Newswise — Jessica Rennells, a climatologist and extension support specialist at the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University, comments on data released this week by the center that shows this spring ranks among the hottest on record throughout the region.
Rennells says:
“June 1 marks the end of climatological spring, the months of March, April and May. All of the first-order stations in the Northeast ranked in their top three warmest springs, 28 of the 35 had their warmest spring on record.
“Not only did the record breaking March contribute to this, but May was warm as well, with 32 of the first-order stations ranking in their top 10 warmest Mays. This warm trend has continued for more than a year at 15 of the stations, where above normal temperatures have continued for at least 13 consecutive months.
“April dipped below normal for other stations, breaking the above-normal trend in some areas. Large waves in the jet stream have slowed down weather patterns, allowing warm air to dominate March and May.”
. . . . .
| Table 1: Northeast Stations and Warmest Springs on Record | ||||
| Location | Spring 2012 | Rank | Previous Record | Year |
| Bridgeport, CT | 54.3 | 1 | 53.7 | 2010 |
| Dulles, VA | 59.0 | 1 | 58.6 | 2010 |
| Washington, DC | 62.2 | 1 | 60.7 | 1977 |
| Wilmington, DE | 57.3 | 1 | 57.0 | 1985 |
| Worcester, MA | 51.3 | 1 | 50.9 | 2010 |
| Baltimore, MD | 59.4 | 1 | 59.1 | 1945 |
| Concord, NH | 49.7 | 1 | 49.3 | 1921 |
| Atlantic City, NJ | 56.6 | 1 | 56.0 | 2010 |
| Newark, NJ | 57.7 | 1 | 57.4 | 2010 |
| Albany, NY | 52.4 | 1 | 52.3 | 1921 |
| Binghamton, NY | 50.5 | 1 | 50.3 | 2010 |
| Buffalo, NY | 52.2 | 1 | 50.8 | 1991 |
| Islip, NY | 54.1 | 1 | 53.6 | 2010 |
| Rochester, NY | 52.1 | 1 | 51.4 | 1921 |
| Syracuse, NY | 52.3 | 1 | 51.2 | 1921 |
| Allentown, PA | 55.8 | 1 | 54.1 | 2010 |
| Erie, PA | 52.7 | 1 | 52.5 | 1921 |
| Harrisburg, PA | 56.9 | 1 | 56.2 | 2010 |
| Philadelphia, PA | 58.7 | 1 | 58.1 | 2010 |
| Scranton, PA | 54.1 | 1 | 53.8 | 1921 |
| Burlington, VT | 50.3 | 1 | 49.3 | 1903 |
| Beckley, WV | 57.5 | 1 | 55.5 | 1991 |
| Elkins, WV | 54.9 | 1 | 53.8 | 1921 |
| Huntington, WV | 60.5 | 1 | 60.1 | 1929 |
| Boston, MA | 53.4 | 1 | 53.2 | 2010 |
| JFK, NYC | 55.5 | 1 | 55.4 | 2010 |
| Hartford, CT | 54.3 | 1* | 54.3 | 2010 |
| LaGuardia, NYC | 57.4 | 1* | 57.4 | 2010 |
| Central Park, NYC | 57.0 | 2 | 57.1 | 2010 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 56.3 | 2 | 56.6 | 1921 |
| Charleston, WV | 60.5 | 2 | 60.7 | 1921 |
| Williamsport, PA | 55.1 | 2* | 55.4 | 2010 |
| Portland, ME | 48.2 | 2* | 48.8 | 2010 |
| Providence, RI | 53.1 | 3 | 53.9 | 2010 |
| Caribou, ME | 42.2 | 3* | 43.9 | 2010 |
| *Tied with other year(s) | ||||
| Table 2: Northeast Stations and Consecutive Months Above Normal Temperature | |
| Location | Consecutive Months Above Normal |
| Allentown, PA | 16 |
| Atlantic City, NJ | 16 |
| Baltimore, MD | 16 |
| Newark, NJ | 16 |
| Bridgeport, CT | 15 |
| Islip, NY | 15 |
| JFK, NYC | 15 |
| Albany, NY | 14 |
| Burlington, VT | 14 |
| Central Park, NYC | 14 |
| Harrisburg, PA | 14 |
| Hartford, CT | 14 |
| LaGuardia, NYC | 14 |
| Williamsport, PA | 14 |
| Caribou, ME | 13 |
| Boston, MA | 11 |
| Providence, RI | 11 |
| Worcester, MA | 11 |
| Philadelphia, PA | 9 |
| Portland, ME | 9 |
| Concord, NH | 8 |
| Beckley, WV | 7 |
| Elkins, WV | 7 |
| Washington, DC | 7 |
| Wilmington, DE | 7 |
| Binghamton, NY | 1 |
| Buffalo, NY | 1 |
| Charleston, WV | 1 |
| Dulles, VA | 1 |
| Erie, PA | 1 |
| Huntington, WV | 1 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 1 |
| Rochester, NY | 1 |
| Scranton, PA | 1 |
| Syracuse, NY | 1 |
NOTE: Additional weather data on spring in the Northeast can be found at: www.nrcc.cornell.edu.
Contact the Press Relations Office for information about Cornell's TV and radio studios.
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