Elmira, New York climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Elmira's normal year runs from 16°F January nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 32.4 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.9°C, January lows of −9°C, July highs of 28°C, 822 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationElmira Corning Regional Airport
- Station IDUSW00014748
- Location42.16°N 76.89°W
- Elevation955 ft (291 m)
- From the center6 miles
- Population26,255
On October 22, the normal high in Elmira is 59°F and the normal low 37°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 44%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Elmira.
- Jan 34° 16°
- Feb 36° 17°
- Mar 45° 24°
- Apr 58° 34°
- May 70° 44°
- Jun 78° 54°
- Jul 82° 58°
- Aug 81° 57°
- Sep 73° 49°
- Oct 61° 39°
- Nov 49° 30°
- Dec 39° 23°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Elmira each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 16°F. The most precipitation falls in August (3.58 in), the least in February (1.34 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34°F | 16°F | 25.1°F | 1.66 | 11 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 36°F | 17°F | 26.6°F | 1.34 | 10 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 45°F | 24°F | 34.6°F | 2.39 | 11 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 58°F | 34°F | 46.0°F | 2.81 | 13 | <1 | 15 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 70°F | 44°F | 57.3°F | 2.98 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 78°F | 54°F | 65.8°F | 3.50 | 15 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 82°F | 58°F | 70.2°F | 3.36 | 14 | 5 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 81°F | 57°F | 68.9°F | 3.58 | 15 | 3 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 73°F | 49°F | 61.3°F | 3.47 | 14 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 61°F | 39°F | 50.1°F | 3.02 | 14 | <1 | 9 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 49°F | 30°F | 39.3°F | 2.21 | 12 | <1 | 21 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 39°F | 23°F | 30.9°F | 2.04 | 12 | <1 | 26 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 59°F | 37°F | 48.0°F | 32.36 | 153 | 12 | 153 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −9°C | −3.8°C | 42 mm |
| February | 2°C | −8°C | −3.0°C | 34 mm |
| March | 7°C | −4°C | 1.4°C | 61 mm |
| April | 15°C | 1°C | 7.8°C | 71 mm |
| May | 21°C | 7°C | 14.1°C | 76 mm |
| June | 26°C | 12°C | 18.8°C | 89 mm |
| July | 28°C | 14°C | 21.2°C | 85 mm |
| August | 27°C | 14°C | 20.5°C | 91 mm |
| September | 23°C | 10°C | 16.3°C | 88 mm |
| October | 16°C | 4°C | 10.1°C | 77 mm |
| November | 10°C | −1°C | 4.1°C | 56 mm |
| December | 4°C | −5°C | −0.6°C | 52 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Elmira's own co-op station Elmira station does: 42 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014748; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Elmira?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (14).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014748.
When is the last frost in Elmira?
In Elmira, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 9 in half of years and after May 24 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 9 in half of years and before September 28 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- May 91 year in 10 after May 24; 9 in 10 after April 26
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 91 year in 10 before September 28; 9 in 10 before October 24
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 151 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 174 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 29 in half of springs and before October 23 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Elmira in zone 6a across its 3 ZIP code areas (6a in 14901, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Elmira's NOAA station is in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −11°F (23 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in New York · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00014748; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
What hardiness zone is each Elmira ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Elmira's 3 ZIP code areas are all in zone 6a. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Elmira?
In a normal year in Elmira, 12 days a year reach 90°F, 153 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 153 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 12a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 153a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 38high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 153a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1938) is 104°F, on July 21, 2011; the lowest is −25°F, on February 1, 1948.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2018, with 43.78 in; the snowiest season is 1949–50, with 60.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014748; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00014748. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Elmira, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 59°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 60°F; the driest air comes in January (16°F). February is the windiest month (7.2 mph on average), and June has the most clear or nearly clear hours (58%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°F | 69% | 55% | 6.7 mph | 38% | 47% |
| February | 20°F | 67% | 52% | 7.2 mph | 39% | 46% |
| March | 29°F | 64% | 45% | 7.0 mph | 45% | 41% |
| April | 38°F | 62% | 41% | 6.6 mph | 52% | 30% |
| May | 52°F | 70% | 48% | 5.6 mph | 52% | 24% |
| June | 59°F | 72% | 50% | 5.1 mph | 58% | 15% |
| July | 60°F | 74% | 50% | 4.8 mph | 57% | 16% |
| August | 58°F | 75% | 50% | 4.6 mph | 58% | 19% |
| September | 48°F | 77% | 53% | 5.1 mph | 53% | 27% |
| October | 36°F | 73% | 53% | 6.0 mph | 44% | 39% |
| November | 28°F | 72% | 59% | 6.4 mph | – | – |
| December | 20°F | 72% | 60% | 6.7 mph | 34% | 55% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014748. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Elmira?
Over a year 67% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Elmira, 3.6 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (76%) and December the cloudiest (49%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 53% | 1.4 |
| February | 57% | 2.2 |
| March | 61% | 3.3 |
| April | 65% | 4.5 |
| May | 69% | 5.4 |
| June | 72% | 5.8 |
| July | 76% | 5.9 |
| August | 76% | 5.2 |
| September | 73% | 4.1 |
| October | 62% | 2.6 |
| November | 59% | 1.7 |
| December | 49% | 1.1 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Elmira need?
A normal year in Elmira brings 6,648 heating degree days, 24% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 490 cooling degree days, 46% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,475 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,237 | 0 |
| February | 1,075 | 0 |
| March | 944 | 0 |
| April | 571 | 2 |
| May | 263 | 26 |
| June | 67 | 91 |
| July | 16 | 177 |
| August | 25 | 145 |
| September | 157 | 44 |
| October | 466 | 4 |
| November | 771 | 0 |
| December | 1,057 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,648 | 490 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014748. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Elmira been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 51.9°F, 3.9°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 48.0°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50.5°F | +2.5°F | 39.66 |
| 2022 | 47.9°F | −0.1°F | 29.11 |
| 2023 | 50.8°F | +2.8°F | 33.45 |
| 2024 | 51.9°F | +3.9°F | 34.28 |
Over 47 complete years from 1946 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.4°F per century (+0.19°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00014748; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Elmira's climate compare?
Elmira is warmer than 75 of the other 130 places with their own NOAA record in New York, and wetter than 3. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 48.0°F is warmer than 32%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Elmira is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Elmira share this climate record?
9 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Southport, NY6,435 people · 7 mi SE
- Horseheads, NY6,343 people · 3 mi E
- Big Flats, NY5,846 people · 1 mi W
- West Elmira, NY4,691 people · 6 mi SE
- Elmira Heights, NY3,764 people · 4 mi SE
- Horseheads North, NY2,600 people · 5 mi NE
- Breesport, NY796 people · 8 mi E
- Pine Valley, NY674 people · 5 mi NE
- Millport, NY275 people · 8 mi N
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Elmira's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Elmira. This page uses Elmira Corning Regional Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elmira station USC00302610 | 1 mi W | 947 ft | 48.2°F | 16°F | 84°F | 38.1 | 42 | May 6 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Elmira's climate
What is the coldest month in Elmira?
January, with a normal high of 34°F and a normal low of 16°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow in Elmira?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Elmira's NOAA station; Elmira's own co-op station Elmira station records 42 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Elmira?
August, with 3.58 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.34 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Elmira in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Elmira in zone 6a across its 3 ZIP code areas (6a in 14901, the largest). By the same method at Elmira's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −11°F (23 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come in Elmira?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 9; in one year in ten it comes after May 24. Waiting until May 24 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Elmira in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- New York climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Corning, NY9 miles from this station, 44.6°F a year
- Cowanesque Dam, PA18 miles from this station, 47.0°F a year
- Addison, NY18 miles from this station, 46.6°F a year
- Mecklenburg (4 mi SW), NY21 miles from this station, 45.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made