The climate of New York City is humid subtropical (Cfa), with parts of the city transitioning into a humid continental climate. (Dfa). 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. 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 on July 9, 1936 - although LaGuardia reported on July 3, 1966, and the lowest is on February 9, 1934. The lowest daily maximum is on December 30, 1917. The highest daily minimum at Central Park is on July 2, 1903.
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 being reported on December 2, 1974. Governors Island, Manhattan, in New York Harbor, is planned to host a US$1 billion research and education center poised to make New York City the global leader in addressing the climate crisis.
Classifications
New York City falls under different climate types depending on the climate classification system used. However, the Köppen climate classification system is the most widely used climate classification scheme, in which New York City falls under the humid subtropical zone.
In the Holdridge life zones system, having a mean annual biotemperature above and mean annual precipitation above , New York City features a warm temperate moist forest climate. By the Trewartha classification, the city is defined as having an oceanic climate (Do). Annually, the city averages 234 days with at least some sunshine. 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.
Temperature
The city's regime of temperature features large seasonal swings, with four 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 and with temperatures greatly exceeding these values being uncommon. Temperatures above and below are very rare, with the last occurrences being July 18, 2012 and February 14, 2016, respectively.
Highest daily temperatures
Lowest daily temperatures
Daily record warm minimum
Daily record cold maxima
Highest averages
Lowest averages
Precipitation
New York City sees frequent, heavy rainfall which averages annually. Spring is the wettest season. February is the driest month. Every single month in the city's recorded history has reported some rainfall, showing the variability of the climate. The record for days without rain, is 36 consecutive days, between October 10 and November 13, 1924. The most rainfall in 24 hours was on September 23, 1882.
The city sees snow, primarily in winter. It sometimes snows in late autumn and early spring. Snowfall averages per year but is highly variable between winter seasons. The most snowfall was on January 23, 2016.
Averages
Rainfall Extremes
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Snowfall
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Other phenomena
Sunshine, UV and daylight
The city generally experiences sunny conditions. As a result of New York City's latitude, , it is not subject to the extremes of daylight that places much farther north see. However, it is far north enough for there to be a moderate change of possible daylight hours throughout the year.