🗽 New York City Weather

Four full seasons, all turned up loud

New York sits on the boundary between the humid continental climate of the Northeast and the humid subtropical air of the Mid-Atlantic, and the result is a city that experiences four genuinely distinct seasons — each capable of going to extremes. The surrounding water moderates things slightly, but the urban heat island works in the opposite direction, trapping warmth among the concrete and pushing the city a few degrees above its suburbs, especially on summer nights.

Sweltering summers

From late June through August, highs typically reach the mid-to-upper 80s°F (29–31°C), but high humidity off the Atlantic regularly pushes the heat index past 95°F (35°C). The all-time record is 106°F (41°C). Afternoon thunderstorms and the occasional remnant of a tropical system provide bursts of heavy rain.

Cold, snowy, nor'easter-prone winters

Winters bring highs in the upper 30s to low 40s°F (3–6°C), but the real drama comes from nor'easters — powerful coastal storms that can bury the city. January 2016's blizzard dropped a record 27.5 inches (70 cm) in Central Park. Hurricane Sandy in 2012 remains the modern benchmark for coastal flooding.

Spring and fall are the city's reward: crisp, clear, and comfortable, with autumn in particular offering long stretches of bright, dry days. New York averages about 47 inches (1,200 mm) of precipitation a year, spread fairly evenly across all twelve months.

A big city's own climate

New York's humid continental climate brings all four seasons in full: hot, humid summers where the concrete canyons trap heat well past dark, and cold winters shaped by the tug between mild Atlantic air and cold Canadian outbreaks. The sheer density of the city makes it a powerful urban heat island.

Winter's big events are nor'easters, coastal storms that can dump a foot of snow or, a few degrees warmer, just cold rain. The Atlantic moderates the extremes and occasionally sends a tropical system north — Sandy's 2012 surge showed how exposed the low-lying harbor and subway system remain.