Meteorological summer will end warmer, wetter than normal in NYC

New York City will finish meteorological summer with above normal temperatures and above normal precipitation when the unofficial season ends on August 31st. Temperatures from June 1st through August 27th averaged 1 to 3 degrees above normal throughout the New York City Metro, while precipitation ended 3 to 6 inches above average. Official numbers will be released by the National Weather Service next week.

The news comes as no surprise for New York City area residents, who can recall in particular that July and August were hot and steamy.

The summer got off to a slow and cool start. As a whole, June 2019 averaged less than a degree above normal in most NYC area reporting stations. It was also filled with many cloudy and cool days, with slightly above normal precipitation as well.

Things kicked into high gear once we moved into July. You may recall the week long heatwave with temperatures soaring over 100 degrees three days in a row, with dew points rising well into the 70’s. The heat continued throughout the back half of July and into August. The first few weeks of August were also characterized by above normal temperatures and precipitation.

It’s worth noting, too, that much of New England stayed much cooler during the entire meteorological summer season. An active storm track kept clouds and precipitation flowing in northern parts of New York State, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Generally, the heat and humidity increased sharply once one moved south of there into areas like Connecticut, New York City and Philadelphia.

And thunderstorms, too!

Thunderstorm events were frequent in the New York City metro area and New Jersey during the meteorological summer. Through August 27th, the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, NJ has issued over 400 Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado Warnings in 2019 – leading all other years since 1986 by a wide margin.

Eight tornadoes were confirmed in New Jersey this year, which far exceeds the states annual average of two. Several tornadoes were observed in Central and Southern New Jersey during the month of July.

Meteorological seasons are defined by the months in which they begin, and change every three months during the year. The meteorological summer season begins on June 1st, and ends on August 31st. Meteorological Autumn begins on September 1st and ends of November 30th.

Calendar Autumn does not begin until September 23rd.