#13 of 35 US cities · 2024
How pleasant is the weather in New York, NY?
In 2024, 53% of daytime hours in New York were enjoyable outdoors: 2,512 of 4,758 hours between 8 AM and 9 PM. That's #13 of 35 major US cities. September was the best month and January the worst.
- Enjoyable
- 53%
- Comfortable temp
- 55%
- Too cold
- 34%
- Too hot
- 11%
- Lost to rain
- 0.8%
- Lost to gusts
- 1.3%
Month by month
Share of each month's daytime hours (8 AM to 9 PM). Avg temp is the plain air temperature over those hours, not feels-like.
| Month | Enjoyable | Comfortable | Too cold | Too hot | Rain | Avg temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11% | 11% | 89% | 0% | 0.0% | 37°F |
| February | 24% | 24% | 76% | 0% | 0.0% | 40°F |
| March | 38% | 40% | 60% | 0% | 0.5% | 48°F |
| April | 61% | 63% | 36% | 0% | 0.3% | 55°F |
| May | 89% | 93% | 6% | 0% | 2.2% | 67°F |
| June | 65% | 73% | 0% | 27% | 1.5% | 78°F |
| July | 34% | 34% | 0% | 66% | 0.0% | 81°F |
| August | 63% | 67% | 0% | 33% | 3.0% | 78°F |
| September | 97% | 98% | 0% | 2% | 0.8% | 70°F |
| October | 87% | 88% | 12% | 0% | 0.2% | 62°F |
| November | 53% | 54% | 46% | 0% | 1.0% | 53°F |
| December | 12% | 13% | 87% | 0% | 0.5% | 39°F |
What limits outdoor time
New York loses hours at both ends of the year: November through March are often too cold, and July is often too hot.
Where you stand matters here. Of the comfortable hours, 21% were only comfortable in the sun and 26% only in the shade.
Weather escapes within driving distance
An hour's drive (about 45 miles) reaches places that average 7°F cooler in summer, but nowhere meaningfully warmer in winter. Stretch it to two hours (about 90 miles) and you can find places 14°F cooler in summer. Distances are straight-line; temperatures are PRISM 1991–2020 averages.
How New York, NY compares
- Albuquerque, NM · #10 · 57%
- Charlotte, NC · #11 · 54%
- Honolulu, HI · #12 · 54%
- Salt Lake City, UT · #14 · 52%
- Atlanta, GA · #15 · 52%
- Washington, DC · #16 · 51%
Questions
How many pleasant outdoor hours does New York, NY get?
2,512 hours in 2024, counting only 8 AM to 9 PM. That's 53% of daytime hours, about 193 days' worth of daytime, and ranks #13 of 35 major US cities.
What is the best month to be outside in New York, NY?
September, when 97% of daytime hours were enjoyable. May (89%) and October (87%) came next. January was the worst month, at 11%.
What makes outdoor time less pleasant in New York, NY?
Mostly temperature. 34% of daytime hours were too cold and 11% too hot. Rain took another 0.8%, and gusty wind 1.3%.
Scored with the default rule: 48–79°F feels-like in sun or shade, under 1 mm/h of rain, gusts under 27 mph, 8 AM to 9 PM. If you run hotter or colder than that, set your own range on the map. How the score works.