New York City Weather Archive

June 2025 Weather Recap: All About The Heat Wave

June 2025 was 1.2 degrees above average (its average high was 0.7 above average, the average low was 1.7 above average), and rainfall was well below average (2.46").

The highlight of the month was the intense 3-day heat wave of June 23-25; with an average high/low of 97°/81° (14 degrees above average), it was one of the hottest 3-day heat waves on record.

The high of 99º on 6/24, a record for the date, was the hottest reading in Central Park since 2012, and the hottest in June since 1966. Only three other Junes have had a hotter reading (and four others had 99° as their hottest). And for the first time in five years, Central Park had a low in the 80s (in fact, three days did). Before this June, there had been only two instances of 80+ lows in June (6/30 in 1901, 6/26 in 1952).

Among New York's nearly 150 heat waves that lasted three days, June 2025's ranks as the fifth hottest based on average high temperature. However, looking at average low temperature, it ranks first. And it also ranks first based on mean temperature (average of the high/low). This June had only the fourth 3-day streak of lows in the 80s (which coincided with its heat wave).

The first day of the heat wave was the year's first reading in the 90s, about a month later than the typical date for this occurrence. (Last year's first 90 was on 6/20, 2020's was on 6/22.)

For the first time, two back-to-back Junes had 10 or more days with lows of 70+. This June had 11; only three other Junes have had more lows in the 70s (the average number is six).

The range between June's coolest and hottest readings was 49 degrees (50° and 99°). This was the widest range since 1966 (52° and 101°). The last time there was a greater disparity was in 1945, when the coolest reading was 44°, hottest was 97°.

The month's above average temperatures were tempered by six days with highs cooler than 70°, the most since 2009. Four of those days were consecutive (6/14-17). One of these days, 6/15, was Father's Day, and the high temperature of 64° was the coolest ever recorded on the holiday.

With rainfall of 2.46" measured (four inches less than what fell in May), this was the 40^th driest June, two inches below average. The two days with the most rain accounted for more than half of the month's rain: 0.70" on 6/7, 0.65" on 6/19. This was the sixth consecutive June with less than three inches of rainfall.

Here are recaps of nine previous Junes:

2022

2018

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May 2025 Weather Recap: Rainy, With Chilly Last Two Weeks

With 6.58” of rain, May 2025 became the 15^th wettest May on record in Central Park. This amount was 2.62" above average and was the most monthly precipitation since August 2024 (which had 7.02”). NYC's rainfall was considerably more than what fell at LaGuardia Airport (5.14"), Newark (4.81"), and JFK (4.43").

Rainfall was spread pretty evenly through the month. The greatest daily amounts fell on 5/14 (1.22"); 5/3 (0.95"); and 5/22 (0.90").

Despite temperatures being three degrees milder than average thru 5/18, the month, overall, was 0.9 degrees cooler than average as 5/19-31 had temperatures six degrees below average. (This was a mirror image of April, which was three degrees below average in the first 18 days and then finished seven degrees above average.) What made May cooler than average was the average high, which was 1.9 degrees below average while the average low was a smidge above average (+0.2).

The warmest reading was 85° on 5/3 (following a high of 84° on 5/2). The chilliest reading wasn’t until 5/23 (47°). In fact, there were no lows in the 40s until 5/20, which was the first of five in a row. (A reader pointed out that only May 1993 had its first reading in the 40s on a later date, on 5/21.)

An usually chilly day was 5/22, which had a high of only 51°. This was just four degrees above the month's chilliest low temperature (which was the following morning), 22 degrees below the average high, and the chilliest high on record for that date.

Mother’s Day 2025, with a high/low of 77°/58°, was the mildest in ten years. And for the first time since 2017, its high temperature was milder than that of Memorial Day (73°). Both holidays were celebrated under mostly clear skies.

Last May had seven days in a row with lows of 65° or milder, the longest such streak on record for May. By contrast, this May had no lows that mild, which was the first time this happened since May 2009. (Before 2010 this happened every three years). The warmest low was 63°, which occurred on 5/3 and 5/17.

Here are weather recaps of previous Mays:

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April 2025 Distinguished By Record-Mild Last 12 Days

Despite the first eighteen days of the month being nearly two degrees chillier than average, April 2025 ended up becoming New York's 16th mildest April on record. This was due to the last 12 days of April being seven degrees warmer than average, making the entire month 1.6 degrees above average. With an average high/low of 74°/55°, these last twelve days were the mildest of any April on record (and more typical of mid-May).

The month had 12 days with highs of 70° or warmer. Only one other April has had more, April 1921, which had 13. (April 1977 and 1941 also had the same number as this year.) 10 of this month's 12 days were concentrated in the last 12 days of the month, with seven of them having highs of 75+, including 85° on 4/19 and 82° on 4/22. (As for the reading of 85°, only 20% of all Aprils have had their warmest reading above this temperature.)

During the chillier part of the month the morning of 4/9 had a low of 31°, which was the first time in four years that a low was 32° or colder in April. And it was the deepest into April for a reading this low since 2016.

The high of 40° on 4/12 (21 degrees below average) was the latest date for a high this chilly since 1940 (when it happened on 4/21).

Finally, 3.25" of rain was measured, about an inch below average. (April 1898 also had 3.25" of precipitation.) More than two-thirds of this amount fell during nine of the first twelve days of the month. And on 4/26, a brief evening thunderstorm dumped 0.61" of rain in a 30-minute period (between 7:00 and 7:30).

Here are previous recaps from April:

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March 2025 Weather Recap for NYC: Spring Makes an Early Appearance

March 2025 was 4.1 degrees milder than average, breaking a string of three consecutive months with below average temperatures; it finished in a tie as Central Park's 10th mildest March on record. It's worth noting that the month's average high was significantly more above average than the average low (+5.6 degrees vs. +2.1 degrees).

During the month there was a 19-day streak with above average temperatures that averaged six degree above average, the longest above-average streak since one of 22 days in January-February of last year.

5.52” of precipitation was measured (1.23" above average), which was the most in one month since last August. (Among all Marches it ranks as 26th wettest.) Three days had an inch or more of rain, one other had 0.92”. These four days accounted for nearly 90% of the month’s rainfall and were characterized as being of relatively short duration as opposed to all-day events.

There was no snow during the month, not even a trace, making this just the fifth March on record with 0.0” reported (nineteen Marches have had "trace" amounts). In the years between 2013 and 2019, March averaged 8.3" of snow, but since then the average has been only 0.1".

A record number of days had low humidity (25% or lower at some point during the day), 15 in total. This is one more than the previous title holder, May 2023.

March's coldest reading was 20° (3/2), the warmest reading was 81° (on 3/29). This 61-degree difference between the extremes was well above the usual difference for March, which is 51 degrees (20° and 71°).

On the day that saw the 81° high, the passage of a back-door cold front a few hours later dropped the temperature 26 degrees in an hour, which was the second greatest hourly temperature drop on record (the greatest was a 28-degree decline on March 28, 1921). Then the next day's high temperature was just 48°, the chilliest reading to follow a day with the first 80+ reading.

Finally, this March followed a March that was even milder (ranked eighth) and wetter (fourth wettest on record).

Below are links to previous weather recaps for March.

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February 2025 - NYC's Third Consecutive Month With Colder Than Average Temperatures

On the heels of New York's two mildest years on record, February 2025 was the third month in a row that was colder than average, the longest such below-average streak since another one of three months seven years ago (Nov. 2017 thru Jan. 2018).

The month was 0.8 degrees colder than average (average high/low of 41°/29°), but up until 2/22 it was 3.3 degrees colder than average. (A similar mild stretch at the end of January moderated its average temperature as well.). And while the average low was just 0.2 degrees below average, the average high was 1.4 degrees below average.

The month's coldest reading was 17°; only 14 other Februarys have had a coldest temperature milder than 17°. Four days had highs of 32° or colder, four had lows in the teens. Four days were ten degrees+ colder than average, three days were ten degrees+ milder than average.

The mildest reading was 57°. Jan-Feb had no days with highs 60° or warmer (joining six other Jan-Feb combos this century with no highs of 60+ (in the 19th century {1869-1899}, 80% of the years had no highs of 60+ in Jan-Feb.)

The coldest period in February was a six-day stretch (Feb. 17-22) that was 10 degrees below average (high/low of 33°/20°). This was followed by the mildest stretch of the month (Feb. 23-28), which was 8 degrees milder than average (high/low of 52°/41°).

With 2.59” of precipitation, this February was somewhat drier than average (3.19") and drier than two-thirds of all Februarys. (February tends to be Central Park's driest month.) Just 0.01” of the month’s precipitation fell during the last 12 days of the month.

January-February 2025 was the driest since 2002, and the sixth driest combo on record.

7.1" of snow fell during the month, which was the most snow in February since 2021 (which had 26.0”). Still, this was three inches below average. The biggest snowfall was 3.1” on Feb. 8-9 (0.1” less than last winter’s biggest accumulation [on Feb. 13]).

Although the amount of snow that fell in February was less than average, there were eight days that reported measurable snow, double the average number. It joined 15 other Februarys with eight or more days of measurable snow. However, these other years all had significantly more snow, averaging 17.6".

Finally, winter 2025 (meteorological winter) was the coldest in ten years and the 10th coldest winter of this century. Its coldest reading was 10° in on 1/22, the mildest reading was 60° on 12/11 and 12/29. There was 12.9" of snow, about 11 inches less than average. (However, four winters since 2019 had less snow.)

Here are February recaps from previous years.

2023

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Tags: Recap of February 2025's weather, winter of 2025

2025 Starts With A Cold & Dry January

January 2025 was 2.5 degrees colder than average, with an average high of 36.5° (three degrees below average) and an average low of 25.9° (two degrees below average). This was the most below average month in three years (since January 2022). From Jan. 4 through Jan. 25, temperatures were five degrees below average, with the coldest period being Jan. 20-23, which was fourteen degrees below average (including the month's coldest reading of 10° on the 22nd).

The end of January (the 26th through the 31st) saw somewhat of a thaw as temperatures were four degrees above average (including the mildest reading of the month, 52°, on the 29th).

This was the second driest January on record, with just 0.61" measured. Just five days had measurable precipitation. Up until the evening of 1/31, the month was set to become the driest January, but then showers dropped enough rain into Central Park's rain gauge to bring the month's total 0.03" above January 1981's total.

Despite the cold conditions, not much snow fell as three snowfalls produced just 3.0": 0.9" on 1/6; 0.5" on 1/11; and 1.6" on 1/19. (Interestingly, despite January 1981's bone-dry conditions, it had significantly more snow than this January, with 8.0" measured from six days with snow.)

Despite snowfall being well below the January average of 8.8", there have been ten Januarys since 2000 with even smaller amounts. But focusing on cold Januarys since 1869, just a handful have had even more paltry amounts of snow than Jan. 2025.

In addition to eight days with highs of 32° or colder this January (one more than average), there were six days with highs of 33°(well above the January average of one). The 14 days with highs of 33° or colder was the most since Jan. 2014.

Here are recaps of previous Januarys:

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Tags: driest January in New York, January 2025 weather in New York, New York City drought

Recap of December 2024: Biting Cold Prevails In a Battle Between Cold Snaps & Mild Spells

December 2024 started out cold and dry and ended mild and wet. Overall, the month was 0.9 degrees colder than average, it received an average amount of precipitation, and snowfall was below average. The month's coldest reading was 13° - which was also the coldest reading of the entire year. Its mildest reading was 60°.

On average, December is close to six degrees milder than January, but this year it appeared it might be the colder of the two months. However, this possibility went out the window when the last four days of the month had temperatures 16 degrees milder than average. As a result, Dec. 2024 ended up being 1.2 degrees milder than January (38.2° v 37.0°).

The month experienced three cold periods and three mild ones. The cold periods covered 17 days and were eight degrees below average, while the mild periods covered 11 days and were eleven degrees above average.

The month had an equitable distribution of days that were either 10 or more degrees below average or 10+ above average, with there being seven of each. (It's unusual for a month to have so many days that are well below and well above average.)

This was the fifth December in a row that ended with temperatures that were well above average:

Dec. 28-31, 2024 - 16 degrees above average

Dec. 24-31, 2023 - 11 degrees above average

Dec. 29-31, 2022 - 15 degrees above average

Dec. 28-31, 2021 - 10 degrees above average

Dec. 28-31, 2020 - 6 degrees above average

Although December's 4.53" of precipitation was an average amount, there were 17 days with measurable precipitation, which was the most in any month since July 2021 (which had 18). Among these 17 days were seven in a row (12/15-12/21), making this the longest streak since one of eight days in May 2019. The month's precipitation was concentrated among a handful of days, with a little more than half falling on three days: 0.85" on 12/11; 0.91" on 12/16; and 0.56" on 12/28.

Although December's precipitation was an average amount, it was nearly as much as what fell in the three preceding months (4.94" in Sept-Oct-Nov, versus 4.53" in December).

There were two days with measurable snowfall, totaling 2.8": 1.8" on 12/21, 1.0" on 12/24. (The average amount in December is 4.9".) Despite it being a below average amount, this was the snowiest December since 2020 (when 10.5" fell from one storm). Because the two snowfalls were just a few days apart, enough snow remained on the ground to provide Central Park with its first "white Christmas" since 2009.

As mentioned earlier, the month’s coldest temperature was 13° (on consecutive days), which was also the coldest reading of the entire year (besting a reading of 17° in January) . The two days with lows of 13° also had sub-freezing high readings. One of them, 12/22, had a high/low of 21°/13°, making it the coldest day of the year (and with winds gusting between 35-45 mph, wind chills were in the single digits). Lastly, the month's mildest reading, 60°, also occurred on two days (but not consecutive).

Here are links to past December recaps:

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Tags: New York weather in December 2024

November 2024 Weather Recap: Warm Start, Rainy Finish

November 2024 was 3.4 degrees above average (the sixth month this year that was three degrees or more warmer than average). The month started off well above average, as the first eight days were nine degrees warmer than the typical first week of November (high/low of 68°/52°). Then the middle twelve days of the month were three above average, and the last ten days were at seasonable levels. The average high was 4.2 degrees above average, the average low was +2.6.

The last day of the month, with an unseasonably cold high/low of 39°/30° (nine degrees below average), prevented the month from placing among the ten mildest Novembers, ending up as twelfth mildest (just a smidge behind Nov. 1902).

On 11/6 the high reached 80°, the first time since 1993 that a day in November reached the 80s. (And the high on 11/1 was 79°.) Besides these two Novembers, highs in the 80s have also occurred in Nov. 1974 and Nov. 1950 (which had two days that warm).

Just 0.18” of rain fell in the first 20 days of the month (last November saw even less rain in the first 20 days - 0.07"). Then 3.17” fell between 11/21 and 11/28, including 1.58” that fell on the 21st, which was a record amount for the date. And on the 28th, which was Thanksgiving Day, 0.86" was measured in Central Park, making this the rainiest Turkey Day since 2006.

November's total precipitation of 3.35" was slightly below average, but more than double the combined amount of September (1.58") and October (0.01").

When significant rain fell on 11/21, it ended a 52-day period in which just 0.19” of rain was measured in Central Park. Because of this extended dry spell a drought warning was issued a few days before 11/21's rainfall.

There were seven days with humidity of 25% or lower, the most of any November in the years since 2000. (October also had seven low-humidity days.) These readings were concentrated among the first seventeen days of the month.

Here are recaps of past Novembers:

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Tags: 80-degree days in November, Mid-Atlantic drought, New York City's weather in November 2024, weather recap of November 2024

October 2024 Weather Recap - The Month That Rain Forgot

2024 already experienced two dry months as June and September each had less than two inches of rain (and February had 2.05"). Then came October, which became Central Park's driest month on record as just 0.01" of rain fell, passing June 1949, which had 0.02". The rain fell in the early afternoon of 10/29, breaking a dry streak that began on 9/30. This 29-day streak is the second longest on record. (The longest was 100 years ago, when there was one of 36 days.)

The metro area's three airports were equally parched as Newark reported no measurable rain, while LaGuardia and JFK, like Central Park, had just 0.01".

After an August and September that were slightly cooler than average, October was 3.0 degrees milder, ranking as the 17th mildest October on record. The average high was 4.2 degrees above average, while the average low was 1.7 above average.

The last 12 days of the month were seven degrees above average and had the month's warmest readings, 81° on 10/22 and on Halloween (the warmest Halloween in 50 years). Only three other years have had a high in the 80s after 10/31.

The vast majority of days, 24, had clear or sunny skies, including 14 days in a row from 10/15 thru 10/28.

Before October 2024 there had been only two days in October (since 2000) that had humidity drop to 25% or lower. This October, by contrast, had seven (all from 10/12 thru 10/27).

Finally, the month's coolest reading was 43°. Only four other Octobers have had a milder temperature as the chilliest reading (including last October and Oct. 2021.)

Here are recaps of previous Octobers:

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Tags: driest month on record in New York, warm Halloween

September 2024 Recap: Seasonable Temperatures, Below Average Rainfall

Through 9/26, September 2024 appeared likely to become the third driest September on record as just 0.36" of rain had fallen in Central Park. Then, from 9/27-29, outer bands of showers from the remnants of Hurricane Helene produced 1.22" of rain. Although the month was still a dry one, the driest since March 2023, it ended up ranking 23rd among all Septembers. (By contrast, last September had 14.25" of rain, making it the second wettest September on record.)

Temperature-wise, the month ended up a wee bit below average (-0.4 degrees). Thru 9/11 temperatures were four degrees cooler than average, but the rest of the month was two degrees above average. This followed a cooler than average August (-1.0 degree). The last time Central Park experienced back-to-back months with below average temperatures was in May and June of last year.

The month's warmest reading was just 84° (on 9/19), which was the coolest reading to have this distinction in September since 2009. The coolest reading was 55° (on 9/8 and 9/9); only three other September have had a milder reading as their coolest temperature: Sept. 1910 (57°); Sept. 1921 (56°), and Sept. 2015 (56°).

In a typical September the difference between the coolest and warmest temperature is 38 degrees (51° and 89°, respectively). This year's gap was just 29 degrees (55° and 84°), making it the smallest gap since another 29-degree difference in September 1908 (51° and 80°).

Although there were no readings in the 90s, 9/1 had a low of 73°, the only day of the month with a low in the 70s. Only eight days had lows in the 50s, and they were all in the 55°-59° range. Additionally, there was an unusual concentration of lows in the 59° to 63° range - 20 of them. A typical September has nine.

Finally, during the three-week period from 9/2 to 9/22, the City enjoyed sixteen days with either clear or sunny skies, including nine days in a row. Then, at the end of the month, there was a 5-day streak with overcast skies. Another streak of note was one of 15 days with no rain, which was Central Park's longest dry streak in three-and-a-half years.

Here are recaps of previous Septembers:

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