New York Climate
Top 5 Cities: New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, and Syracuse
This month in numbers
March 2026 saw New York's average temperature rank as the 10th warmest on record, with an anomaly of +2.5°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. Maximum temperatures also reflected this trend, ranking 11th warmest with a +3.1°C anomaly. Precipitation for the month was notably high, ranking 11th on record with 107.44 mm, an increase of 33.8 mm above the baseline. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
Looking at the broader picture, the January–March 2026 average temperature for New York was -3.94°C, an anomaly of +0.8°C, ranking as the 33rd warmest such period on record. This places New York at 209th out of 234 regions for its 3-month temperature anomaly, suggesting a relatively cooler start to the year compared to many other areas globally. In contrast, the global land temperature for February–April 2026 was the 2nd warmest on record, with an anomaly of +1.2°C.
What’s driving change?
New York experienced a significant weather swing in March, with record-breaking warm temperatures on March 10th, reaching 80 degrees Fahrenheit in Central Park, the earliest such reading ever recorded. This was followed by a sharp drop in temperatures due to a cold front. The state also saw severe weather, including flash flood warnings across parts of New York and Northeast Ohio on March 31st due to heavy thunderstorms and saturated ground. A rare EF-1 tornado also touched down in Western New York on March 31st, the first March tornado in the state since 1976, accompanied by damaging hail and widespread flooding. These events occurred while the ENSO state was Neutral, with a +0.11°C anomaly. However, there is a strong forecast for an El Niño phase to develop by May–July 2026, with a 61% probability, increasing to 87% by July–September 2026. New York also saw an unusual concentration of drought events, with two active drought events representing 100% of the annual total, and one flood event also representing 100% of the annual total for the past 12 months. Extreme Weather tracker Fortunately, by late March, most upstate drought regions returned to "Normal" status due to recent precipitation and snowmelt.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for New York
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in New York changing?
New York is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for New York come from?
Climate data for New York comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the New York climate data cover?
The New York climate profile covers New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers and surrounding areas. New York climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the New York climate update refreshed?
The New York climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.