The best time to visit New York, month by month
Written and checked by the Best NYC Tours editorial team. .
May and October are the best months to visit New York, at 21.9C and 18.1C average highs. October is the most expensive month of the year, not December, with hotel occupancy at 89.4 per cent. February is the snowiest at 26cm and the driest at 81mm at the same time. Average highs swing 24.3C across the ten months covered here, from 28.5C in August to 4.2C in January.
New York at a glance, all twelve months
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Precip | Snow | Daylight | Sunset | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.2C | -2.3C | 92mm | 22cm | 9h 38m | 16:54 | Cheapest, coldest, most restricted |
| February | 5.7C | -1.4C | 81mm | 26cm | 10h 43m | 17:31 | Snowiest, driest, best value overall |
| March | 9.9C | 2.1C | 109mm | 13cm | 11h 58m | 19:03 | Unpredictable, but everything restarts |
| April | 16.6C | 7.5C | 104mm | 1cm | 13h 21m | 19:36 | Best value good weather |
| May | 21.9C | 12.8C | 101mm | None | 14h 31m | 20:07 | Best all-round month |
| June | 26.5C | 18C | 115mm | None | 15h 08m | 20:30 | Longest days, rising humidity |
| July | 29.4C | 21.2C | 117mm | None | 14h 52m | 20:27 | Hottest and wettest |
| August | 28.5C | 20.5C | 116mm | None | 13h 51m | 19:55 | Hot, humid, and nothing closes |
| September | 24.6C | 16.8C | 109mm | None | 12h 31m | 19:06 | Best weather, worst prices |
| October | 18.1C | 10.8C | 111mm | 0.3cm | 11h 11m | 18:17 | Peak conditions, peak occupancy |
| November | 12.2C | 5.6C | 91mm | 1.3cm | 9h 58m | 16:39 | Cheap start, huge finish |
| December | 6.8C | 1C | 111mm | 12cm | 9h 19m | 16:30 | Two different trips in one month |
Temperature, precipitation and snowfall are the NOAA 1991 to 2020 US Climate Normals, Central Park station USW00094728, converted from Fahrenheit and inches. Daylight and sunset are for the 15th of each month, from sunrise and sunset times computed for Central Park, 40.783N 73.965W, in local New York time.
The short answer
If you want the longest days and no seasonal restrictions at all, go in May. Mid-month daylight is 14 hours 31 minutes with sunset at 20:07, average highs are 21.9C, the snowfall normal is zero, and every harbour cruise, island tour and zoo exhibit is running on a full schedule. The only two dates to check are the Five Boro Bike Tour on Sunday 2 May, which closes the FDR Drive and several bridges, and Memorial Day on Monday 31 May.
If you want the best temperature and you do not mind paying for it, go in October. Average highs of 18.1C are the best walking weather of the year, and the event calendar carries Comic Con, Open House New York and Halloween. The cost is real: October 2025 recorded 89.4 per cent hotel occupancy, the highest of any top-25 US market, and the month only gives you 11 hours 11 minutes of daylight.
If the budget is what decides it, go in February. It is the snowiest month of the year at 26cm and simultaneously the driest at 81mm, occupancy of 73.4 per cent is the second lowest, and UK return flights bottom out at roughly £404 to £411. January is marginally cheaper on hotels alone, at 70.1 per cent occupancy, but the harbour cruise winter season and the -2.3C average lows make it the hardest month in this guide.
Six New York facts that change what you can actually book
- The harbour cruise winter season runs 5 January to 5 March. In that window the flagship full-island cruise has no departures at all and the landmarks sailing halves from four a day to two. The harbour lights sailing gains a 17:00 departure instead, because the sun now sets at 16:54.
- October is the most expensive month, not December. Occupancy reached 89.4 per cent in October 2025. December holds the most expensive week, from about the 23rd, but its first ten days are genuinely soft. Almost all travel content merges these two facts and gets both wrong.
- The Statue of Liberty closes on two days a year, Thanksgiving and 25 December, and on no others. The crown is advance-reservation only, roughly 500 tickets a day, maximum four per order, with lead times that lengthen sharply from April to September.
- The zoos change completely on 1 November. Hours drop to 10:00 to 16:30 and the Children's Zoo, Monorail, Butterfly Garden, Zoo Shuttle and Budgie Landing all close for the winter. Ticket prices fall to match.
- Central Park rowing boats can never be booked in advance. Walk-up only, first come first served, 10:00 to dusk, weather permitting, roughly April to November. Several competing guides imply a reservation system exists. It does not.
- Easter Sunday 2027 is 28 March, so the Fifth Avenue Easter Parade falls in March, not April. Anyone planning an April 2027 trip around Easter in New York will miss it entirely.
New York in January
4.2C average high, -2.3C average low, 92mm of precipitation, 22cm of snow, 9h 38m of daylight mid-month with sunset at 16:54.
The cheapest month, with hotel occupancy at 70.1 per cent, the lowest of the year. It is also the only month with an average low below freezing at -2.3C, and it carries a 22cm snowfall normal. The harbour cruise winter season starts on 5 January and removes the full-island sailing entirely.
New York in February
5.7C average high, -1.4C average low, 81mm of precipitation, 26cm of snow, 10h 43m of daylight mid-month with sunset at 17:31.
A month of contradictions: the highest snowfall normal of the year at 26cm and the lowest total precipitation at 81mm. Occupancy of 73.4 per cent and UK return flights at roughly £404 to £411 make it the best value trip in this guide. Lunar New Year falls on Saturday 6 February.
New York in March
9.9C average high, 2.1C average low, 109mm of precipitation, 13cm of snow, 11h 58m of daylight mid-month with sunset at 19:03.
Snowier than December, at a 13cm normal against 12cm, but the month everything reopens. The harbour cruise winter band ends on 5 March and the clocks go forward on 14 March, moving sunset from 18:01 to 19:02 overnight. Easter Sunday falls on 28 March, so the Easter Parade is a March event.
New York in April
16.6C average high, 7.5C average low, 104mm of precipitation, 1cm of snow, 13h 21m of daylight mid-month with sunset at 19:36.
The biggest month-on-month warming in the year, with average highs jumping 6.7C to 16.6C and the snowfall normal falling to 1cm. Daylight passes thirteen hours. Because Easter fell on 28 March there is no Easter crowd peak in April at all this year, which is unusual.
New York in May
21.9C average high, 12.8C average low, 101mm of precipitation, no snow, 14h 31m of daylight mid-month with sunset at 20:07.
The strongest month in this guide: 21.9C average highs, 12.8C nights, zero snow and 14 hours 31 minutes of daylight with sunset at 20:07. Nothing is on a reduced schedule. The two dates to check are the Five Boro Bike Tour on Sunday 2 May and Memorial Day on Monday 31 May.
New York in June
26.5C average high, 18C average low, 115mm of precipitation, no snow, 15h 08m of daylight mid-month with sunset at 20:30.
The longest days of the year at 15 hours 8 minutes in mid-June, with sunset at 20:30. Average highs of 26.5C and lows of 18.0C mark the start of the humid season, and precipitation climbs to 115mm. Everything runs on a full schedule, and the beaches open for the summer.
We publish full month guides for August through May. For June, the figures above are the essentials, and nothing in the city is on a reduced schedule at this point in the year. The nearest full guides are New York in May and New York in August.
New York in July
29.4C average high, 21.2C average low, 117mm of precipitation, no snow, 14h 52m of daylight mid-month with sunset at 20:27.
The hottest month of the year at 29.4C average highs and 21.2C overnight lows, and the wettest at 117mm. Daylight is still long at 14 hours 52 minutes mid-month. It is the hardest month for anything involving an outdoor queue, and the best one for the harbour and the beaches.
We publish full month guides for August through May. For July, the figures above are the essentials, and nothing in the city is on a reduced schedule at this point in the year. The nearest full guides are New York in May and New York in August.
New York in August
28.5C average high, 20.5C average low, 116mm of precipitation, no snow, 13h 51m of daylight mid-month with sunset at 19:55.
Average highs of 28.5C on 20.5C nights, with 116mm of rain, the most of any month in this guide. Unlike European cities in August, nothing in New York shuts: the Statue of Liberty ferry sails every day and no attraction takes a summer break. Sunset holds at 19:55 mid-month.
New York in September
24.6C average high, 16.8C average low, 109mm of precipitation, no snow, 12h 31m of daylight mid-month with sunset at 19:06.
Average highs fall to 24.6C and the humidity breaks, which makes it the most comfortable walking month. It is also the priciest: September 2024 set New York's record average room rate of $417. The UN General Assembly high-level week, around 22 to 28 September, closes roads across east Midtown.
New York in October
18.1C average high, 10.8C average low, 111mm of precipitation, 0.3cm of snow, 11h 11m of daylight mid-month with sunset at 18:17.
The most expensive month of the year, with hotel occupancy at 89.4 per cent in October 2025, the highest of any top-25 US market. You pay it for 18.1C average highs and the best outdoor sightseeing weather of the year. The clocks go back the day after Halloween, on Sunday 1 November.
New York in November
12.2C average high, 5.6C average low, 91mm of precipitation, 1.3cm of snow, 9h 58m of daylight mid-month with sunset at 16:39.
The first ten days are among the best value of the year. Then the calendar detonates: Radio City opens on 4 November, the Botanical Garden train show on the 14th, and the 100th Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on Thursday 26 November. Sunset falls to 16:39 after the clocks go back on the 1st.
New York in December
6.8C average high, 1C average low, 111mm of precipitation, 12cm of snow, 9h 19m of daylight mid-month with sunset at 16:30.
The first ten days are quiet and affordable with the whole city already decorated. The week from about the 23rd is the most expensive of the entire year. Average highs of 6.8C, a 12cm snowfall normal and the earliest sunsets of the year at around 16:30.
Where the numbers come from
Temperature, precipitation and snowfall are the NOAA 1991 to 2020 US Climate Normals for the Central Park station, GHCN identifier USW00094728, taken from the NCEI climate normals service. NOAA publishes those figures in Fahrenheit and inches; we convert them and round temperature to one decimal place. Daylight, sunrise and sunset are computed for the Central Park coordinates, 40.783N and 73.965W, and rendered in local New York time via standard solar position calculations, so they already account for daylight saving.
Operator seasons come from the operators. Harbour cruise season bands are published on the Circle Line site, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island opening days from the National Park Service, and the only published observation-deck weather policy in the city from Edge NYC. SUMMIT, Top of the Rock and the Empire State Building publish no weather policy at all, which we treat as unknown rather than as a guarantee.
Where we could not confirm something from a primary source, we leave it out rather than fill the gap. That currently applies to the 2026-27 dates for the Rockefeller Center rink, Wollman Rink, the Bryant Park Winter Village and the Union Square and Columbus Circle holiday markets; to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular closing date; to the 2027 NYC Winter Outing dates; to the 2027 cherry blossom peak and Sakura Matsuri; to the 2027 Luna Park opening; and to the exact March date on which the zoos come off winter hours. We also do not list the Brookfield Place rink at all, because its own rink page no longer resolves and we could not confirm it still exists.
Every tour price, star rating and review count in these guides was checked against the live GetYourGuide listing on 28 July 2026. We do not publish a rating or a review count we have not verified, and we do not rank a product in a monthly top ten without flagging it when its operator has cut the schedule for that season.
Best time to visit New York: FAQs
What is the best month to visit New York?
May and October, for different reasons. May has average highs of 21.9C, no snow at all and 14 hours 31 minutes of daylight with sunset at 20:07, and nothing in the city is on a reduced schedule. October is slightly warmer at 18.1C with a fuller events calendar, but it has only 11 hours 11 minutes of daylight and it is the most expensive month of the year.
What is the most expensive month to visit New York?
October, not December. New York hotel occupancy reached 89.4 per cent in October 2025, the highest of any top-25 US market, and September 2024 set the record average daily rate of $417. December contains the single most expensive week, from roughly the 23rd to 2 January, but its monthly average is dragged down by a genuinely soft first ten days.
What is the cheapest time to visit New York?
January after the first week, on hotel rates, and February on total trip cost. Occupancy falls to 70.1 per cent in January and 73.4 per cent in February, the two lowest of the year, and return flights from the UK are cheapest in February at roughly £404 to £411. Both months are cold, with average lows of -2.3C and -1.4C respectively.
What is the snowiest month in New York?
February, at a 26cm snowfall normal for Central Park, ahead of January at 22cm, March at 13cm and December at 12cm. March being snowier than December surprises most people. February is also, at the same time, the driest month of the year at 81mm of total precipitation, because snow holds far less water than the same depth of rain.
Can you take a full Manhattan harbour cruise in winter?
Not between 5 January and 5 March. The operator publishes explicit season bands, and in the winter band the flagship full-island cruise has no departures at all while the landmarks sailing halves from four a day to two. The harbour lights sailing continues throughout and actually gains a 17:00 departure, because sunset is 16:54 in mid-January rather than 20:07 as it is in May.
Is the Statue of Liberty ever closed?
On two days a year only: Thanksgiving and 25 December. The ferry and the islands run every other day including New Year's Day. What does change seasonally is the Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour, which runs six departures a day from March through December but only four a day in January and February.
When do the clocks change in New York?
They go back on Sunday 1 November 2026 and forward on Sunday 14 March 2027. Both shifts are abrupt. Sunset falls from 17:54 on 31 October to 16:53 on 1 November, and rises from 18:01 on 13 March to 19:02 on 14 March. The November change is the same morning as the New York City Marathon.
Which floor of the Empire State Building is the outdoor one?
The 86th floor is the open-air observatory and the 102nd is the enclosed one. This is stated the wrong way round in a great deal of travel content, and it matters in winter, when average highs of 4.2C in January make the difference between an enclosed and an open deck significant. For the record, Top of the Rock is the deck that looks at the Empire State Building.
Ready to book?
Browse all New York tours, New York attractions or our top ten New York experiences.