Climate
Under the Köppen climate classification, New York City; western Long Island; the eastern shore of Westchester County, New York; the southwestern coastline of Connecticut; and a sliver of the Jersey Shore experience a humid subtropical climate (Cfa). Using the 0 °C (32 °F) threshold, New York City is the northernmost metropolis on the North American continent with the humid subtropical categorization.
The remainder of the New York metropolitan area is classified as experiencing a humid continental climate. However, the area covered by this humid continental categorization is itself split into two realms, Dfa (hot summer subtype) versus Dfb (warm summer subtype); the Dfb region generally lies further north and inland, at a higher elevation, and receives greater snowfall than the Dfa region.
Winters are cold and damp, and prevailing wind patterns that blow offshore minimize the moderating effects of the Atlantic Ocean; yet the Atlantic and the partial shielding of the Appalachians keep the New York area warmer in the winter than inland North American metropolitan areas located at similar or lesser latitudes including Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis. The average temperature in January, the area's coldest month, is 39.1 °F (3.9 °C). However, temperatures in winter can for a few days be as low as 10 °F (−12 °C) and as high as 50 °F (10 °C). Spring and autumn are unpredictable and can range from chilly to warm, although they are usually mild with low humidity. Summers in New York City are typically hot and humid with a July average of 84.9 °F (29.4 °C). Nighttime conditions are often exacerbated by the urban heat island phenomenon, and temperatures exceed 90 °F (32.2 °C) on average of 17 days each summer and can exceed 100 °F (38 °C).
New York City receives 49.7 inches (1,260 mm) of precipitation annually, which is fairly spread throughout the year. Average winter snowfall for 1981 to 2010 has been 26.7 inches (68 cm), but this usually varies considerably from year to year. Hurricanes and tropical storms are rare in the New York area, but are not unheard of and always have the potential to strike the area. Extreme temperatures in New York City have ranged from −15 °F (−26 °C), recorded in February 1934, up to 106 °F (41 °C) in July 1936.
The New York metropolitan area averages 234 days with at least some sunshine annually, and averages 58% of possible sunshine annually, accumulating 2,400 to 2,800 hours of sunshine per annum.
| Climate data for New York's Central Park (Belvedere Castle) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 72 (22) |
75 (24) |
86 (30) |
96 (36) |
99 (37) |
101 (38) |
106 (41) |
104 (40) |
102 (39) |
94 (34) |
84 (29) |
75 (24) |
106 (41) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 39.1 (3.9) |
42.4 (5.8) |
50.5 (10.3) |
62.0 (16.7) |
71.6 (22.0) |
80.1 (26.7) |
84.9 (29.4) |
83.4 (28.6) |
76.0 (24.4) |
64.6 (18.1) |
54.6 (12.6) |
43.8 (6.6) |
62.7 (17.1) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 26.9 (−2.8) |
28.9 (−1.7) |
35.2 (1.8) |
44.8 (7.1) |
54.0 (12.2) |
63.6 (17.6) |
68.9 (20.5) |
67.9 (19.9) |
60.8 (16.0) |
50.0 (10.0) |
41.6 (5.3) |
32.0 (0.0) |
47.9 (8.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −6 (−21) |
−15 (−26) |
5 (−15) |
12 (−11) |
32 (0) |
44 (7) |
52 (11) |
50 (10) |
39 (4) |
28 (−2) |
12 (−11) |
−13 (−25) |
−15 (−26) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 3.65 (92.7) |
3.09 (78.5) |
4.36 (110.7) |
4.49 (114) |
4.19 (106.4) |
4.41 (112) |
4.60 (116.8) |
4.44 (112.8) |
4.28 (108.7) |
4.40 (111.8) |
4.02 (102.1) |
4.00 (101.6) |
49.92 (1,268) |
| Snowfall inches (cm) | 8.0 (20.3) |
9.4 (23.9) |
3.7 (9.4) |
.6 (1.5) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
.3 (0.8) |
4.8 (12.2) |
26.7 (67.8) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.01 inch) | 10.4 | 9.2 | 10.9 | 11.5 | 11.1 | 11.2 | 10.4 | 9.5 | 8.7 | 8.9 | 9.6 | 10.6 | 121.9 |
| Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.1 inch) | 4.1 | 2.9 | 1.8 | .3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .2 | 2.3 | 11.5 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 51 | 55 | 57 | 58 | 61 | 64 | 65 | 64 | 62 | 61 | 52 | 49 | 58 |
| Source: NOAA (1981–2010 normals, extremes 1876–present), Average Percent Sunshine through 2009 | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for New York's LaGuardia Airport | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 72 (22) |
74 (23) |
86 (30) |
94 (34) |
97 (36) |
101 (38) |
107 (42) |
104 (40) |
102 (39) |
93 (34) |
83 (28) |
75 (24) |
107 (42) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 39.3 (4.1) |
42.2 (5.7) |
49.8 (9.9) |
60.9 (16.1) |
71.2 (21.8) |
80.5 (26.9) |
85.3 (29.6) |
83.7 (28.7) |
76.3 (24.6) |
65.2 (18.4) |
54.7 (12.6) |
44.3 (6.8) |
62.6 (17.0) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 26.6 (−3.0) |
28.5 (−1.9) |
34.6 (1.4) |
44.4 (6.9) |
53.9 (12.2) |
63.8 (17.7) |
69.5 (20.8) |
68.9 (20.5) |
61.9 (16.6) |
51.0 (10.6) |
41.8 (5.4) |
32.1 (0.1) |
48.8 (9.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −3 (−19) |
−7 (−22) |
7 (−14) |
22 (−6) |
37 (3) |
46 (8) |
56 (13) |
51 (11) |
41 (5) |
30 (−1) |
17 (−8) |
−2 (−19) |
−7 (−22) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 3.17 (80.5) |
2.76 (70.1) |
3.97 (100.8) |
4.00 (101.6) |
3.79 (96.3) |
3.94 (100.1) |
4.50 (114.3) |
4.12 (104.6) |
3.73 (94.7) |
3.78 (96) |
3.41 (86.6) |
3.56 (90.4) |
44.73 (1,136.1) |
| Snowfall inches (cm) | 7.4 (18.8) |
9.1 (23.1) |
4.4 (11.2) |
.5 (1.3) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
.3 (0.8) |
5.2 (13.2) |
26.9 (68.3) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.01 inch) | 10.4 | 9.6 | 10.7 | 10.9 | 11.1 | 10.5 | 9.9 | 8.7 | 8.1 | 8.5 | 9.2 | 10.5 | 118.0 |
| Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.1 inch) | 4.7 | 3.5 | 2.1 | .2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .2 | 2.6 | 13.4 |
| Source: NOAA (1981–2010 normals, extremes 1940–present) | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 71 (22) |
71 (22) |
85 (29) |
90 (32) |
99 (37) |
99 (37) |
104 (40) |
101 (38) |
98 (37) |
90 (32) |
77 (25) |
75 (24) |
104 (40) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 39.1 (3.9) |
41.8 (5.4) |
49.0 (9.4) |
59.0 (15.0) |
68.5 (20.3) |
78.0 (25.6) |
83.2 (28.4) |
81.9 (27.7) |
75.3 (24.1) |
64.5 (18.1) |
54.3 (12.4) |
44.0 (6.7) |
61.6 (16.4) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 26.3 (−3.2) |
28.1 (−2.2) |
34.2 (1.2) |
43.5 (6.4) |
52.8 (11.6) |
62.8 (17.1) |
68.5 (20.3) |
67.8 (19.9) |
60.8 (16.0) |
49.6 (9.8) |
40.7 (4.8) |
31.5 (−0.3) |
47.3 (8.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −2 (−19) |
−2 (−19) |
4 (−16) |
20 (−7) |
34 (1) |
45 (7) |
55 (13) |
46 (8) |
40 (4) |
30 (−1) |
19 (−7) |
2 (−17) |
−2 (−19) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 3.16 (80.3) |
2.59 (65.8) |
3.78 (96) |
3.87 (98.3) |
3.94 (100.1) |
3.86 (98) |
4.08 (103.6) |
3.68 (93.5) |
3.50 (88.9) |
3.62 (91.9) |
3.30 (83.8) |
3.39 (86.1) |
42.77 (1,086.4) |
| Snowfall inches (cm) | 6.3 (16) |
8.3 (21.1) |
3.5 (8.9) |
.8 (2) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
.2 (0.5) |
4.7 (11.9) |
23.8 (60.5) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.01 inch) | 10.5 | 9.6 | 11.0 | 11.4 | 11.5 | 10.7 | 9.4 | 8.7 | 8.1 | 8.5 | 9.4 | 10.6 | 119.5 |
| Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.1 inch) | 4.7 | 3.4 | 2.3 | .3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .2 | 2.8 | 13.8 |
| Source: NOAA (1981–2010 normals, extremes 1948–present) | |||||||||||||
Read more about this topic: New York Metropolitan Area
Famous quotes containing the word climate:
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—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“Russian forests crash down under the axe, billions of trees are dying, the habitations of animals and birds are layed waste, rivers grow shallow and dry up, marvelous landscapes are disappearing forever.... Man is endowed with creativity in order to multiply that which has been given him; he has not created, but destroyed. There are fewer and fewer forests, rivers are drying up, wildlife has become extinct, the climate is ruined, and the earth is becoming ever poorer and uglier.”
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904)
“The climate has been described as “ten months winter and two months mighty late in the fall.””
—Administration in the State of Colo, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)