New York City saw its first snow of the season on Thursday and it was one for the record books.

According to the NWS, 6.4 inches of snow was measured in Central Park, setting a new daily record for the date. The previous record of 1 inch had been in place since 1906. It was also the earliest 6-inch one-day snowfall on record for the city and the largest one-day November snowfall since 1882.

These superlatives came as a bit of a surprise. The forecast originally called for a wintry mix with only a dusting of snow at the onset. However, the temperature was colder than expected and the snow hung on longer. This was largely the result of an area of high pressure to the north being stronger than forecast and therefore able to funnel air toward the city that was colder than anticipated. Closer to home, evaporative cooling also played a part.  The air near the surface was very dry as the storm moved into the area. This allowed some of the snow to evaporate as it fell, cooling the air even further. As result, the change over to rain was delayed by several hours.

While pretty to see, the snow caused a number of problems around the city. Widespread travel delays and falling trees were reported across the five boroughs. As it is only mid-November, many of the trees still had their leaves. The combination of the heavy, wet, snow piling up on the foliage, weighing down the branches, and high winds was too much to bear for many trees, even the healthily ones. Many fell across streets and sidewalks as well as on top of parked cars. The city’s Parks Department has reported receiving over 2000 service requests for downed trees and dangling limbs.

This storm clearly outperformed expectations and caught the city off-guard. On average, New York City sees 0.3 inches of snow for the entire month of November.

Record breaking November snowfall topples trees in NYC. Credit: Melissa Fleming