Manhattan climate
Manhattan (New York, United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C52 °F, and about 1,236 mm49 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Manhattan climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 236 | −621 | −229 | 813.2 | 27 |
| Feb | 338 | −523 | −130 | 813.2 | 25 |
| Mar | 846 | −129 | 338 | 1004.0 | 20 |
| Apr | 1558 | 439 | 949 | 1024.0 | 5 |
| May | 2069 | 1050 | 1559 | 983.8 | 0 |
| Jun | 2678 | 1660 | 2169 | 1174.6 | 0 |
| Jul | 2985 | 1967 | 2476 | 1094.3 | 0 |
| Aug | 2984 | 1966 | 2475 | 1144.5 | 0 |
| Sep | 2577 | 1559 | 2068 | 1054.1 | 0 |
| Oct | 1864 | 847 | 1356 | 1224.8 | 1 |
| Nov | 1152 | 236 | 744 | 903.6 | 10 |
| Dec | 541 | −228 | 235 | 1164.6 | 23 |
| Year | 2985 | −621 | 1152 | 1,23649 | 111 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 87% | 69% | 1.9 | 9:33 |
| Feb | 85% | 64% | 2.8 | 10:35 |
| Mar | 82% | 60% | 3.8 | 11:49 |
| Apr | 79% | 58% | 5.0 | 13:15 |
| May | 80% | 60% | 5.6 | 14:26 |
| Jun | 79% | 55% | 6.1 | 15:05 |
| Jul | 74% | 50% | 6.2 | 14:49 |
| Aug | 73% | 48% | 5.5 | 13:47 |
| Sep | 74% | 48% | 4.4 | 12:24 |
| Oct | 78% | 56% | 3.0 | 11:02 |
| Nov | 82% | 61% | 2.1 | 9:50 |
| Dec | 86% | 70% | 1.6 | 9:16 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Manhattan is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 29 °C85 °F and a low of 19 °C67 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 2 °C36 °F and lows −6 °C21 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 26.1 °C47.1 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,236 mm49 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is October (122 mm4.8 in), the driest is January (81 mm3.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 73% in August to 87% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 48%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 4 km/h (3 mph) in August to 8 km/h (5 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.3 hours in December to 15.1 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–February. In those months the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm. It is deepest in January, at about 15 cm.
Best time to visit Manhattan
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and August and September. Average highs then reach 20 °C69 °F to 29 °C84 °F. Precipitation is 98 mm3.8 in to 114 mm4.5 in per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 2 °C36 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an ideal. That means an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Manhattan
- Winter (December–February) — highs 236 to 5 °C41 °F, lows −621 to −2 °C28 °F, about 93 mm3.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots, shoes with good grip, as frost is common and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 846 to 20 °C69 °F, lows −129 to 10 °C50 °F, about 100 mm3.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2678 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 1660 to 19 °C67 °F, about 114 mm4.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1152 to 25 °C77 °F, lows 236 to 15 °C59 °F, about 106 mm4.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Manhattan compares
The nearest larger place is New York City, about 8 km to the southwest. Compared with it, Manhattan is on average 0.9 °C1.7 °F cooler. It receives 6% less precipitation (1,236 mm49 in vs 1,312 mm52 in). The difference is largest in December (3 °C5.4 °F cooler).
World Climates covers 222 places in the United States. By annual mean temperature, Manhattan is the 172nd warmest of them. By annual precipitation, it is the 51st wettest. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Some places in other countries have a very similar pattern of temperature and rainfall. The closest matches are Ichinoseki (Japan, Dfa), Oshu (Japan, Dfa) and Sendai (Japan, Dfa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains The Bronx (pop. 1,385,108) and Yonkers (pop. 201,116). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Manhattan, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Climate in New York City 8 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,312 mm52 in
- Climate in Brooklyn 15 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,312 mm52 in
- Climate in Paterson 23 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,240 mm49 in
- Climate in Staten Island 29 km · 12 °C53 °F · 1,226 mm48 in
- Climate in Stamford 47 km · 11 °C53 °F · 1,236 mm49 in
- Climate in Bridgeport 79 km · 12 °C53 °F · 1,206 mm47 in
- Climate in New Haven 105 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,208 mm48 in
- Climate in Waterbury 115 km · 10 °C51 °F · 1,208 mm48 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Manhattan?
July is the warmest month in Manhattan. Its average high is 29 °C (85 °F) and its average low is 19 °C (67 °F).
What is the coldest month in Manhattan?
January is the coldest month. Its average high is 2 °C (36 °F) and its average low is -6 °C (21 °F).
When does it rain the most in Manhattan?
October is the wettest month with about 122 mm (4.8 in) of precipitation. January is the driest with about 81 mm (3.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Manhattan?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May and August and September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station. So they can differ from airport records. The gaps are largest on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.