New York JFK International Airport, New York climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
New York JFK International Airport's normal year runs from 26°F January nights to 84°F July afternoons, with 43.3 inches of precipitation and 26 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 12.4°C, January lows of −3°C, July highs of 29°C, 1,100 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationNew York JFK International Airport
- Station IDUSW00094789
- Location40.64°N 73.76°W
- Elevation11 ft (3 m)
On October 23, the normal high in New York JFK International Airport is 62°F and the normal low 47°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 30%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for New York JFK International Airport.
- Jan 40° 26°
- Feb 42° 27°
- Mar 49° 34°
- Apr 59° 43°
- May 68° 53°
- Jun 78° 62°
- Jul 84° 69°
- Aug 82° 68°
- Sep 76° 61°
- Oct 65° 50°
- Nov 54° 40°
- Dec 45° 32°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at New York JFK International Airport each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 84°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 26°F. The most precipitation falls in August (4.11 in), the least in February (2.76 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40°F | 26°F | 32.8°F | 3.23 | 7.5 | 11 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 42°F | 27°F | 34.5°F | 2.76 | 8.6 | 10 | <1 | 20 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 49°F | 34°F | 41.1°F | 3.94 | 4.3 | 11 | <1 | 12 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 59°F | 43°F | 50.9°F | 3.55 | 0.6 | 11 | <1 | 1 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 68°F | 53°F | 60.5°F | 3.66 | 0.0 | 12 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 78°F | 62°F | 70.2°F | 3.85 | 0.0 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 84°F | 69°F | 76.1°F | 3.86 | 0.0 | 9 | 5 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 82°F | 68°F | 75.0°F | 4.11 | 0.0 | 9 | 3 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 76°F | 61°F | 68.4°F | 3.58 | 0.0 | 8 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 65°F | 50°F | 57.2°F | 3.72 | 0.0 | 9 | <1 | <1 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 54°F | 40°F | 46.8°F | 3.07 | 0.4 | 9 | <1 | 4 | 10 h |
| December | 45°F | 32°F | 38.3°F | 3.96 | 4.5 | 11 | <1 | 16 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 62°F | 47°F | 54.3°F | 43.29 | 25.9 | 121 | 11 | 74 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4°C | −3°C | 0.4°C | 82 mm | 19 cm |
| February | 5°C | −3°C | 1.4°C | 70 mm | 22 cm |
| March | 9°C | 1°C | 5.1°C | 100 mm | 11 cm |
| April | 15°C | 6°C | 10.5°C | 90 mm | 2 cm |
| May | 20°C | 11°C | 15.8°C | 93 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 26°C | 17°C | 21.2°C | 98 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 29°C | 20°C | 24.5°C | 98 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 28°C | 20°C | 23.9°C | 104 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 24°C | 16°C | 20.2°C | 91 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 18°C | 10°C | 14.0°C | 94 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 12°C | 4°C | 8.2°C | 78 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 7°C | 0°C | 3.5°C | 101 mm | 11 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094789; 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.
Which months are mildest at New York JFK International Airport?
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 (8).
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 USW00094789.
When is the last frost at New York JFK International Airport?
In New York JFK International Airport, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 2 in half of years and after April 13 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 14 in half of years and before November 2 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
- April 21 year in 10 after April 13; 9 in 10 after March 20
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 141 year in 10 before November 2; 9 in 10 before December 1
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 226 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 247 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 23 in half of springs and before November 26 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts New York JFK International Airport in zone 7b in ZIP code 11096, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 8°F (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in New York · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00094789; 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.
How hot and how cold does it get at New York JFK International Airport?
In a normal year in New York JFK International Airport, 11 days a year reach 90°F, 74 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 121 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 11a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 74a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 14high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 121a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 6a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1948) is 104°F, on July 3, 1966; the lowest is −2°F, on January 21, 1985.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1983, with 59.12 in; the snowiest season is 1995–96, with 69.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00094789; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00094789. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is it at New York JFK International Airport, and how clear are the skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 63°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 65°F, above the 65°F at which most people call the air sticky; the driest air comes in January (21°F). February is the windiest month (13.0 mph on average), and September has the most clear or nearly clear hours (37%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21°F | 60% | 50% | 12.4 mph | 32% | 33% |
| February | 24°F | 60% | 50% | 13.0 mph | 29% | 37% |
| March | 32°F | 59% | 49% | 12.4 mph | 29% | 35% |
| April | 42°F | 62% | 51% | 11.3 mph | 27% | 31% |
| May | 55°F | 69% | 58% | 10.1 mph | 21% | 31% |
| June | 63°F | 68% | 56% | 10.1 mph | 27% | 20% |
| July | 65°F | 70% | 58% | 9.5 mph | 25% | 20% |
| August | 62°F | 69% | 57% | 9.5 mph | 34% | 18% |
| September | 53°F | 69% | 57% | 10.1 mph | 37% | 24% |
| October | 41°F | 65% | 54% | 11.5 mph | 33% | 28% |
| November | 32°F | 64% | 55% | 12.0 mph | 28% | 32% |
| December | 24°F | 63% | 55% | 12.5 mph | 29% | 34% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00094789. 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 it at New York JFK International Airport?
Over a year 75% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at New York JFK International Airport, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (82%) and December the cloudiest (66%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 67% | 1.9 |
| February | 70% | 2.8 |
| March | 71% | 3.8 |
| April | 73% | 5.0 |
| May | 73% | 5.6 |
| June | 78% | 6.1 |
| July | 82% | 6.2 |
| August | 81% | 5.5 |
| September | 79% | 4.5 |
| October | 72% | 3.0 |
| November | 72% | 2.1 |
| December | 66% | 1.6 |
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 many heating and cooling degree days does New York JFK International Airport record?
A normal year at New York JFK International Airport brings 4,872 heating degree days, 9% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,017 cooling degree days, 12% more than the median (908). Six months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,483 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 997 | 0 |
| February | 853 | 0 |
| March | 739 | 0 |
| April | 427 | 2 |
| May | 171 | 30 |
| June | 21 | 177 |
| July | 0 | 346 |
| August | 1 | 311 |
| September | 33 | 135 |
| October | 255 | 15 |
| November | 546 | 0 |
| December | 829 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,872 | 1,017 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094789. 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.
Have recent years at New York JFK International Airport been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 55.6°F, 1.3°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 54.3°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 56.0°F | +1.8°F | 43.46 | 27.5 |
| 2022 | 55.5°F | +1.2°F | 35.77 | 21.5 |
| 2023 | 56.3°F | +2.0°F | 52.58 | 2.1 |
| 2024 | 57.2°F | +2.9°F | 41.17 | 15.8 |
| 2025 | 55.6°F | +1.3°F | 34.06 | 17.8 |
Over 61 complete years from 1949 to 2023, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.6°F per century (+0.15°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00094789; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does New York JFK International Airport's climate compare?
New York JFK International Airport is warmer than 127 of the 131 places with their own NOAA record in New York, and wetter than 62. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 54.3°F is warmer than 58%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, New York JFK International Airport is Cfa: temperate, no dry season, hot 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 New York JFK International Airport share this climate record?
14 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.
- Valley Stream, NY40,232 people · 3 mi NE
- Elmont, NY36,436 people · 5 mi NE
- Woodmere, NY18,198 people · 2 mi E
- North Valley Stream, NY17,756 people · 4 mi NE
- Inwood, NY11,964 people · 1 mi S
- Hewlett, NY7,599 people · 4 mi E
- Cedarhurst, NY7,324 people · 2 mi SE
- Lawrence, NY6,807 people · 4 mi SE
- South Valley Stream, NY6,177 people · 3 mi NE
- East Atlantic Beach, NY1,892 people · 5 mi SE
- Atlantic Beach, NY1,713 people · 4 mi SE
- Woodsburgh, NY880 people · 3 mi E
- Hewlett Neck, NY566 people · 4 mi E
- Hewlett Bay Park, NY475 people · 3 mi E
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about New York JFK International Airport's climate
What is the coldest month at New York JFK International Airport?
January, with a normal high of 40°F and a normal low of 26°F. The warmest is July (84°F by day, 69°F at night).
Does it snow at New York JFK International Airport?
Yes: 26 inches in a normal year, falling on 14 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (8.6 inches).
What is the rainiest month at New York JFK International Airport?
August, with 4.11 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.76 in.
What plant hardiness zone is New York JFK International Airport in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts New York JFK International Airport in zone 7b in ZIP code 11096, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 8°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 7b.
How late can frost come at New York JFK International Airport?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 2; in one year in ten it comes after April 13. Waiting until April 13 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- New York climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Oceanside, NY7 miles from this station, 53.4°F a year
- Mineola, NY10 miles from this station, 55.5°F a year
- Ny Ave V Brooklyn, NY12 miles from this station, 55.5°F a year
- Wantagh, NY14 miles from this station, 55.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made