New York has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 25 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normalsUpdated once a decade
☀️
July high
85°
56th hottest of 2,223 New York towns
❄️
January low
27°
18th mildest of 2,223 New York towns
💧
Rain + melted snow
47 in
373rd wettest of 2,223 New York towns
🌨️
Snow a winter
25 in
73rd least snowy of 2,158 New York towns
A normal year
What a year in New York feels like
❄️
Winter
43° / 29°
Typical high / low · 6 days with an inch or more of snow
🌷
Spring
60° / 44°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Apr 1
☀️
Summer
83° / 67°
Typical high / low · 14 days reach 90° in a normal year
🍂
Fall
66° / 50°
Typical high / low · First frost around Nov 19
10°
20°
40°
50°
60°
70°
80°
90°
100°
32°
40°
27°
43°
28°
50°
34°
61°
43°
71°
53°
80°
63°
85°
69°
84°
68°
77°
61°
66°
50°
55°
40°
45°
32°
JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecD
32°, freezingBar runs from the typical overnight low up to the afternoon high
Best months to be outsideMayJunAugSepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month
New York weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
Month
High
Low
Rain + melt
Snow
Wet days
Snow on ground
30-yr range
January
40°
27°
3.4"
6.5"
11
6
25° – 40°
February
43°
28°
3.0"
8.5"
9
7
24° – 41°
March
50°
34°
4.2"
4.4"
11
4
37° – 50°
April
61°
43°
3.8"
0.6"
12
0
48° – 57°
May
71°
53°
3.8"
0
11
0
58° – 67°
June
80°
63°
4.2"
0
10
0
68° – 75°
July
85°
69°
4.4"
0
10
0
73° – 81°
August
84°
68°
4.3"
0
9
0
72° – 80°
September
77°
61°
3.9"
0
9
0
66° – 73°
October
66°
50°
4.1"
0
9
0
54° – 64°
November
55°
40°
3.4"
0.2"
9
0
43° – 52°
December
45°
32°
4.2"
4.3"
10
2
31° – 50°
Year
63°
47°
46.8"
24.5"
120
19
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.
Rain & snow
Rain and snow in New York
New York gets 47 inches of rain and melted snow a year. July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 120 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 19 days of the year.
💧
47 in
Rain + melted snow a year
More rain than 76% of U.S. towns
❄️
25 in
Snow in a normal winter
Less snow than 51% of U.S. towns
⛄
19 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
Fewer than 60% of U.S. towns
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
4.4"
JFMAMJJASOND
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
8.5"
JFMAMJJASOND
Frost & the growing season
About 233 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 1 and the first one by November 19. That leaves about 233 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 87% of U.S. towns.
🌱 Apr 1
🍂 Nov 19
233 frost-free days
JFMAMJJASOND
🥶
66
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
🧊
<1
nights below 0° in a normal year
🔥
14
days that reach 90° in a normal year
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
JFMAMJJASOND
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
JFMAMJJASOND
Heating & cooling
Heating and cooling a home in New York
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In New York, 79% of that work is heating and 21% is cooling.
🔥
4,600 heating degree daysLess heating than 72% of U.S. towns
❄️
1,187 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 69% of U.S. towns
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
Around New York
New York and its neighbors
New York borders 12 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 2.8°. Yonkers has the coldest January nights (24°) and Linden the hottest July afternoons (86°). New York’s January low is 27° and its July high 85°.
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Then and now
Warmer than it used to be
+2.1°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)
The last 30 years in New York averaged 2.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.5°). The shift is larger than in 96% of U.S. towns.
❄️ Winter+2.9°now 36°, was 33°
🌷 Spring+1.8°now 52°, was 50°
☀️ Summer+1.9°now 75°, was 73°
🍂 Fall+1.8°now 58°, was 56°
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at New York’s spot on NOAA’s grid
+1.3°
+3.5°
JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecD
Year to year
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. December swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 31° to 50°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
10°
20°
30°
40°
50°
60°
70°
80°
90°
JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecD
Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions
Common questions about New York’s climate
What is the coldest month in New York?
January, with a typical high of 40° and a low of 27°.
What is the hottest month in New York?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 69°. About 14 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does New York get?
About 25 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.
When is the first frost in New York?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by November 19, and the last spring frost by April 1.
What is the rainiest month in New York?
July, with 4.4 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 47 inches.
📍Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for New York itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Ny Ave V Brooklyn, NY (5 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.