Long Island Experiences Below-Average Temperatures This Winter, But Falls Short of Records

Long Island residents have endured a colder-than-normal winter this year, though temperatures and snowfall have not reached record-breaking levels, according to National Weather Service data.

The average temperature in February has reached 24 degrees so far, falling below the normal monthly daily average of 32.2 degrees recorded in Islip, according to the National Weather Service. However, this winter’s cold snap pales in comparison to the record-setting February of 2015, when temperatures averaged 21.6 degrees.

“It’s not a record-breaking cold winter season, but it’s certainly been colder than normal,” National Weather Service meteorologist Jay Engle said Monday. “It’s been below normal when it comes to temperature — and we have had a lack of above-normal days, very few days above normal.”

Weather service records for Long Island date back to 1963, with the Islip monitoring station serving as the primary data collection point for the region. The record low temperature for any February day remains minus-14 degrees, recorded on February 13, 1967.

Engle attributed the extended cold period to a polar jet stream that has shifted south for prolonged stretches this winter, keeping frigid air locked over the region.

Long Islanders experienced several particularly brutal days when wind chill factors made conditions even more severe. Temperatures dropped to zero degrees on January 31 and reached just 4 degrees on February 8, according to weather service measurements.

The winter did produce some relief from the cold during December and January. December saw temperatures climb to 59 degrees on December 19 and 51 degrees on December 18, according to weather service records. January brought three days of 51-degree weather on January 9, 10 and 14, plus a 50-degree day on January 8.

“Those have been few and far between,” Engle noted about the warmer days.

Snowfall totals for the season have tracked closer to normal levels compared to temperature readings. The region has accumulated 28.8 inches of snow so far this winter, according to the weather service. This falls well short of the record winter snowfall of 71 inches recorded in 1978.

“That’s closer to normal this season,” Engle said. “But, the season’s not over yet, so you never know.”

Monthly snowfall patterns have varied throughout the winter season. December produced 12.5 inches of snow, below the record December total of 25.3 inches set in 2009, according to weather service data. January brought 14.9 inches, significantly less than the record January snowfall of 34.4 inches recorded in 2011.

February has seen minimal snow accumulation with just 1.4 inches recorded to date. The normal monthly average for February snowfall in Islip measures about 5.5 inches, while the record February total reached 31.4 inches in 2013, according to weather service records.

The three largest single-day snowfall events in Long Island history all exceeded 16 inches. Two storms dropped 16.7 inches on February 8, 2013, and February 12, 2006, while another delivered 16.5 inches on February 6, 1978, according to weather service measurements.

Weather service records for Manhattan’s Central Park extend much further back to 1869, showing the coldest February occurred in 1934 with an average daily temperature of 19.9 degrees. That same year marked the coldest February ever recorded for New York State, according to weather service data.

While this winter has tested Long Island residents with sustained cold temperatures, historical perspective shows the region has weathered far more severe conditions in previous decades.