Last year was certainly a notable and troublesome one for numerous reasons, and among these reasons is the weather, believe it or not.


What You Need To Know

  • 2020 was the third-warmest year on record in Syracuse

  • The mean temperature for the year was three degrees above average

  • Prolonged stretches of unseasonable warmth were the leading factor

It seemed like almost every day here in Syracuse we were talking about some historical, statistical fact being born regarding the day’s conditions.

The year 2020 will go down in the record books as the third-warmest here in the Salt City, behind 1931 and 2012.

Five of the top 10 warmest years have occurred just since 2002.

One of the leading causes of all of this warmth last year was how prolonged the stretches of unseasonable warmth were. In other words, record highs were not as notable as how many days in a row our temperatures were above average.

We managed to tie the record for most consecutive 80+ degree days, saw an earlier-than-average first 90 degree day, experienced three times the average number of 90-degree days, and had the third-warmest summer and eighth-warmest fall on record, all in 2020.

When you take into account all of the highs and lows in 2020, the average overall temperature for the year was 51.3 degrees. This is three degrees above average.

The number of 90-degree days is something that is always considered when discussing the warmth of a year, and in 2020, we had a remarkable 21 days with a temperature at or above 90 degrees.

In an average year, we see about seven 90+ degree days.

The past year also featured its fair share of cold conditions, too.

There were 127 days in 2020 with a recorded low temperature at or below 32 degrees. Only two of these were readings at or below 0 degrees, though.

In terms of extremes, the warmest day of the year was July 9, with a high of 98 degrees. The coldest temperature of 2020 in Syracuse was recorded on February 15 at -5 degrees.

What is so remarkable is that despite breaking into the top three warmest years, we didn't even hit 100 degrees a single time all year.

Central New York is also notorious for not being among the sunniest places on the planet, and this past year was no exception.

The number of days with fair skies was only 23. Meanwhile, 120 days were listed as partly cloudy and 159 days cloudy.

Despite all of those cloudy days, it still managed to be an incredibly warm year.

So, what does all of this mean?

As we have previously discussed, climate change is likely playing a role here. If 2020 has anything to say about the future, it is that perhaps the focus on achieving record highs should come secondary to analysis of just how long warm stretches of weather last for.