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. As such, I’ve decided to post some critical components of climatology for the closest station to me, LaGuardia Airport (KLGA). Below, I’ve posted some general climate data, and also specific data for the month of March.

Other Month’s Climatologies

January
February
April
May
June
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 northwest occuring about 14% of the time.

Directions that are most and least common: Most common wind directions following due northwest are due northeast (11.75%), west-northwest (10.25%), north-northwest (8.5%). Least common wind directions are east-southeast (1%), due southeast (2%), and due east (2.25%).

Direction(s) most likely to produce the fastest winds: The most common wind directions are also the ones most likely to produce the fastest winds.

Direction(s) least likely to produce the fastest winds: Again, the least common wind directions are also least likely to produce the fastest winds.

Impacts of wind direction on local weather: Prevalent northwesterly winds during this month generally follow in the wake of cold fronts and coastal storms. These winds can lead to substantial cold air advection (transport of cold, dry continental polar air mass from interior Canada), often because of subsidence in the wake cold fronts mixing down very fast winds to the surface. These winds will downslope and warm slightly as they approach the coast though. A secondary maximum of winds from the northeast can be attributed to backdoor cold fronts arriving from the Canadian Maritimes, bringing a moist, cool maritime polar air mass, or in conjunction with the advance of coastal Nor’easter type storms. During March, sea surface temperatures in the vicinity of NYC are above freezing, but by no means warm. If a warmer air mass is in place prior to winds shifting to the northeast, cooler, more moist conditions will result. If a colder, below freezing air mass is present, northeasterly winds can exert moderating influence on temperatures. Persistent northeasterly winds can also lead to the potential for coastal flooding given the shape of local coastline.

Maximum observed two-minute wind speed for the month in knots: 40 knots (46 mph).

Temperature and Precipitation Averages/Records

Temperature units are in Fahrenheit and precipitation is in inches.

Worth Noting: Average temperatures in March rise above 50°F for the first month since November. However, March can certainly still produce cold days – many of the record lowest max temperatures are below freezing, with record lows still in the teens and single digits. It is a month indicative of spring when large temperature swings are possible.

Date	Normal High	Normal Low	Record High	Record Low	Record Lowest Max	Record Highest Min	Normal Precip	Record Precip
1	45	31	71	8	25	53	0.12	2.23
2	46	31	67	13	25	50	0.11	2.44
3	46	31	65	10	25	49	0.12	2.26
4	46	31	69	7	25	46	0.11	1.53
5	46	32	72	9	25	48	0.12	0.72
6	47	32	64	14	24	48	0.12	2.47
7	47	32	69	14	25	49	0.13	1.90
8	47	32	74	14	28	54	0.12	1.20
9	47	33	75	14	26	49	0.12	2.18
10	48	33	78	12	27	62	0.12	1.52
11	48	33	70	15	30	49	0.12	1.40
12	48	33	69	15	28	49	0.12	1.83
13	49	34	83	19	33	53	0.12	3.15
14	49	34	75	18	34	50	0.12	1.41
15	49	34	74	14	29	48	0.13	1.61
16	50	34	77	19	32	51	0.13	1.12
17	50	35	74	15	26	54	0.13	1.39
18	50	35	75	13	19	51	0.14	2.05
19	51	35	72	10	26	53	0.13	1.38
20	51	36	82	19	31	53	0.14	1.18
21	51	36	70	18	34	53	0.14	2.00
22	52	36	76	19	33	54	0.13	3.15
23	52	37	74	19	26	56	0.14	1.44
24	52	37	74	17	30	50	0.14	1.63
25	53	37	77	18	32	50	0.13	1.55
26	53	38	72	20	34	51	0.14	1.26
27	54	38	83	23	36	54	0.14	1.20
28	54	38	83	23	36	58	0.13	2.83
29	54	39	86	25	34	59	0.14	1.90
30	55	39	79	23	34	59	0.13	2.65
31	55	39	82	24	36	59	0.14	2.10
Range	45-55	31-39	64-86	7-25	19-36	45-62	0.11-0.14	0.72-3.15