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Climate in New York: Average Weather by City
New York spans more climate variety than most states, and its city normals prove it. The warmest city we track, New York, averages 55.8°F across the year, while the coolest, Buffalo, averages 48.8°F — a gap of 6.9°F inside one state. Rainfall runs from 35.1 in a year in Rochester to 49.5 in in New York. This page compares every New York city in our dataset side by side using the same yardstick — the official NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from each city's representative weather station — so you can pick the corner of the state that fits the weather you actually want, and the month to go see it.
New York cities compared
Every New York city in the dataset, ranked by yearly mean temperature. Click a city for its full month-by-month normals, season-by-season analysis, and best months to visit.
| City | Yearly Mean (°F) | Avg High | Avg Low | Rain (in/yr) | Snow (in/yr) | Warmest | Coldest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 55.8 | 62.6 | 48.9 | 49.52 | 29.8 | Jul | Jan |
| Rochester | 49.5 | 58.5 | 40.6 | 35.09 | 102.0 | Jul | Jan |
| Albany | 49.4 | 59.4 | 39.4 | 40.68 | 59.2 | Jul | Jan |
| Buffalo | 48.8 | 56.8 | 40.9 | 40.68 | 95.4 | Jul | Jan |
New York is New York's warm pole. Its year-round mean of 55.8°F peaks in July at 77.5°F and never drops below a 33.7°F mean in January. It collects 49.5 in of precipitation a year and 29.8 in of snow. For the full month-by-month profile, see the New York climate page.
Buffalo anchors the cool end. With a yearly mean of 48.8°F, a coldest month (January) averaging 25.5°F, and a warmest month that reaches only 71.7°F, it offers the state's most pronounced seasons — a swing of 46.2°F between its coldest and warmest months. Its profile is on the Buffalo climate page.
Rain, snow, and when to visit
Rain is its own map. New York is New York's wettest tracked city at 49.5 in a year — 1.4 times the 35.1 in that Rochester, the driest, receives. For snow, Rochester leads the state at 102.0 in a year. Anyone choosing where in New York to live should weigh those totals as heavily as temperature: they decide everything from flood exposure to how many grey weeks a winter holds.
When to go where: New York peaks in June; Buffalo peaks in June; Rochester peaks in June; Albany peaks in June. Each city's own page ranks all twelve of its months by the same comfort score — mild mean temperatures rewarded, heavy rain and snow penalized — so the recommendation is always traceable to the normals table rather than to anyone's opinion, ours included.
New York climate FAQ
What is the warmest city in New York?
Of the New York cities in our dataset, New York is warmest with a yearly mean of 55.8°F (1991–2020 normals); Buffalo is coolest at 48.8°F.
What is the wettest city in New York?
New York averages the most precipitation, 49.52 in a year; the driest is Rochester at 35.09 in.
Where in New York has the mildest climate?
By annual temperature swing, New York is the most even-keeled, varying just 43.8°F between its coldest and warmest months, while Albany swings 48.7°F.
Source: 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) — ncei.noaa.gov. One representative station per city; station names and IDs are listed on each city page. Figures checked October 2026.