Climate of New York City

New York
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     3.6     40 28     3.2     42 30     4.3     50 36     4.1     62 46     4     71 55     4.5     80 64     4.6     85 70     4.6     83 69     4.3     76 62     4.4     65 51     3.6     54 42     4.4     44 34 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches Source: "New York City Weatherbox NOAA"
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     92     4 −2     81     6 −1     109     10 2     104     17 8     101     22 13     115     27 18     117     29 21     116     29 21     109     25 17     111     18 11     91     12 6     111     7 1 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

The climate of New York City features a humid subtropical variety (Cfa), with parts of the city transitioning into a humid continental climate. (Dfa)^[1] This gives the city cool, wet winters and hot, humid summers with plentiful rainfall all year round. Meteorological records have been kept at Central Park since 1821, although the station was relocated to a different part of the park on January 1, 1920.^[2] There are also other weather stations in the area including one at LaGuardia Airport, beginning in 1940, and at JFK Airport, beginning in 1948. However, due to Central Park's long records and central location, it is often considered the main station for the city. Hence, all records unless otherwise stated will be for this station.

The highest temperature ever observed in Central Park is 106 °F (41 °C) on July 9, 1936 and the lowest is −15 °F (−26 °C) on February 9, 1934. The lowest daily maximum is 2 °F (−17 °C) on December 30, 1917. The highest daily minimum at Central Park is 87 °F (31 °C) on July 2, 1903.^[3] However, LaGuardia reported 107 °F (42 °C) on July 3, 1966.

The city can be prone to extremes. Snowfall is an infrequent occurrence in the city, on average occurring on only 12 days per year, though it can be heavy when it occurs. The city can also be prone to strong winds, being a coastal location it is exposed to the Atlantic. This can be especially pronounced during the autumn and winter months, with a gust of 78 miles per hour (126 km/h) being reported on December 2, 1974.^[4]

Classifications[]

New York City falls under different climate types depending on the climate classification system used. However, the Koppen climate classification system is the most widely used climate classification scheme.

New York City Climate according to major climate systems

Climatic scheme	Initials	Description
Köppen system[5]	Cfa	humid subtropical climate
Trewartha system[6]	Do	Temperate oceanic climate
Alisov system[7]	N/A	Temperate climate[a]
Strahler system[8]	N/A	Moist continental climate
Thornthwaite system[9]	C2 B'1	Moist subhumid
Neef system[10]	N/A	Temperate climate

In the Holdridge life zones system, having a mean annual biotemperature above 53.6 °F (12 °C) and mean annual precipitation above 39.4 inches (1,000 mm), New York City features a warm temperate moist forest climate.^[11] The USDA plant hardiness zones are 7a and 7b. Most of the city is found in 7b, with forested areas and parks being in 7a, as shown in Staten Island and suburban areas. The city also has some small densely populated areas in 8a, like around Laguardia airport.^[12]

Temperature[]

The city's regime of temperature features large seasonal swings, with 4 distinct seasons. However, due to its proximity to the Atlantic ocean, these swings are less significant than areas further inland. The Atlantic serves as a moderator of the temperature meaning the city is milder than areas inland during the winter and cooler during the summer. Although, being on the east coast, this effect is less pronounced. All extremes are for the Central Park station.

Averages[]

In an average year, the temperature will usually be between 7 °F (−14 °C) and 97 °F (36 °C) with temperatures greatly exceeding these values being uncommon. Temperatures above 100 °F (38 °C) and below 0 °F (−18 °C) are very rare, with the last occurrences being July 18, 2012 and February 14, 2016, respectively.^[13]

Highest daily temperatures[]

Daily record warm minima[]

Highest averages[]

Precipitation[]

The city sees frequent, heavy rainfall which averages 49.9 in (1,267 mm) annually, with spring being the wettest season and February the driest month. Every single month in the city's recorded history has reported some rainfall, alerting the variability of the climate. Further highlighting the city's variability of weather is the record of only 36 consecutive days without precipitation, between October 10 and November 13, 1924. The city also sees snow, primarily in winter, but sometimes in the late autumn and early spring. Snowfall averages 29.8 in (75.7 cm) per year but is highly variable between winter seasons.^[18] The most rainfall in 24 hours was 8.28 in (210.3 mm) on September 23, 1882 and the most snowfall was 27.3 in (69 cm) on January 23, 2016.^[19]

Averages[]

Rainfall Extremes[]

Snowfall[]

Other phenomena[]

Sunshine, UV and daylight[]

The city generally experiences sunny conditions. As a result of New York City's latitude,

40°42′46″N 74°00′22″W / 40.712740°N 74.005974°W / 40.712740; -74.005974Coordinates: 40°42′46″N 74°00′22″W / 40.712740°N 74.005974°W / 40.712740; -74.005974, it is not subject to the extremes of daylight that places much farther north see.^[21] However, it is far north enough for there to be a moderate change of possible daylight hours throughout the year.^[22]

Wind[]

The wind is seldom strong in New York City but can occasionally be noticeable. This is especially true in the autumn and winter seasons when extratropical depressions often bring strong winds. The strongest gust in Central Park, of 78 miles per hour (126 km/h), occurred on December 2, 1974 however, a station at The Battery reported a gust of 113 miles per hour (182 km/h) on October 14, 1954.^[24] However, tropical storms can sometimes affect the area, although they are infrequent and usually weak. Most recently Hurricane Sandy struck the city on October 29, 2012 causing billions of dollars in damage. It resulted in loss of power, severe flooding and many residents being displaced.^[25]

Climate change[]

Being a coastal city, New York City is expected to experience significant effects from rising sea levels. Predictions that the sea level will rise by as much as 6 feet (1.8 m) by 2100 have prompted the city's mayor to invest $10 billion dollars into keeping the city safe.^[26] The city is also expected to become more susceptible to storm surges and flooding, meaning events like Hurricane Sandy's impacts will become more likely in the future.

Temperature[]

The temperature in New York City has generally increased steadily of the last 150 years and this trend is expected to continue due to anthropogenic warming. By 2080, it is predicted that the climate of the city will be similar to southern Kansas. The mean temperature has risen by 2.4 °F (1.3 °C) since the 1970s and this warming is expected to accelerate in the coming decades.^[27][28]

Precipitation[]

Precipitation in the city has significantly increased since 2000; both rainfall and snowfall have risen, but snowfall has increased much more significantly. However, it is argued that such trends, being so recent, make it impossible to predict whether such increases will continue or become steadier.^[29]

Station data[]

Climate data for New York
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average sea temperature °F (°C)	41.7 (5.4)	39.7 (4.3)	40.2 (4.5)	45.1 (7.3)	52.5 (11.4)	64.5 (18.1)	72.1 (22.3)	74.1 (23.4)	70.1 (21.2)	63.0 (17.2)	54.3 (12.4)	47.2 (8.4)	55.4 (13.0)
Source: Weather Atlas[35]

Time series plot for Central Park, 1869–present

See or edit raw graph data.

Notes[]

References[]