Best time to visit New York City
United States · 20-year averages
New York City is a city of two halves. September scores 81 and February scores 29 — a 52-point swing, which is the difference between a holiday and an endurance test. The month you pick matters more here than almost anywhere. The good window runs June to October — 5 months within ten points of the best.
July is the warmest month at 26.2 °C and January the coolest at 3.5 °C — a 22.7 °C spread across the year. 55 nights a year dip below freezing.
There is a real wet season here. May to August carry the rain — up to 14 wet days in a month — while January, February, September and November drop as low as 8. That 6-day gap is the biggest single difference between a good month and a bad one in New York City, and it moves further than the temperature does.
The sea is comfortable for swimming in July to September — 24.4 °C at its warmest against 6.8 °C at its coldest. The water peaks a month or two after the air does, so the best swimming falls later in the year than the best weather. Daylight runs from 9.3 hours in winter to 15.1 in summer, enough to notice on a sightseeing itinerary.
The three strongest months are September, July, August. The one to think twice about is February. Each month below has its own page with rainfall reliability, extremes, daylight, sea temperature and crowd levels.
New York City month by month
| Month | High °C | Low °C | Rain days | Daylight h | Sea °C | Score | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.5 | -1.5 | 9 | 9.6 | 9.1 | 29 | The month to avoid |
| February | 4.1 | -1.3 | 9 | 10.6 | 7.3 | 29 | The month to avoid |
| March | 6.9 | 1.4 | 10 | 11.9 | 6.8 | 38 | A hard month |
| April | 12 | 6.1 | 11 | 13.3 | 8.1 | 53 | Shoulder season |
| May | 17 | 11.5 | 13 | 14.4 | 12.3 | 65 | A good month |
| June | 22.4 | 17.2 | 14 | 15.1 | 18.3 | 72 | A good month |
| July | 26.2 | 21.1 | 13 | 14.8 | 23.4 | 74 | A good month |
| August | 26.1 | 21.2 | 13 | 13.8 | 24.4 | 74 | A good month |
| September | 23.2 | 18 | 9 | 12.5 | 21.9 | 81 | Prime time |
| October | 17.6 | 12.2 | 10 | 11.2 | 18.2 | 71 | A good month |
| November | 11.9 | 6.6 | 8 | 10 | 14.6 | 57 | Shoulder season |
| December | 6.9 | 2.1 | 10 | 9.3 | 11.8 | 35 | A hard month |
Planning the rest of the trip
- Flight time to New York City how long you are actually in the air
- New York City time zone and the difference from home
- Days until your trip count down to the departure date
- Gyms & clubs in New York City keep training while you are there