N.Y. weather: More rain, hotter-than-normal temperatures in spring forecast

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — With a wintry week in the rearview mirror and spring-like temperatures on the horizon, one must question what the season to come will offer.

Last week’s bounty of snow likely left Staten Island Chuck considering a move off Staten Island, as the local groundhog prognosticator called for an early spring at the beginning of the month. Luckily for Chuck, early outlooks from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center call for an array of months characterized by above-average temperatures and precipitation.

SPRING TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK FOR NEW YORK

The National Weather Service’s seasonal outlook encapsulates the months of March, April, and May, and provides a national overview of probable conditions.

For that set of months, New York is located in a swath of the country that has a 50% to 60% probability of experiencing warmer-than-average temperatures this year, according to the Climate Prediction Center.

This marks an increase in the likelihood of warmer temperatures for the months to come; in January, the Climate Prediction Center foresaw the same three months yielding a 40% to 50% chance of seeing above normal temperatures.

While it remains to be seen how much these conditions exceed the norm, there is growing confidence that spring will be warmer than usual.

For reference, in examining data between 1991 and 2020, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s online weather data for Central Park noted that mean average temperature for the month of March typically reach 42.8 degrees; the month of April rests a bit higher at 53.7; and May sits at 63.2.

SPRING PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK FOR NEW YORK

The precipitation outlook also varied from the data previously issued in January.