New York Heatwave: Four 90°F (32.2°C) Days Opened July 2026
Central Park began July 2026 with four consecutive maximum temperatures at or above 90°F (32.2°C) when measured over the UTC days used by NOAA’s Synoptic Summary of the Day (SSOD) dataset. The hottest reached 100°F (37.8°C) on July 2, tying the official daily record last set in 1966.
The short heatwave did not make every July day unusually hot. Across the 23 valid observations from July 1–23, the mean daily maximum was 84.5°F (29.2°C), about 0.4°F (0.2°C) below the 1991–2020 July mean of daily maxima. The observations and the incomplete July mean remain provisional.
Four consecutive 90°F (32.2°C) days, with a record-tying peak
The National Weather Service New York definition calls at least three consecutive days with highs of at least 90°F (32.2°C) a heatwave. Central Park’s SSOD series met that threshold for four UTC days from July 1–4: 91°F (32.8°C), 100°F (37.8°C), 98°F (36.7°C) and 94°F (34.4°C).
The NWS record report issued on July 2 independently confirms the 100°F (37.8°C) high, the tie with 1966 and a Central Park record extending to 1869. The report states that the 2026 value remains preliminary until NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information completes its review.
The partial-month mean did not describe the event
The July 1–23 mean was 84.5°F (29.2°C), compared with an 84.9°F (29.4°C) normal. That reference is the monthly mean of July daily maxima, not a day-specific normal for July 2.
The 100°F (37.8°C) peak was 15.1°F (8.4°C) higher than the monthly reference. This supplies useful seasonal context, but it is not a calendar-day anomaly. Several cooler days after July 4 brought the incomplete-period average back near the long-term July value.
SSOD makes the daily window explicit
NOAA SSODv2 summarizes observations over 00:00–23:59 UTC. A UTC day can differ from the local climatological day used in official station reporting, so the two products should not be assumed to match in every circumstance. For the key peak in this article, the NWS local record report independently confirms July 2.
Explore or verify the result: Open the Climate Explorer SSOD route for Central Park and use the dashboard table for July 1–23. Compare them with the NOAA 2026 station CSV. To inspect the baseline, open the Central Park WMO Normals route with maximum temperature and July selected.
Conclusion
The supported finding is a four-day Central Park heatwave at the opening of July, not a mid-month peak or a completed-month extreme. The July 1–23 mean shows why a monthly summary can mute a short event, but it cannot characterize all of July 2026.
Editor note: Observations are provisional and current through July 23, 2026. This analysis should be updated after final July observations become available.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Central Park reach 100°F (37.8°C) in July 2026?
Central Park reached 100°F (37.8°C) on July 2, 2026. The National Weather Service reported that this tied the daily record last set in 1966; the value remains preliminary until NOAA NCEI completes review.
Why are July 1 through 4 described as a heatwave?
The National Weather Service New York definition uses at least three consecutive days with high temperatures of at least 90°F (32.2°C). Central Park’s SSOD UTC-day maxima met that threshold on four consecutive days, July 1–4.
Does 84.5°F (29.2°C) represent the full July 2026 average?
The 84.5°F (29.2°C) value is the mean of 23 valid daily maxima from July 1–23, not a completed July average. Several cooler days after the early heatwave offset the four very hot opening days.
Data Annex
Station and baseline metadata
| Station/site | Identifiers | Dataset use |
|---|---|---|
| New York City Central Park | NOAA/GHCN/SSOD USW00094728; legacy WMO 72506; WIGOS 0-20000-0-72506 |
NOAA SSODv2 supplies the July 2026 UTC-day maxima; WMO normals supplies the 1991–2020 July mean daily maximum of 84.9°F (29.4°C) |
Metadata note: These identifiers refer to the same Central Park observing site, not two independent stations. The NOAA station list associates USW00094728 with WMO 72506. NOAA SSOD metadata reports 40.7789° N, 73.9692° W and 42.7 m; the WMO normals record, named New York Central Park Tower, reports the rounded coordinates 40.779° N, 73.969° W and 40.0 m. These source-specific metadata differences do not demonstrate a second site, but the identifier match does not imply that instruments or exposure remained unchanged throughout 1991–2020 and 2026. WMO explains how legacy five-digit station numbers became WIGOS identifiers.
Chart-ready daily maximum temperatures
| Date (UTC day) | Maximum temperature | At least 90°F (32.2°C)? |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-01 | 91°F (32.8°C) | Yes |
| 2026-07-02 | 100°F (37.8°C) | Yes |
| 2026-07-03 | 98°F (36.7°C) | Yes |
| 2026-07-04 | 94°F (34.4°C) | Yes |
| 2026-07-05 | 83°F (28.3°C) | No |
| 2026-07-06 | 76°F (24.4°C) | No |
| 2026-07-07 | 70°F (21.1°C) | No |
| 2026-07-08 | 85°F (29.4°C) | No |
| 2026-07-09 | 81°F (27.2°C) | No |
| 2026-07-10 | 84°F (28.9°C) | No |
| 2026-07-11 | 81°F (27.2°C) | No |
| 2026-07-12 | 83°F (28.3°C) | No |
| 2026-07-13 | 83°F (28.3°C) | No |
| 2026-07-14 | 89°F (31.7°C) | No |
| 2026-07-15 | 95°F (35.0°C) | Yes |
| 2026-07-16 | 85°F (29.4°C) | No |
| 2026-07-17 | 86°F (30.0°C) | No |
| 2026-07-18 | 79°F (26.1°C) | No |
| 2026-07-19 | 79°F (26.1°C) | No |
| 2026-07-20 | 80°F (26.7°C) | No |
| 2026-07-21 | 79°F (26.1°C) | No |
| 2026-07-22 | 85°F (29.4°C) | No |
| 2026-07-23 | 79°F (26.1°C) | No |
: NOAA SSODv2 values used in the primary chart. Fahrenheit values are converted from Celsius and rounded to the nearest degree for display.
Calculation notes
The analysis retained one valid SSOD row for every UTC date from July 1–23 and rejected values outside -130°F (-90°C) to 140°F (60°C). The arithmetic mean of the 23 daily maxima is 84.544°F (29.191°C), displayed as 84.5°F (29.2°C). The 84.9°F (29.4°C) baseline comes from the WMO 1991–2020 monthly normal for maximum temperature at WIGOS station 0-20000-0-72506.