Three hot, hot spring days: 47 daily high temperature records smashed in areas throughout the Northeast last week

Contact: Blaine P. Friedlander Jr.
Office: 607-255-3290
E-Mail: bpf2@cornell.edu

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Creating temperatures more fit for the fourth of July, the mid-April heat wave that crossed the Northeast from April 16 to 18 smashed 47 daily high marks on the thermometer and tied six previous records, according to data compiled by the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University.

"The influence of the Bermuda High brought those very unusual temperatures to us, as the upper-atmosphere circulation drove that warm weather up from the south," says Keith Eggleston, senior climatologist at the center. "While it was an unusual climate situation for the middle of April, the heat wave had nothing to do with the lack of snow we've had in the Northeast this season."

The warmest temperature recorded in the region during last week's surprise heat wave was 97 degrees Fahrenheit in Newark, N.J., on April 17, shattering the city's all-time high temperature reading for April of 94 degrees set April 27, 1990. Central Park in New York City tied its all-time warmest temperature reading for the month, set April 18, 1976, with 96 degrees recorded April 17.

Whether these high temperatures will make this the warmest April on record remains to be seen. The region's average temperature for April is 45.5 degrees Fahrenheit, says Eggleston, based on a 30-year average (1971-2000). The warmest April on record in the Northeast was an average 50.9 degrees in 1921, and the coolest was in 1943 with an average 39.8 degrees.

Interestingly, Mount Washington, N.H., enjoyed a balmy 55 degrees April 16 and 57 degrees April 17. Normally on Mount Washington, April's average high temperature is 29.4 degrees and the average low temperature is 16.4 degrees.

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Max temperature (2002) and daily records for April
Days when record was not broken are shaded in gray.

	April 16			April 17			April 18
Station	2002	Old Record	Year of Occur.	2002	Old Record	Year of Occur.	2002	Old Record	Year of Occur.	Records began:
Albany, NY	89	88	1896	91	88	1976	87	90	1976	1826
Allentown, PA	89	81	1976	91	91	1976	87	93	1976	1911
Atlantic City, NJ	89	84	1976	94	88	1976	87	86	1964	1943
Baltimore, MD	90	88	1976	93	90	1976	89	94	1976	1870
Binghamton, NY	85	74	1976	86	83	1976	82	85	1896	1951
Boston, MA	73	82	1976	93	82	1976	56	94	1976	1872
Bridgeport, CT	85	73	1981	89	83	1976	85	84	1976	1948
Buffalo, NY	77	81	1982	75	80	1976	81	81	1976	1871
Burlington, VT	86	82	1896	90	82	1976	81	91	1976	1884
Caribou, ME	68	68	1958	54	62	1999	42	63	1987	1939
Central Park, NY	92	88	1896	96	91	1976	91	96	1976	1869
Charleston, WV	83	89	1994	85	89	1922	87	90	1976	1901
Concord, NH	88	83	1896	94	90	1976	89	92	1976	1871
Hartford, CT	90	79	1976	95	92	1976	92	95	1976	1904
Ithaca, NY	87	86	1896	88	83	1976	84	85	1976	1879
Mt. Washington, NH	55	46	1985	57	52	1976	51	56	1976	1948
Newark, NJ	92	82	1976	97	88	1976	93	93	1976	1929
Philadelphia, PA	90	88	1976	95	92	1976	90	94	1976	1870
Pittsburgh, PA	86	85	1896	85	87	1896	85	90	1896	1871
Portland, ME	59	78	1976	80	76	1976	50	76	1964	1947
Providence, RI	74	80	1976	93	93	1976	83	86	1976	1904
Rochester, NY	85	82	1982	85	82	1976	84	85	1976	1830
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA	88	77	2000	90	88	1976	86	92	1976	1955
Syracuse, NY	88	77	1982	89	86	1960	84	85	1976	1922
Trenton, NJ	90	82	1976	93	92	1976	88	93	1976	1931
Washington (Dulles), VA	91	87	1976	93	88	1976	89	90	1976	1962
Washington (Reagan), VA	92	91	1976	95	93	1976	91	95	1976	1871
Williamsport, PA	90	86	1896	91	91	1976	89	92	1976	1895
Wilmington, DE	89	92	1896	92	97	1896	87	97	1896	1894
Worcester, MA	84	80	1912	90	87	1976	86	88	1976	1892