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Hottest Summer of Albany, 1959

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The summer of 1959 was the hottest summer ever in the history of Albany. There were 996 cooling degree days during the summer of 1959, compared to the normal of 550 cooling degree days. Cooling degrees are the number of degrees an air conditioning must lower the air temperature in a month to make the indoors a comfortable 65 degrees.

May 1959 – 150
May Normal – 15

June 1959 – 293
June Normal – 97

July 1959 – 293
July Normal – 219

August 1959 – 281
August Normal – 183

September 1959 – 171
September Normal – 33

October 1959 – 12
October Normal – 3

If you aren’t convinced that Albany was hot during the summer 1959, consider the fact that the average high for September 1959 was 82 degrees in Albany. That’s ten degrees above the September average of 72 degrees most years.

Map: Wolf Pond

This is a list of the 50 coolest municipalities to go during the month of June, according to the NCEI Gridded Normals

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This is a list of the 50 coolest municipalities to go during the month of June, according to the NCEI Gridded Normals.

County Municipality Average High
Essex North Elba town 68.5
Essex Keene town 69.5
Essex St. Armand town 70.4
Ulster Hardenburgh town 70.5
Lewis Montague town 70.6
Essex Newcomb town 70.6
Hamilton Morehouse town 70.8
Hamilton Inlet town 71.0
Hamilton Arietta town 71.2
Franklin Harrietstown town 71.3
Essex Jay town 71.4
Hamilton Indian Lake town 71.4
Clinton Ellenburg town 71.6
Clinton Dannemora town 71.6
Lewis Harrisburg town 71.7
Lewis Pinckney town 71.7
Herkimer Webb town 71.7
Lewis West Turin town 71.7
Hamilton Lake Pleasant town 71.8
Hamilton Long Lake town 71.8
Jefferson Worth town 71.9
Franklin Bellmont town 71.9
Franklin Franklin town 71.9
Herkimer Ohio town 72.0
Lewis Osceola town 72.0
Lewis Martinsburg town 72.1
Delaware Middletown town 72.2
Franklin Duane town 72.2
Essex Wilmington town 72.4
Warren Johnsburg town 72.5
Franklin Brighton town 72.6
Greene Jewett town 72.7
Clinton Saranac town 72.8
Essex North Hudson town 72.8
Lewis Greig town 72.8
Essex Minerva town 72.8
Jefferson Rutland town 72.8
Franklin Tupper Lake town 72.8
Lewis Watson town 72.9
Greene Halcott town 72.9
Franklin Santa Clara town 72.9
Hamilton Wells town 72.9
St. Lawrence Piercefield town 73.0
Oswego Redfield town 73.0
Lewis Turin town 73.0
Lewis Lewis town 73.0
Franklin Chateaugay town 73.0
Jefferson Rodman town 73.1
Clinton Clinton town 73.1
Franklin Waverly town 73.1

Swimming hole with a good book

Map: Battery Diagram
United Steaks of America map: If each state could have only one meat, what would it be?
Map: Grandy Run Dispersed Camping

El Nino and Upstate New York

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A strong El Niño typically leads to warmer-than-average temperatures and highly variable rainfall during the summer months in Albany, NY. While El Niño’s strongest atmospheric effects on North America occur during the winter, its decaying or lingering phases in summer alter the jet stream, frequently pushing hotter air masses into the Northeast. 

Untitled [Expires July 27 2024]

Historical summer data from the National Centers for Environmental Information during past strong El Niño cycles shows a clear upward trend in average summer temperatures:

  • Higher daily maximums: Recent strong El Niño summers (such as 2016) saw average daily highs climb to 83°F, compared to cooler maximums like 79°F in 1998.
  • Warmer nights: Average summer minimum temperatures have steadily risen, staying around 60°F to 61°F, which reduces overnight cooling relief during heat waves.

Rainfall during an El Niño summer in upstate New York is less predictable and depends heavily on regional jet stream patterns, alternating between dry spells and sudden heavy downpours: 

  • High variability: Total summer precipitation has historically fluctuated from a dry 6.71 inches in 1983 to a much wetter 12.69 inches in 2016.
  • Storm risks: A stronger southern jet stream can fuel localized, intense thunderstorm systems, increasing the risk of flash flooding even during otherwise dry summer stretches.