Yes, sir, that white stuff you see on the ground is snow! And yes, we did have a freeze on April 16. How unusual is that?
Well, not very. I could not remember a freeze this late in my three decade tenure in New York, so I decided to look up the records. Surprisingly, the first date on which the record low is NOT freezing is April 18 with a record low of just 36 degrees Fahrenheit set in 1983. And get this: there was a record low of 20 degrees on April 21, 1981. Imagine that, 20 degrees in late April!
1981 — not so very long ago — was an exceptionally cold year, setting the record lows on April 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 25, and 26. (This is in Central Park, which has not been keeping records the longest.)
And by the way, my memory failed me — I did see a low of 30 degrees on April 23, 1989.
So what's the last date of a record freeze in New York City? April 27 set a record low of 32 degrees in 1956. I guess we're safe after that? I sure hope so.
Snow and freezing weather in Riverside Park, NYC