SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Syracuse tied the record for the number of 70-degree days in a year with 150 on Monday, according data from the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University. If the forecast holds true for Tuesday, the record should be broken tomorrow.
The warm fall comes after a warmer summer. Onondaga Community College professor of meteorology Marty Martino said the last two years have been unprecedented, with somewhere around six times the usual amount of 90 degree days.
“We usually only get about three or four days over 90,” Martino said. “If you look back at last year. . . there was 21 days above 90 for the whole year. This year was 18 days above 90.”
The unusual warmth isn’t unique to the central New York area. The whole east coast is seeing abnormal warmth for this late in the year. Weather editor at The Washington Post, Jason Samenow said records are being set all over.
“A large part of the eastern half of the nation is seeing one of their top 10 warmest starts to October on record,” Samenow said. “You see places like Caribou, Maine, at the very northern tip of Maine, still hasn’t recorded it’s first freeze yet, and likely to have its latest first freeze on record.”
While the warmth has been a nice reprieve for the usual cold falls that lead to even colder winters in central New York, both weather experts say that it doesn’t necessarily mean the winter will have any less snow.
Martino said it is important to expect the unexpected and to always be prepared.
“Expect the un normal. So, get your snow thrower ready, anyhow. Get it ready, now. Make sure it works. And just get ready for an interesting winter,” Martino said.
Temperatures are expected to remain in 70s through Friday according to the National Weather Service, meaning that Syracuse likely will tie, set and extend the record of 70-degree days in a calendar year this week.
