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Snowless New York City sets record for lack of accumulation

The Big Apple has never previously gone this deep into winter without measurable snow

January 30, 2023 at 11:44 a.m. EST
Season to date snowfall in the New York City area. (NOHRSC/weatherbell.com)
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All winter long, the ground has remained bare in New York City, and on Monday, the city set a record for the latest it has progressed into the season without measurable snowfall.

Record-challenging warmth has accompanied the record lack of snow, a clear manifestation of climate change in an increasingly mild northeastern metropolis.

Flakes have fallen from the sky several times this winter in Central Park, home to the city’s official weather observations, but none have accumulated — or totaled at least 0.1 inches. The previous latest first measurable snowfall was on Jan. 29 in 1973.

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On average, the city’s first accumulating snowfall occurs Dec. 13. In records that date to 1869, measurable snow has occurred as early as Oct. 15, in 1876. The current Central Park weather station, set among trees on the grounds of Belvedere Castle and isolated from the surrounding skyscrapers, has operated for more than a century.

New York’s snowless stretch dates to last winter. Monday marked the 327th day in a row without measurable snow, and the city could surpass the longest period on record if nothing accumulates in the next five days. The record of 332 consecutive days ended Dec. 15, 2020. Of the 10 longest streaks without accumulation, six have occurred since the winter of 1999-2000.

A record-setting lack of cold has contributed to the dearth of snowfall. There was a brief but intense Arctic blast around Christmas, and another is forecast to open February. But exceptionally mild weather has come in between.

Through Sunday, temperatures remained above average for a record 33 consecutive days. Two more such days are anticipated before a spell of colder weather.

Unusually mild nights have accompanied this record streak. So far this month, the city hasn’t seen the mercury drop below 28 degrees. There’s a very good chance that will end up as New York’s warmest January minimum on record. It even has a little breathing room, as the mark to beat is 25 degrees in 1937.

January 2023’s average temperature of 43.4 degrees, through Sunday, was 9.7 degrees above normal, the second-warmest on record to date, trailing only 1932’s 43.6 degrees.

D.C.’s lack of snow is nearing a record in a very mild winter so far

New York is far from the only city lacking snow in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Much of the Interstate 95 corridor south to Washington, including Philadelphia and Baltimore, has seen little to none of it this winter. Even Boston has seen only 7.6 inches so far this winter, compared with an average of 23.5 inches.

Because of urbanization and climate change, the timing of the first accumulating snow has been drifting later in New York and other cities in the Northeast. Around 1900, New York’s average first accumulating snow was close to Dec. 1. Today, it’s almost two weeks later. The Big Apple’s last snow of the season is also trending much earlier and now occurs about two weeks before it used to.

A trend toward higher winter temperatures has accompanied the ever-shorter snow seasons.

Although winters lacking in flakes have become more frequent in recent decades and the snow season has compressed, New York has not yet seen a sustained decrease in its average overall snowfall, in part because of numerous blockbuster snowstorms since the 1990s.

As climate change cooks the Arctic, East Coast blizzards may become more likely

There is still time to turn things around a bit. In much of the Northeast, February is the snowiest month of the year. This is true in New York, where the month averages 10.1 inches of snow. In fact, an average winter would still offer another 15.5 inches, or a little more than half of the city’s seasonal total, from February through April. Of course, nothing about this winter has been average so far.

Jason Samenow contributed to this report.