New York City climate
New York City (New York, United States) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 12 °C54 °F, and about 1,312 mm52 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
New York City climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 438 | −129 | 134 | 993.9 | 19 |
| Feb | 439 | −130 | 135 | 953.7 | 16 |
| Mar | 744 | 135 | 440 | 1144.5 | 10 |
| Apr | 1254 | 643 | 948 | 1074.2 | 0 |
| May | 1763 | 1253 | 1458 | 1014.0 | 0 |
| Jun | 2272 | 1763 | 2068 | 1154.5 | 0 |
| Jul | 2679 | 2170 | 2475 | 1144.5 | 0 |
| Aug | 2679 | 2170 | 2475 | 1144.5 | 0 |
| Sep | 2374 | 1864 | 2169 | 973.8 | 0 |
| Oct | 1864 | 1254 | 1559 | 1244.9 | 0 |
| Nov | 1253 | 744 | 949 | 1014.0 | 1 |
| Dec | 744 | 236 | 540 | 1335.2 | 8 |
| Year | 2679 | −129 | 1254 | 1,31252 | 54 |
“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 | 82% | 62% | 1.9 | 9:33 |
| Feb | 81% | 60% | 2.8 | 10:35 |
| Mar | 81% | 60% | 3.7 | 11:49 |
| Apr | 82% | 61% | 4.9 | 13:15 |
| May | 84% | 63% | 5.4 | 14:26 |
| Jun | 83% | 59% | 6.0 | 15:04 |
| Jul | 80% | 54% | 6.0 | 14:49 |
| Aug | 78% | 53% | 5.2 | 13:47 |
| Sep | 77% | 51% | 4.3 | 12:24 |
| Oct | 78% | 55% | 3.0 | 11:02 |
| Nov | 79% | 57% | 2.2 | 9:51 |
| Dec | 82% | 63% | 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 New York City is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 26 °C79 °F and a low of 21 °C70 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 4 °C38 °F and lows −1 °C29 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 22.6 °C40.8 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,312 mm52 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is December (133 mm5.2 in), the driest is February (95 mm3.7 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 77% in September to 84% in May. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 51%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 11 km/h (7 mph) in June to 19 km/h (12 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 9.3 hours in December to 15.1 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in January and February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 13 cm).
Best time to visit New York City
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June and September: average highs of 22 °C72 °F to 23 °C74 °F with 97 mm3.8 in to 115 mm4.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 4 °C38 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to 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.
New York City weather by month
- January4 °C38 °F / −1 °C29 °F
- February4 °C39 °F / −1 °C30 °F
- March7 °C44 °F / 1 °C35 °F
- April12 °C54 °F / 6 °C43 °F
- May17 °C63 °F / 12 °C53 °F
- June22 °C72 °F / 17 °C63 °F
- July26 °C79 °F / 21 °C70 °F
- August26 °C79 °F / 21 °C70 °F
- September23 °C74 °F / 18 °C64 °F
- October18 °C64 °F / 12 °C54 °F
- November12 °C53 °F / 7 °C44 °F
- December7 °C44 °F / 2 °C36 °F
What to pack for New York City
- Winter (December–February) — highs 438 to 7 °C44 °F, lows −129 to 2 °C36 °F, about 109 mm4.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes, shoes with good grip, as frost is common and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 744 to 17 °C63 °F, lows 135 to 12 °C53 °F, about 107 mm4.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2272 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 1763 to 21 °C70 °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 1253 to 23 °C74 °F, lows 744 to 18 °C64 °F, about 107 mm4.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How New York City compares
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, New York City is the 145th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 31st wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Akita (Japan, Cfa), Ishinomaki (Japan, Cfa) and Ōsaki (Japan, Cfa).
Nearby places
- Manhattan 8 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,236 mm49 in
- Brooklyn 9 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,312 mm52 in
- Staten Island 20 km · 12 °C53 °F · 1,226 mm48 in
- Paterson 26 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,240 mm49 in
- Stamford 54 km · 11 °C53 °F · 1,236 mm49 in
- Bridgeport 86 km · 12 °C53 °F · 1,206 mm47 in
- New Haven 112 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,208 mm48 in
- Waterbury 123 km · 10 °C51 °F · 1,208 mm48 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in New York City?
July is the warmest month in New York City, with an average high of 26 °C (79 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (70 °F).
What is the coldest month in New York City?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 4 °C (38 °F) and an average low of -1 °C (29 °F).
When does it rain the most in New York City?
December is the wettest month with about 133 mm (5.2 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 95 mm (3.7 in).
What is the best time to visit New York City?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June 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 — most of all 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.