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Climate · New York

New York in December

Chilly and damp, as the days hold steady.

Typical weather, averaged over 30 years

December in New York is chilly: highs near 47°F, lows near 32°F. Rain or snow falls on about two days a week, and daylight holds at about 9 hours 18 minutes.December in New York is chilly: highs near 8°C, lows near 0°C. Rain or snow falls on about two days a week, and daylight holds at about 9 hours 18 minutes.

High
47°F8°Caverage
Low
32°F0°Caverage
Wet days
2a week · 34% of days
Daylight
9h 18mon average

Is December a good time to visit New York?

December sits outside New York's best months, which run in two parts: May, or September to October. Expect chilly days and rain or snow on about two days a week.

How we judge it: every month is scored on how close its typical high comes to the range from 70°F to 80°F, how mild its nights are, and how rarely it rains. The best months are the run of months that scores best.How we judge it: every month is scored on how close its typical high comes to the range from 21°C to 27°C, how mild its nights are, and how rarely it rains. The best months are the run of months that scores best.

How December sits in the year

week by week

Temperature

Highs near 47°F in December, against 43°F to 87°F through the year.Highs near 8°C in December, against 6°C to 31°C through the year.

Chance of a wet day

34% of days in December, against 27% to 41% through the year.

Cloud cover

55% cover in December, against 40% to 56% through the year.

Daylight

9h 18m in December, against 9h 18m to 15h 02m through the year.

Week by week, lightly smoothed, with December shaded. The olive line marks the best months. Hover or tap a week for its figures.

Either side

  1. November58°14°low 41°low 5°2 wet days a weekRain on about two days a week.
  2. December47°8°low 32°low 0°2 wet days a weekRain on about two days a week.
  3. January43°6°low 26°low -3°2 wet days a weekRain on about two days a week.

Where New York sits, in December

America/New York
this place
typical high in December 40°F4°C95°F35°C
Sunrise, mid-December
7:13 AMsets 4:30 PM
Above the sea
10 mlow-lying
Latitude
40.7°Nnorthern hemisphere
Nearest of ours
Gardiner108 km north

The land around New York, shaded by its typical high in December, the planning map's own layer. Hover the map for the figure at that spot; tap it on a phone. Clock times are local, for the 15th.

Elsewhere in United States in December

high · low · wet days
See December on the planning mapThe whole year in New York

Typical weather, averaged over 30 years (1995–2024), from the 11 km grid square nearest New York. Temperatures are adjusted against 66 weather stations: daytime highs read about 3.1°F cold in the source data and are raised to match.Temperatures are adjusted against 66 weather stations: daytime highs read about 1.7°C cold in the source data and are raised to match. Daylight is calculated from latitude. Charts are lightly smoothed week to week; the figures in the table are not. Source: Copernicus ERA5-Land reanalysis; cloud cover from NASA's MERRA-2 reanalysis, on a coarser grid of about 50 km. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026; neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use of it. These are averages, not a forecast.

Daylight is calculated from latitude. Charts are lightly smoothed week to week; the figures in the table are not.

Source: Copernicus ERA5-Land reanalysis; cloud cover from NASA's MERRA-2 reanalysis, on a coarser grid of about 50 km. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026; neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use of it. These are averages, not a forecast.