in 1934 during Franklin Roosevelt's first term as president. February 1934 averaged 21 degrees colder than last month, which kind of boggles our little mind. The past three months were also the second warmest climatological winter on record, trailing only 2001-02.
A Wet End To A Warm February
Trivia question: What do 1984, 1998 and 2002 have in common? Unless a so-far-undetected pool of extremely cold air arrives by midnight they will be knocked down to a three-way tie for second warmest February ever recorded in the city. The most recent record warm month was April 2010. Care to guess when Central Park last saw a record cold month? Hint: A New Yorker was president.
Dreary Morning May Give Way To A Sunny Afternoon
Morning fog, clouds and drizzle are hanging around longer than expected and that's delaying what should be a pretty nice day. Our gloomy morn is due to an upper-level shortwave, which is a disturbance that speeds through the longer wave of the jet stream. The shortwave pulls air upwards as it moves along and that lifting produces the clouds. Assuming the shortwave moves away by afternoon we should see a few rays of sun and a high in the lower 50s. If the clouds remain we won't get much warmer than the mid 40s.
It's The January Thaw!
It's a typical Spring day today. Look at that snow melt! Lots of rain, perhaps a thunderstorm, a flood advisory for the city and surrounding counties, and a high near 60 this afternoon. That's pretty normal for this time of year, if this time of year were mid-April. For late January it's about twenty degrees warmer than average. Can there by a January thaw if there is no January freeze?
Boring Winter Weather Continues To Be Boring
Is this the most disappointing winter ever? The season's almost half over and there has yet to be a deep freeze or a significant snow storm. Saturday's snow was cute but hardly memorable. Aside from some rain tomorrow and Friday there's no particularly interesting coming our way anytime soon. We should see a few clouds later this afternoon. Today's high will be in the mid 40s, which is several degrees warmer than normal.
A Foggy Day In New York Town
On average, January 23rd is half a degree warmer than January 22nd, so we're now on the upswing portion of the annual temperature cycle. In particular, today will be way warmer than yesterday. Thanks to southerly winds pushing warm, moist air this way the city should heat up to the lower 50s this afternoon. That humid air over the cold snow will produce a day long fog. Most of the snow cover will be gone by tomorrow as we'll have periods of rain this afternoon and evening.
Pathetic Attempt At A Cold Wave Is Over
Was this weekend the best winter could do? Sure it dipped down to 15 degrees yesterday and today, and there was a nasty windchill, but without snow the weather left us wanting. Maybe we should move north! There's a winter weather advisory in effect tonight for the Hudson Valley, northern New Jersey and Connecticut away from the coast. There's a warm front being dragged our way by a storm crossing the Great Lakes. The precipitation that normally runs ahead of a warm front will fall through some pretty cold air north of the city, reaching the ground as a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow. Here in the city we'll most likely just see rain.
Rain, Wind And Much Colder Weather On The Way
Today's beautiful blue skies are going to give way to a messy weather situation tonight and tomorrow as the high pressure system producing the cloudless sky will soon be knocked out by one-two punch of potent storms. For the rest of the day today we should see mostly sunny skies and a temperature slowly climbing to the mid 40s.
Winter Solstice, Sans Winter Weather, Arrives Tonight
Fall is ending on a warm and rainy note. As expected a warm front has moved across the city this morning, bringing widespread clouds, fog, and light rain. The temperature is going to hover in the mid and upper 50s all day. Expect delays if you're flying somewhere today. There's plenty of fog all along the East Coast, the Great Plains and Rockies are getting socked with snow, and Los Angeles will be in for a round of Santa Ana winds. For your Saturnalian pleasure there's a slight chance of thunder and a good chance for gusty winds as a cold front arrives around the time of tonight's winter solstice.
Light Rain Thursday As Fall Quietly Winds Down
Not much happening with the weather right now. High pressure is slowly moving offshore today so we'll see a mix of sun and clouds with a high in the upper 40s. What excitement exists, and it's not much, is a Midwestern storm that will push first a warm front and then a cold front through the city tomorrow. There's a good chance we'll see some drizzle or light rain tomorrow, especially in the afternoon. Thursday's high will be in the lower to mid 50s.
The New Urban Umbrella Rained On Bloomberg's Parade
The city's new scaffolding design, the Urban Umbrella, made its Manhattan street debut yesterday. But because of the wet weather we've been having it reportedly didn't quite live up to its name. According to DNAinfo at yesterday's unveiling of the prize-winning design, the Umbrella decided to take a little leak on Mayor Bloomberg.
Near Record Highs As Warm Spell Continues
We couldn't help but notice yesterday that it isn't normal to be eating brunch outside on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Yesterday was the third straight Sunday with highs in the 60s and today is the fourth consecutive day with temperatures in the 60s. All that 60-degree weather is making this one of the warmest Novembers on record. A southwest breeze will ensure that today stays warm with a high easily reaching the mid 60s if not the record of 69 set in 1990.
Heavy Rain For The Heavy Travel Days
Puny humans, Mother Nature does not care about your Thanksgiving travel plans! In a fit of bad timing the worst weather this week by far will be Tuesday night and Wednesday, the busiest travel days of the year. A weak cold front passed through the city this morning and we'll be drying out during the day. Despite the increasing sun the temperature is going to hold steady in the lower 50s for much of the day.
Weekend Weather Should Be Mild
Yesterday's rainfall has pushed this year's total to 66.6 inches of precipitation. That devilish total is less than half an inch away from making 2011 surpass 1972 as the second wettest year on record in Central Park. There's no chance of second place being reached this weekend as the high pressure system that's followed the storm is bone dry. And chilly! Well, at least today it will be chilly with a high only in the mid 40s and a brisk westerly breeze.
A Weather Treat For Halloween
Time for storm fun facts! The 2.9 inches of snow that was measured in Central Park on Saturday makes this the snowiest October ever, more than tripling the previous record of 0.8 inches in 1925. The snow and rain combined to bring us two inches of precipitation, pushing this year's total to 65.75 inches. That's enough to make this the third wettest year since records began in 1869 and two feet of precipitation more than normal. With two months to go we are a little more than an inch away from knocking 1972 out of second place. Unless there's a sudden, severe, drought we'll eclipse that but first place, 80.56 inches in 1983, is probably out of our grasp.
Halloween Weekend Nor'easter On The Way
Is everybody ready for tomorrow's pre-Halloween nor'easter? In case you didn't look earlier, let us remind you that today is the last day of Winter Weather Awareness Week. In the quiet before the storm we should have very pleasant, if brisk, fall weather today. Look for a high in the lower 50s with just a few wispy cirrus clouds and a bit of a northerly breeze.
Fall Weather Finally Asserting Itself
The Perfect Storm, the book and the movie, were both named after an intense Atlantic storm that happened twenty years ago this weekend. Meteorologists refer to perfect storms when several weather conditions combine to form a much more intense storm than any of those conditions could have produced acting separately. There's a storm in the forecast over the next few days but it is going to be more like the very, very imperfect storm. A cold front will pass through the region tonight. The air near the ground is nowhere near saturation, so even though the radar might show rain, those little raindrops are mostly evaporating before they hit the ground.
Rainy Friday Will Be Followed By Sunny Weekend
Today's weather forecast is so stereotypical that it could have been pulled out of a textbook. A low pressure system is moving toward the northeast through Pennsylvania today. In quick succession we will see first a warm front and then a cold front pass through the city. Both those frontal passages up the potential for lots of rain today. Look for showers and thunderstorms through late afternoon. Some of the rain in those storms could be intense. We may see a bit of clearing late this afternoon after the warm front passes but before the cold front arrives. Depending on how much the skies clear, today's high will range from the lower 70s (likely) to upper 70s (possibly).
Rain FINALLY Returns To New York!
Our long, nightmarish, stretch of fair weather is quickly coming to an end. A low pressure system, that is not a tropical system, is moving up the East Coast today and promises to bring rain as early as this afternoon and, more significantly, tonight. East winds ahead of the storm will keep the temperature in the lower sixties all day.
Unsettled Weather Continues For A Couple More Days
With almost three months remaining, 2011 is already the seventh wettest year since recording began in Central Park during the Johnson administration. The Andrew Johnson administration. Through yesterday we're up to 60.132 inches of rain and the year will almost certainly finish as the second wettest year ever behind the very soggy 1983. The temperature hasn't quite been at record pace, but the last six months—and seven of nine months this year—have been warmer than normal.
Party On The Intrepid Is Happening Tonight, Severe Thunderstorm Warning Or Shine
Around noon today, the National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for all five boroughs of New York City, with rain ready to come down on us sometime this afternoon, and "a thunderstorm capable of producing hail and damaging winds in excess of 60 mile per hour." The perfect place to be for this weather event? The Intrepid. The ship still plans to host the Party On The Intrepid event tonight, telling us it's going on "rain or shine."
More Rain On The Way And A Zombie Storm In The Atlantic
This suspenseful weather is starting to get to us so let's talk about the undead! Zombie tropical storms, to be specific. After spending several days as a tropical storm last week, increased wind shear took its toll and Ophelia faded away over the weekend. But now she's back! The wind shear diminished and Ophelia has gained enough strength to become a tropical depression. She's expected to become a tropical storm and possibly a minimal hurricane in the next few days. No need to fear for your brains: The zombie storm should remain way east of us but may hit Newfoundland early next week.
Summer Trying Its Best To Stick Around
What happened to all the rain? Well, we did get enough on Friday to make 2011 ninth rainiest year ever recorded. You can see why the weekend didn't turn out as rainy as expected on the satellite image of water vapor. That line of green, blue and orange off the coast is along the front that wound up just a bit further east than expected. The big swirly comma over the Midwest is the upper-level low that's been hanging out there for almost a week now. Most of the water vapor over the city is near the surface, hence the morning fog and sticky conditions. Once you get above the ground there's a big area of sinking air, and that subsidence is putting the kibosh on significant cloud development today. As a result we've got summer hanging on for one more day with a humid mix of sun and clouds and a high around 80.

