The summer of 2014 has been one of the mildest on the books — and could be the first summer in a decade without a heatwave.
“It wasn’t clear if it was going to be a hot or a cool summer,” said National Weather Service meteorologist David Stark. “We started out the year very cool and it seems like we just continued that. It doesn’t look like we have any heat waves in the near future.”
Instead of searching for the skimpiest outfits to battle the sizzling sun, New Yorkers are reaching for their sweatshirts.
“It’s been so much colder this summer,” said Susan Vartholomatos, 51, who broke out her bikini for a beach day Friday afternoon. “In the morning, when I go out to my terrace, I need a sweatshirt.”
Vartholomatos said she wishes it was hotter, adding “I’d take heat and humidity over snow any day.”
Only four days have hit 90 degrees this summer, three in July and one in August, with the hottest temperature on the books clocking in at 91.
The last time the city went without a heat wave – classified as three consecutive days of temperatures higher than 90 degrees – was in 2004.
The cooler temps aren’t just affecting people looking to get a good tan. Beach businesses at Coney Island say they’ve taken a hit this season.
“This is the coldest I’ve experienced in a while,” said Ahmad Hussian, whose father owns a store called Sun & Fun on Surf Avenue. “Not a lot of people are coming here at all, but I have sold a lot of hoodies.”
Monica Ghee, who has been working a game called Coney Island High Striker for 45 summers, said the boardwalk clears out at night.
“It’s been a strange season,” she said. “There’s been no real summer so far.”
While a late summer heat wave is possible, forecasters at the National Weather Service say there’s a slim chance one will slip in the next few weeks.
Typically, the city sees at least 15 days that top 90 degrees with at least one heat wave mixed in.
“We haven’t even had a day where it reaches 100 degrees,” complained Naquan Gathers, who runs a Ghost’s Hole at Coney Island.