New York weather in December: New York, New York: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
New York in December has a normal high of 44°F and a normal low of 34°F, a daily mean of 39°F, falling from 49°F on the 1st to 41°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 11 days in a normal December, 4.38 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 7°C and low of 1°C, 111 mm of precipitation and 12 cm of snow in December.
- NOAA stationNew York Central Park Tower
- Station IDUSW00094728
- Location40.78°N 73.97°W
- Elevation130 ft (40 m)
- From the center8 miles
- Population8,478,072
- Jan 40° 28°
- Feb 42° 30°
- Mar 50° 36°
- Apr 62° 46°
- May 71° 55°
- Jun 80° 64°
- Jul 85° 70°
- Aug 83° 69°
- Sep 76° 62°
- Oct 65° 51°
- Nov 54° 42°
- Dec 44° 34°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is New York in December?
The normal high is 44°F and the normal low 34°F, for a daily mean of 39.1°F. December is 8.9°F cooler than November and 5.4°F warmer than January. December is the 10th warmest month of the year in New York and the 4th wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 8°F, from 49°F on December 1 to 41°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 3.9°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 35°F and 43°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 36%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 49°F | 38°F | 35% | 22% |
| December 8 | 46°F | 36°F | 36% | 23% |
| December 15 | 44°F | 34°F | 36% | 23% |
| December 22 | 43°F | 32°F | 36% | 23% |
| December 31 | 41°F | 30°F | 36% | 22% |
Every day of December: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon December 1, coldest night December 31)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 49°F | 38°F | 35% | 22% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 2 | 48°F | 38°F | 35% | 23% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 3 | 48°F | 37°F | 35% | 23% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 4 | 48°F | 37°F | 35% | 23% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 5 | 47°F | 37°F | 35% | 23% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 6 | 47°F | 36°F | 35% | 23% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 7 | 47°F | 36°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 8 | 46°F | 36°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 9 | 46°F | 36°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 10 | 46°F | 35°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 11 | 46°F | 35°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 12 | 45°F | 35°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 13 | 45°F | 35°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 14 | 45°F | 34°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 15 | 44°F | 34°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 16 | 44°F | 34°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 17 | 44°F | 34°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 18 | 44°F | 33°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 19 | 43°F | 33°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 20 | 43°F | 33°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 21 | 43°F | 33°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 22 | 43°F | 32°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 23 | 42°F | 32°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 24 | 42°F | 32°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 25 | 42°F | 32°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 26 | 42°F | 31°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 27 | 42°F | 31°F | 36% | 23% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 28 | 41°F | 31°F | 36% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 29 | 41°F | 31°F | 36% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 30 | 41°F | 30°F | 36% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 31 | 41°F | 30°F | 36% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
- Normal high
- 44°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 34°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 4.38 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 110.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 4.9 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 14
- Daylight
- 9 h 30 min to 9 h 20 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Sunshine
- 66%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00094728; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in New York in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 36% on average, highest around December 15 (36%). In all, 4.38 in falls on 11 days of a normal December, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal December in New York, 14 nights fall to freezing, 3 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 4.9 inches.
Snow falls on 2 days in a normal December, and an inch or more covers the ground on 3 days.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00094728.
What are the records for December in New York?
The warmest December temperature on this station's record (since 1869) is 75°F, on December 7, 1998; the coldest is −13°F, on December 30, 1917. The wettest December brought 9.98 in (1973); the snowiest, 30.2 inches (1947).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 39.1°F: 2021 43.8°F (+4.7), 2022 38.5°F (−0.6), 2023 44.6°F (+5.5), 2024 38.2°F (−0.9), 2025 33.8°F (−5.3). 2 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 43.8°F | +4.7°F | 1.39 in |
| 2022 | 38.5°F | −0.6°F | 5.83 in |
| 2023 | 44.6°F | +5.5°F | 6.71 in |
| 2024 | 38.2°F | −0.9°F | 4.53 in |
| 2025 | 33.8°F | −5.3°F | 3.38 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00094728; recent months: ACIS, station USW00094728. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in New York compare across New York?
Across the 131 places PlainClimate covers in New York, December normal highs run from 29°F in Lake Placid to 47°F in Wantagh; New York's is 44°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.