Snow Finally Falls in New York City, Turning Manhattan Into Winter Wonderland

Posted: February 2, 2023 10:42 am

New York City fell just four days short of breaking the all-time longest snow drought record when nearly a half of an inch of snow fell across Manhattan and its boroughs early Wednesday morning. The arrival of the snow was the first time that the city had seen measurable snow since March 9, 2022.

Snow Drought Ranks in Second Place in Record Book

Meteorologists define measurable snow as any accumulation of more than 0.1 of an inch. While New York City had seen a few flurries over the last few months, there was no accumulation that hit this official amount. The only snow that has fallen over the last few months has been under the designation of a trace. However, that all changed when a storm system brought just enough moisture to mix with the cold air in place to produce meaningful snow for the first time this winter.

The city’s official weather station is located within Manhattan’s Central Park. This station picked up 0.4 of an inch of snow by 5:30 am local time. The Big Apple was transformed into a winter wonderland for the first time this season, delighting residents as the sun came up and they peeked outside the window.

In addition to coming in at second on the list for the longest snow drought on record, this winter also took over first place for the city’s latest first snowfall of the season. With the measurable flakes not coming down until February 1, it barely edged past January 29, 1973 into first place. Records have been kept in New York City since 1869.

City Has Seen Plenty of Rain This Season

Despite not seeing any measurable snowfall this season until now, the city has not been devoid of precipitation. However, warmer than average temperatures have kept the moisture moving into the city falling as rain rather than snow.

In fact, the overall precipitation amounts for the month of December came in at over 2 inches above average for that time period. The temperatures were just warm enough to translate to rain. January is also going to land above normal in terms of overall precipitation even though it only came down as rain.

With the first snowfall not happening until Wednesday, the city is not surprisingly well below its season-to-date average for snowfall amounts. The city typically measures 14.3 inches of snow during the time period ranging from October 1 through January 31.

Additional Cities Breaking Snow Drought

New York City was not the only East Coast metropolitan area that saw the snow drought come to an end on Wednesday morning. The NWS office at Philadelphia International Airport reported 0.3 of an inch before sunrise on Wednesday. Likewise, the NWS office near Dulles Airport outside of Washington, D.C. also picked up 0.4 of an inch during the same time period. Just across the state line, Baltimore squeaked out 0.2 of an inch to account for measurable snowfall.

Although a blast of Arctic air is moving across the East Coast in the coming days, a lack of moisture will prevent any further development of snow in the near future. Despite the lack of additional snowfall, the bitterly cold temperatures will certainly make it feel like winter.

The high temperature on Saturday in New York City will only land in the low 20s with lows dropping into the single digits. The wind whipping through the concrete jungle of the city will bring the real feel temperature down even lower.

There is a chance that the record low temperature on Saturday may also fall in Central Park. The current record is 3 degrees, dating back to 1918.

Temperatures are forecast to rebound by Sunday, bringing the conditions back up to seasonable expectations.

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