Will NYC See Much Snow This Year? Meteorologists Weigh In On ...

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A below-average start to New York City’s winter season is being mirrored in other areas of the East Coast, where snowfall has been scarce and temperatures have been warmer than normal.

Just five climate sites in the National Weather Service’s Eastern Region, which includes locations from Maine to Georgia, have eclipsed a foot of snow this season. At New York City’s Central Park site, a measly 0.2 inches have been recorded through Dec. 28, 2021, according to National Weather Service data, the slowest start since 2015.

That total is far below the average snowfall of 4.2 inches through Dec. 26, the agency said. Last year, a winter storm slammed Staten Island and dropped inches of snow by mid-December.

A look at how far below average the seasonal snowfall totals are running at Eastern US climate locations as of December 26th. pic.twitter.com/ord7DIfIjI

— NWS Eastern Region (@NWSEastern) December 26, 2021

AccuWeather Meteorologist Paul Walker cautioned that the winter season was still just underway and noted that winter weather has been starting later than normal in recent years.

“We’re below normal compared to what has been, but when you look at what normals for Decembers have been [recently] — normal snowfall for December has been getting less and less and has seemed to get pushed back later in the season,” said Walker, who added that a single winter storm could bring New York City right up to more expected levels of snowfall.

In southern New England, for example, the National Weather Service in Boston said between 75% and 80% of snow usually falls after New Year’s Eve.

“It doesn’t take much in terms of snowfall,” said Walker. “One or two good storms and you’re up to normal.”

Temperatures have been mild throughout much of December. The National Weather Service in New York tweeted the average temperature for the month of December was 44.6 degrees as of Dec. 23. That average has dipped just slightly since then after a pair of colder days on Dec. 23 and Dec. 24.

Moving forward, Walker said winter temperatures are expected to be fairly close to normal.

Previously, the National Weather Service predicted above average winter temperatures for Staten Island and the surrounding area amid the second year of a La Nina weather pattern — a climate phenomena when average ocean surface temperatures in the east and central equatorial Pacific Ocean are cooler than usual, potentially affecting global weather patterns.

The warmest December in New York City had an average of 50.8 degrees in 2015, the National Weather Service said. While this year’s average is unlikely to surpass that total, it will still be one of the warmest Decembers on record if temperatures remain mild.