New York City climate

Name: New York City
Address: US

New York City is warmest in July, with average highs of 29 °C, and coldest in January, when nights average -4.2 °C. March is the wettest month (106 mm) and November the driest (77 mm). Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.

Across a full year New York City averages 1,129 mm of rain, 89 days above 25 °C and 88 days below freezing.

United States · 10 m elevation · population 8,804,190 · 1991–2020 normals

Temperature below 0 °C to above 30 °C Rain band height is that month’s share of the wettest month

Warmest month July 29 °C
Coldest month January -4.2 °C
Driest month November 77 mm
Wettest month March 106 mm
Least cloud October 51 % cloud
Hottest on record July 39 °C
Coldest on record February -24 °C
Warmest sea August 23 °C

What to expectNew York City through the year

New York City has a clear annual cycle: average daily highs run from 3.5 °C in January to 29 °C in July, a swing of 25 °C in mean temperature across the year.

Counted across a normal year, 89 days a year reach 25 °C, 23 of them reach 30 °C, 88 nights drop below freezing. The warmest reading in the 1991–2020 record is 39 °C, in July.

Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year, from 77 mm in November to 106 mm in March. There is no dry season to aim for.

The sea off New York City is warmest in August at 23 °C and coldest in February at 4.3 °C. Sea temperature lags the air by a month or two, which is why late summer swims warmer than early summer at the same air temperature.

Month by month

Month	Avg high	Rainfall	Cloud
January	3.5 °C	83 mm	58 %
February	4.8 °C	78 mm	56 %
March	9.0 °C	106 mm	58 %
April	15.4 °C	91 mm	60 %
May	20.7 °C	87 mm	61 %
June	25.7 °C	101 mm	59 %
July	28.6 °C	104 mm	54 %
August	27.5 °C	105 mm	53 %
September	23.8 °C	98 mm	52 %
October	17.5 °C	98 mm	51 %
November	11.5 °C	77 mm	55 %
December	6.2 °C	101 mm	59 %

Temperature month by month

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Mean	Record high	Record low	Days above 25 °C	Days above 30 °C	Days below 0 °C
January	3.5 °C	-4.2 °C	-0.8 °C	20.0 °C	-21.5 °C	0	0	24
February	4.8 °C	-3.9 °C	-0.1 °C	23.2 °C	-24.0 °C	0	0	22
March	9.0 °C	-0.1 °C	3.9 °C	25.9 °C	-17.6 °C	0	0	16
April	15.4 °C	5.6 °C	10.0 °C	31.9 °C	-3.6 °C	1	0	2
May	20.7 °C	11.3 °C	15.6 °C	33.5 °C	0.7 °C	6	1	0
June	25.7 °C	16.8 °C	20.9 °C	36.4 °C	8.5 °C	17	4	0
July	28.6 °C	20.0 °C	24.1 °C	38.5 °C	13.5 °C	27	10	0
August	27.5 °C	19.4 °C	23.2 °C	37.2 °C	12.0 °C	25	6	0
September	23.8 °C	16.0 °C	19.6 °C	34.0 °C	6.4 °C	11	2	0
October	17.5 °C	9.8 °C	13.3 °C	32.3 °C	0.1 °C	2	0	0
November	11.5 °C	4.0 °C	7.3 °C	23.9 °C	-8.1 °C	0	0	5
December	6.2 °C	-0.7 °C	2.3 °C	22.0 °C	-15.0 °C	0	0	18

Rain, sun and wind month by month

Month	Rainfall	Wet days	Daylight	Cloud cover	Humidity	Wind	Sea temp
January	83 mm	9	9.6 h/day	58 %	69 %	19 km/h	6.0 °C
February	78 mm	8	11 h/day	56 %	68 %	19 km/h	4.3 °C
March	106 mm	10	12 h/day	58 %	68 %	20 km/h	4.8 °C
April	91 mm	11	13 h/day	60 %	68 %	20 km/h	7.9 °C
May	87 mm	11	14 h/day	61 %	71 %	17 km/h	12.6 °C
June	101 mm	11	15 h/day	59 %	72 %	16 km/h	18.1 °C
July	104 mm	12	15 h/day	54 %	71 %	15 km/h	22.2 °C
August	105 mm	11	14 h/day	53 %	73 %	15 km/h	23.1 °C
September	98 mm	9	12 h/day	52 %	74 %	16 km/h	21.4 °C
October	98 mm	8	11 h/day	51 %	73 %	18 km/h	17.3 °C
November	77 mm	8	9.9 h/day	55 %	72 %	18 km/h	12.7 °C
December	101 mm	10	9.3 h/day	59 %	72 %	19 km/h	9.0 °C

How New York City compares

The same four figures for nearby destinations, so the numbers above have something to be read against. Summer high is the warmest month's average high; winter low is the coldest month's average low.

Destination	Summer high	Winter low	Rain per year	Days above 25 °C
New York City	29 °C	-4.2 °C	1,129 mm	89
Newark · United States	29 °C	-4.2 °C	1,167 mm	97
Queens · United States	28 °C	-3.3 °C	1,125 mm	84
The Bronx · United States	29 °C	-4.4 °C	1,127 mm	90
Staten Island · United States	29 °C	-3.3 °C	1,128 mm	94

Where New York City ranks

Ranking	Position	Value
The coolest places in North America in March	44thof 50	9.0 °C
Places with the best weather in North America in September	45thof 50	89/100
The coolest places in North America in February	46thof 50	4.8 °C

Planning a trip? See the best time to visit New York City.

QuestionsCommon questions about New York City’s climate

When is the best time to visit New York City?

That depends on what you want, so the honest answer is a comparison rather than a single month. June, August, September sit closest to 20 °C on average, July is the warmest month and November the driest. The month-by-month table above has the full picture.

How hot does New York City get?

In July, the warmest month, daily highs average 29 °C. About 23 days a year pass 30 °C. The highest value in the 1991–2020 record is 39 °C.

How cold does it get in winter?

Nights average -4.2 °C in January, the coldest month. A normal year has 88 nights below freezing.

Which month is wettest in New York City?

March, averaging 106 mm over 10 days with rain. The driest month is November with 77 mm. The year as a whole averages 1,129 mm.

Are these figures a forecast?

No. They are 1991–2020 climate normals: the average of thirty years, which describes what a month is usually like in New York City rather than what any particular week will bring. Individual years can differ substantially from the normal.

Data sources and method

ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis — Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), ECMWF. Copernicus Licence
Open-Meteo — Open-Meteo.com. CC BY 4.0
NOAA OISST v2.1 — NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Public domain
GeoNames — GeoNames.org. CC BY 4.0

Normal period: 1991–2020
Dataset version: era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
Last processed: 1 August 2026

Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: monthly rankings, daylight hours, beach and comfort scores. Full formulas are on the methodology page.

Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.