During my time taking classes as part of Penn State University’s Undergraduate Certificate in Weather Forecasting, we were taught that understanding the climatology of the location you are interested in is an important prerequisite for making accurate forecasts. This post continues on this theme, adding a climatology for June.

Other Month’s Climatologies

January
February
March
April
May
July
August
September
October
November
December

Station Basic Information

City Name / Station ID: New York, NY (LaGuardia Airport – KLGA)

Local Geography and Topography

Station Elevation: 10 feet above sea level.

Station Location: LaGuardia Airport (KLGA) is situated on the north shore of Queens along the East River, approximately 6 miles east-northeast of Midtown Manhattan.

Important Topographical Features: New York City is located in the extreme southeastern corner of New York State, bordering suburban New Jersey and Connecticut. These suburban regions combined with those in Long Island comprise the Greater New York City Metropolitan Area, which is the most populous urban agglomeration in the United States and one of the populous urbanized areas in the world with an estimated population of 18 million. New York City itself sprawls across the coastal plain around the Hudson River estuary. The terminal moraine formed by glaciers of the last Ice Age result in a ridge of higher terrain that cuts a swath from southwest to northeast across the boroughs from northern Staten Island, northern Brooklyn, southwestern through central and northeastern Queens. Otherwise, the city itself is low lying. This ridge varies in height between 200-400 feet, rising sharply from south to north, but tapering more gently north. North and west of the city (about 30-50 miles away), lie significant elevations of the Catskills (north), Poconos (west), Taconics that are part of the broader Appalachian Mountain Range. The elevations of the lower foothills can range from 1000-1500 feet. Some of the elevations in the Poconos and Catskills, west and north of KLGA respectively, peak between 2000-3000 feet. The open expanse of the Atlantic Ocean lies south of KLGA and New York City. Long Island Sound also lies east-northeast. The vast urbanized area of the NYC metropolitan region has significant effects on local microclimates via differential heating (urban heat island effect). KLGA is in a low-lying area sensitive to UHI effects and marine influences.

Per the Local Climatological Data report from the National Weather Service:

On winter mornings, ocean temperatures which are warm relative to the land reinforce the effect of the city heat island and low temperatures are often 10-20 degrees lower in the inland suburbs than in the central city. The relatively warm water temperatures also delay the advent of winter snows. Conversely, the lag in warming of water temperatures keeps spring temperatures relatively cool. One year-round measure of the ocean influence is the small average daily variation in temperature.

National Weather Service – NYC Office

Wind Patterns

Below is a wind rose – you can read more about how to interpret this chart here.

Frequency (percentage) of the single most common wind direction: Due south (13.5%).

Directions that are most and least common: Most common wind directions include due northwest (9.5%), due northeast (9.25%), and due southwest (just below 9%). Least common wind directions are east-southeast (1%), due east (1.5%), and due southeast (2.5%).

Direction(s) most likely to produce the fastest winds: Winds of 16.5-21.4 knots are most frequently found coming from due northwest, north-northwest, and due south.

Direction(s) least likely to produce the fastest winds: As is the case with several other spring months, the least common wind directions of due east, east-southeast, and due southeast also rarely seen winds in excess of 16.4 knots.

Impacts of wind direction on local weather: Wind patterns in June present a similar pattern to those in May, but with a notable increase in the frequency of winds from the southwestern quadrant, and a decrease in winds from the northeastern quadrant. This could be a reflection of shifting storm patterns, with coastal storms and backdoor cold fronts from the northeast becoming less common while more mid-latitude lows track inland north of the area, bringing more southerly warm sector flow. Persistent Bermuda highs can sometimes also develop in June over the western North Atlantic. The clockwise flow around these high pressure centers would result in more southerly and southwesterly winds. During this time of year, southwesterly winds should generally advect warmer, more humid air from the Southeastern US into the region. When this pattern becomes persistent, it can cause oppressive heat waves. Meanwhile, southerly winds (along with easterly and some northeasterly winds) would bring cooler, and more stable marine air, sometimes in the form of sea breezes. In the wake of passing cold fronts associated with mid-latitude storms, northwesterly and northerly winds, though decreasing in frequency compared to May, should still be effective at transporting cooler, drier Canadian (continential Arctic) airmasses into the area.

Maximum observed two-minute wind speed for the month: 36 (41 mph)

Temperature and Precipitation Averages/Records

Temperature units are in Fahrenheit and precipitation is in inches.

Worth Noting
June is the first month of summer, and not surprisingly is also the first month of the season where record highs have exceeded 100ºF.

Date	Normal High	Normal Low	Record High	Record Low	Record Lowest Max	Record Highest Min	Normal Precip	Record Precip
1	76	59	94	46	58	75	0.14	1.90
2	77	59	94	48	53	75	0.14	2.85
3	77	60	93	49	53	75	0.14	2.47
4	77	60	96	51	54	80	0.14	2.69
5	78	61	91	49	54	78	0.14	1.78
6	78	61	93	49	59	72	0.14	2.56
7	78	61	97	50	60	72	0.14	3.33
8	79	62	97	50	56	78	0.15	0.94
9	79	62	99	49	59	78	0.14	1.93
10	79	62	100	48	64	77	0.14	1.25
11	79	63	96	46	62	76	0.15	1.07
12	80	63	96	49	64	76	0.14	2.20
13	80	63	101	51	55	80	0.14	1.64
14	80	64	99	51	61	80	0.13	1.72
15	81	64	96	54	59	78	0.14	0.55
16	81	64	96	55	64	79	0.13	1.33
17	81	65	96	53	62	77	0.13	2.30
18	81	65	95	49	65	75	0.13	1.84
19	82	65	97	56	65	77	0.13	1.46
20	82	65	98	55	60	74	0.12	0.91
21	82	66	98	53	63	79	0.12	4.00
22	82	66	99	53	62	76	0.11	3.43
23	83	66	95	53	63	77	0.12	1.33
24	83	66	96	53	59	77	0.12	1.51
25	83	67	99	53	63	76	0.13	1.00
26	83	67	101	55	65	84	0.12	0.82
27	84	67	97	56	61	77	0.12	1.06
28	84	67	96	56	63	78	0.11	1.48
29	84	68	98	59	73	81	0.12	0.98
30	84	68	97	57	66	80	0.12	3.73
Range	76-84	59-68	91-101	46-59	53-73	72-84	0.11-0.15	0.41-4.00