A surge of warmth is coming today and late this week, with highs near or in the 60s. This will be punctuated briefly by a cooler day Wed in the mid-50s, which is still almost 10ºF above normal this time of year. Enjoy the warmth while it lasts because there will be a colder pattern next couple of weeks, starting as soon as this weekend.
Rest of today – warm and sunny with high temperatures around 60ºF. Overnight lows drop to around 40ºF with a backdoor cold front moving through overnight.
Weather Prediction Center surface forecast for 7PM Tuesday. A backdoor cold front is forecast to move through, leading to a slightly cooler day tomorrow before temperatures rebound again late in the week.
Wednesday – the backdoor cold front’s primary impact will be to make Wednesday cooler, in the mid-50s, with a good amount of sun. Overnight lows will be in the mid-60s.
Thursday – this is when the warmth really surges with the backdoor cold front returning northeast as a warm front. Behind this, south winds will lead to temperatures rising well into the mid-60s. The only cap on temperatures will be possible partly sunny cloud cover. Overnight lows in the mid-50s.
Climate Prediction Center’s 6-10 day temperature outlook for 3/14-3/18. Much of the country is likely to see colder than normal temperatures.
Climate Prediction Center’s 8-14 day temperature outlook for 3/18-3/22. The cool conditions look set to continue.
Friday– a cold front approaches the region from the west. Ahead of this, temperatures remain warm in the mid-60s. A chance of rain will accompany the passage of the front. Otherwise, expect mostly cloudy skies. Overnight lows dropping into the mid-40s. Temperatures will continue to drop through weekend.
March brings in week of great contrasts, typical of a transition into spring. Periods of rain off and on today before a plunge in temperatures going into Tuesday. Strong northwesterly winds will accompany the cold as the pressure gradient tightens around the departing low bringing rain today. Temps rebound into the upper-40s midweek but drop back towards end of week into the upper-30s.
Rest of today – periods of rain mostly before noon. Breezy with northwest winds increasing into the 15-20 mph by later in the day. Temperatures start dropping with these winds kicking in after noon bringing on strong cold air advection. Clouds clear towards the overnight when lows are expected to drop into low-20s.
GFS model 2-meter above ground level temperatures, and 10-meter above ground level winds at 7AM Tuedsay.
Tuesday – mostly sunny with high temperatures in the mid-30s. Strong northwest winds in the 20-30 mph range with gusts above 45 mph possible. Overnight lows in the low-30s.
Wednesday – high temperatures rebound quickly to near 50ºF with winds subsiding and mostly sunny skies. Overnight temperatures dropping into the mid-30s.
GFS model surface precipitation, and 1000-500 mb thickness for Thursday at 11AM. The blue thickness lines over much of the northeast indicate a return to below normal temperatures on the way.
Thursday– temperatures cooling a touch back into the mid-40s with mostly sunny skies. Overnight lows dropping back into the upper-20s.
A long duration but light impact winter weather event is forecast to hit Tuesday and Wednesday. Since last week, the track of this storm has shifted north, resulting in warmer air present near the coast. This will result in wintry mix and little to now accumulating snow. We miss out on a more potent storm later in the week which will move well offshore of the area. Temperatures throughout the period remain below normal in the mid-30s at best, with a reinforcing blast of cold air late in the week.
Rest of today – mostly sunny with high temperatures in the upper-30s. Clouds increasing overnight with low temperatures around 30ºF.
ECMWF forecast total accumulated snowfall valid 7AM Wednesday
GFS forecast total accumulated snowfall valid 7AM Wednesday
Tuesday – mostly cloudy with high temperatures in the mid-30s. Periods of light wintry mix/snow during the day as a couple of modest low pressure centers impact the area. Light accumulations expected, probably around half an inch. Overnight lows steady in the mid-30s with rain/snow mixing possible.
Wednesday – rain/snow mix possibly extending into Wednesday morning. High temperatures in the upper-30s. Any accumulated wintry precipitation should melt rather quickly. Overnight temperatures dropping into the low-30s.
GFS model surface precipitation and 1000-500 mb thickness for 7AM Thursday. A potent storm is seen exiting east well offshore from NYC.
Thursday– another low pressure, center, much stronger than the ones associated with the early week develops and tracks well south of us. High temperatures in the mid-30s. The main impact of this storm for us will be the stiff winds it produces as it continues to deepen and the pressure gradient around it tightens. These winds will also be from the northwest, bringing in a colder air mass. Overnight lows in the low-20s as a result.
It’s been two weeks now without any appreciable precipitation in NYC and this dry stretch continues this week. A mostly zonal flow regime aloft should provide for generally calm conditions, esp. given a lack of any meaningful supply of moisture. Temperatures should trend into mid-40s with warming westerly downsloping flow modifying the air mass, eventually transitioning to a mild southwest flow later in the week.
Rest of today – mostly cloud with highs in the low-40s. Overnight lows in the low-30s.
Weather Prediction Center surface forecast for 7AM Tuesday. High pressure to our southwest should help drive westerly winds our way.
Tuesday – mostly sunny with high temperatures in the low-40s. Overnight lows in the low-30s.
Wednesday – still mostly sunny with high pressure remaining in control. High temperatures in the mid-40s. Overnight temperatures dropping into the mid-30s.
GFS model 500 mb height and vorticity for 7AM Thursday. Generally flat, zonal flow is seen over our area. However, signs of a big change are visible to the west, over the Northern Plains.
Thursday– High temperatures in the mid-40s again with mostly sunny skies. Overnight lows in the mid-30s.
We’re finally getting a prolonged stretch of calmer weather to start the new year after a couple weeks with big storms to end things. Temperatures during this week should be at or above normal in the low-40s. Looking ahead, a storm is possible next weekend, though as it stands the setup would favor pushing this storm out to sea well before it impacts the region.
Rest of today – mostly to partly sunny with high temperatures in the low-40s. Overnight lows in the mid-30s.
Weather Prediction Center surface forecast for 7AM Tuesday. A departing low pressure system is visible in the top right of the frame.
Tuesday – partly sunny with high temperatures around 40ºF. Overnight lows in the low-30s.
Wednesday – mostly sunny with high pressure building in. High temperatures in the low-40s. Overnight temperatures dropping into the low-30s.
Thursday– High temperatures in the low-40s again with mostly sunny skies. Overnight lows once again in the low-30s.
Climate Prediction Center outlook for 1 month precipitation
Climate Prediction Center outlook for 1 month temperatures
Looking ahead at this weekend, a coastal storm looks like it will be shunting out to sea south of the region, although this could change in the next couple days. This month, Climate Prediction Center is assessing higher than normal chances for above average temperatures, and modestly higher chances for above average precipitation.
The groundhogs were unanimous in their proclamation of an early spring, but do their predictions jive with climate forecasts? Either way, the first week of February will be an active one with multiple storms impacting the area. Temperatures are forecast to start much above normal in the mid-50s, then taper down to being a touch above normal in the low-40s. Most of the precipitation that falls should be in the form of rain, though overnight periods could produce mixed precipitation.
Rest of today – Early clouds should give way to more sunny skies later in the day. High temperatures will be mild, in the mid-50s as a stationary front slowly lifts north as a warm front into the overnight hours. Overnight lows in the low-40s.
Tuesday – High temperatures in the low-50s. The warm front mentioned above stalls out, then returns as a cold front. This pattern brings the potential for some light rain showers. Overnight lows in the low-40s.
Wednesday – high pressure builds in briefly, and should give us some reprieve from rain, however, north winds will cool things off with highs in the low-40s. Overnight lows drop into the low-30s as a second, stronger storm system takes aim at the area. This one could start off as wintry mix and sleet overnight for NYC.
Thursday– any accumulation of wintry mix should get washed away as this second storm system lingers and produces rain during the course of the day Thursday. Mostly cloudy otherwise as highs climb into the low-40s. Temperatures currently forecast to remain steady for the most part overnight with onshore flow.
Are the Groundhogs Right? Climate Prediction Center’s temperature outlooks for the second half of February and the entire month suggest that the groundhogs might be on to something – at least for the eastern part of the US (especially the southeast), where above normal temperatures are being forecast. That isn’t as much the case for the western US, as you can see below.
Climate Prediction Center temperature outlook for Feb 8-12
Climate Prediction Center temperature outlook for Feb 10-16
Climate Prediction Center temperature outlook for the whole month of February
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 February.
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.
KLGA’s location within the broader NYC area, as seen in a Google Maps terrain view
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.
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 (14.25%), same as with January.
Directions that are most and least common: Other most common wind directions include west-northwest (11.25%), due northeast (10.5%), and north-northeast (9.5%). Least common wind directions are east-southeast (0.5%), due east (1%), and south-southeast (1.25%).
Direction(s) most likely to produce the fastest winds: As is the case with other cold weather months, winds in excess of 21.4 knots (~25 mph) are most frequently found coming from due northwest. West-northwest, north-northwest, and due northeast winds can also produce winds over 21.4 knots though less frequently.
Direction(s) least likely to produce the fastest winds: As is the case with several other 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: February wind patterns are remarkably similar to January. Winds from the northwestern quadrant remain prominent. These directions also continue to produce the strongest winds. Interestingly, due northeast winds pick up in frequency in February compared to January.
Northwesterly winds bring cooler, drier Canadian air into the region following cold fronts. Winds from this direction also occur on the backside of departing coastal lows. Winds from these directions downslope coming off the higher terrain of the Catskills, and Poconos outside of the city. This can sometimes lead to warmer temperatures than would normally be expected for this wind direction as well as faster wind speeds. As with other months, northeasterly winds are usually related to backdoor cold fronts sweeping from the Canadian Maritimes, the onshore flow ahead of an advancing warm front, or a passing coastal storm to the south.
Maximum observed two-minute wind speed for the month: 39 knots (46 mph).
Temperature and Precipitation Averages/Records
Temperature units are in Fahrenheit and precipitation is in inches.
Worth noting: February average high and low temperatures start the a slow upward trend that will carry through to the spring and summer. Amazingly, record high temperatures in February can top 70°F, even nearing 80°F.
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 January.
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.
KLGA’s location within the broader NYC area, as seen in a Google Maps terrain view
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.
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 (14.25%).
Directions that are most and least common: Other most common wind directions include west-northwest (13.5%), due west (11%), and due northeast (8.25%). Least common wind directions are east-southeast and due southeast (0.5%), and south-southeast (1.5%).
Direction(s) most likely to produce the fastest winds: As is the case with other cold weather months, winds in excess of 21.4 knots (~25 mph) are most frequently found coming from due northwest. Due west, west-northwest, north-northwest, and due northeast winds can also produce winds over 21.4 knots though less frequently.
Direction(s) least likely to produce the fastest winds: As is the case with several other 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: January’s winds build on a pattern first seen in November, where winds from the northwestern quadrant become prominent. January wind patterns are nearly identical to December, with winds from due west to northwest being very common. These wind directions also continue to produce the fastest winds most often.
Northwesterly winds bring cooler, drier Canadian air into the region following cold fronts. Winds from this direction also occur on the backside of departing coastal lows. Winds from these directions downslope coming off the higher terrain of the Catskills, and Poconos outside of the city. This can sometimes lead to warmer temperatures than would normally be expected for this wind direction as well as faster wind speeds. As with other months, northeasterly winds are usually related to backdoor cold fronts sweeping from the Canadian Maritimes, the onshore flow ahead of an advancing warm front, or a passing coastal storm to the south.
Maximum observed two-minute wind speed for the month: 39 knots (46 mph).
Temperature and Precipitation Averages/Records
Temperature units are in Fahrenheit and precipitation is in inches.
Worth noting: January average temperatures for both high and lows start to bottom out, and there’s only a small range in these figures.
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 December.
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.
KLGA’s location within the broader NYC area, as seen in a Google Maps terrain view
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.
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: West-northwest (13.75%).
Directions that are most and least common: Other most common wind directions include due northwest (13.5%), due west (11%), and due southwest (8%). Least common wind directions are east-southeast (1%), due southeast (1.25%), and south-southeast (1.5%).
Direction(s) most likely to produce the fastest winds: As is the case with November, winds in excess of 21.4 knots (~25 mph) are most frequently found coming from due northwest. West-northwest, north-northwest, due northeast winds can also produce winds over 21.4 knots though less frequently.
Direction(s) least likely to produce the fastest winds: As is the case with several other 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: December’s winds build on a pattern first seen in November, where winds from the northwestern quadrant become prominent. In December, winds from due west to northwest become markedly more common, while the frequency of winds from the southwesterly quadrant continues to decrease. In addition, the frequency of winds in excess of ~25 mph (21.4 knots) from the northwesterly quadrant also increases.
Northwesterly winds bring cooler, drier Canadian air into the region following cold fronts. Winds from this direction also occur on the backside of departing coastal lows. Winds from these directions downslope coming off the higher terrain of the Catskills, and Poconos outside of the city. This can sometimes lead to warmer temperatures than would normally be expected for this wind direction as well as faster wind speeds. As with other months, northeasterly winds are usually related to backdoor cold fronts sweeping from the Canadian Maritimes, the onshore flow ahead of an advancing warm front, or a passing coastal storm to the south.
Maximum observed two-minute wind speed for the month: 38 knots (44 mph).
Temperature and Precipitation Averages/Records
Temperature units are in Fahrenheit and precipitation is in inches.
Worth noting: December average high temperatures drop into the 40s. It’s the first month of the winter where record lows have historically dipped below 0°F at times.
Spells of rain will bookend what should otherwise be a pleasant week of mostly dry weather. Temperatures will trend slightly below normal for this time of year, however, we will avoid any dramatic swings in temperature. Record cold will not be on the table either. All in all, it should shape up to be a fairly typical mid-November week.
Rest of today – windy, mostly cloudy, with chances for scattered rain showers as a slow moving coastal low continues spinning off of the coast of New England. High temperatures should only hit the mid-40s with the cooling influence of clouds and persistently northeasterly flow. Chances for rain continue overnight with lows dropping into the upper-30s.
Weather Prediction Center surface forecast for 7PM Monday
Tuesday – rain chances should finally end as the coastal low affecting us finally pulls away to the northeast. Clouds should break up leading to a decent day with high temperatures in the low-50s. Overnight lows should be around 40°F.
Wednesday – partly sunny with highs around 50°F. Overnight lows in the mid-30s.
GFS 500 mb height, relative vorticity for 1PM Friday. We can see a distinct shortwave trough approaching from the west. Enhanced vorticity around the base of this trough should help touch of some precipitation at the surface as a cold front sweeps through.
Thursday – best day of the week with high pressure briefly building in. High temperatures again around 50°F, with overnight lows in the mid-40s.
