Many people consider Memorial Day to be the unofficial start of summer, and it felt that way across Western New York this year.


What You Need To Know

  • Buffalo’s average high for Memorial Day is 70 degrees

  • The hottest one ever was in 1944 when Buffalo hit 87

  • The Buffalo Airport got up to 83 for Memorial Day this year

Ever since the Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved Memorial Day to the last Monday of May, it’s occurred between the 25th and 31st. It just so fell on the 30th of this year, and it turned out to be unseasonably warm.

Over the last 30 years, the Buffalo Airport has averaged a high of 70 degrees and a low of 52 for Memorial Day. This past Monday, Buffalo got up to 83 degrees after starting off the morning at 62.

It wasn’t too far off from the all time hottest Memorial Day for Buffalo. It happened back in 1944 when it got as toasty as 87.

Since 1980, the Buffalo Airport has surpassed 80 degrees twelve times, including this year. Eight of those 80+ degree days have occurred within the last decade alone.

However, temperatures ran below average last year when Buffalo only hit a high of 68. It turned out to be the coolest Memorial Day since 2005.

On the flip side, the coldest it ever got for Memorial Day was 34 degrees in 1961. The last time Buffalo got down into the 30s for Memorial Day was 1997.

This Memorial Day also featured a trace amount of rain, so it was a pretty dry day to get out for any remembrance ceremonies. That hasn’t always been the case, though.

The wettest Memorial Day ever in Buffalo’s history happened back in 1993 when the airport picked up 1.16 inches of rain. Since then, only ten Memorial Days have registered precipitation.

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