New York (NYC) weather in August
August in New York: hot, rainy — a great time to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#6 of 12 months in New York · #875 of 1413 destinations to visit in August · comfort 73/100 (tier B)
- Days
- 29°C
- Nights
- 21°C
- Wet days
- 10
- Sun
- 10.4 h
- Humidity
- 74%
- Daylight
- 14 h

What August is like in New York
The most humid month, slow and half-empty, when the good restaurants are suddenly easy to get into.
low season
confidence: high
Traveller notes on New York in August
Other months in New York
New York-forum threads on September weather call it a genuinely pleasant stretch, warm without August's worst humidity, though posters are consistent the month is hard to pin down more than a few days out - a run of crisp, sunny days can flip to a muggy, sticky one with little warning. Hurricane season technically runs through the month, worth a glance at the forecast even though direct hits on the city are rare. The standing packing advice is layers plus a compact rain jacket with a hood, since a passing shower can arrive without much warning. Regulars call it one of the more reliable shoulder-season windows for walking tours and rooftop time alike. The record: 24.9C days feeling like 26C, 17.4C nights, 124mm across 7.3 days, a 22.2C sea, 75 percent humidity and 8.7 hours of sun.
New York-forum threads on May weather agree on one thing: it's a toss-up. Regulars describe afternoons landing anywhere from the mid-60s to the 80s Fahrenheit within the same week, with mornings still cool enough for a jacket, and the standing advice is to pack layers plus a compact rain shell rather than trust any single forecast. The month is rated genuinely pretty once the sun is out - parks green, before summer's humidity sets in. May's record: 21.7C days, 12.7C nights, 105mm of rain across ten days, 9.3 hours of sun and an AQI of 57.
New York forum regulars call April one of the year's most volatile months, if less extreme than March: “never really predictable,” with daytime highs in the 50s-60s°F and lows in the 40s typical, but “not uncommon for winter to make an appearance, especially early in the month.” The comparison offered for calibration: “March is generally colder, and April is generally wetter,” though neither very cold nor very hot, which regulars call a genuinely agreeable trade. Standard advice is a warmer jacket plus a sweater or hoodie to layer, and rain gear regardless of forecast. The payoff: trees budding, flowers blooming, spring in full swing by month's end. Our record: 15.7°C days, 6.4°C nights, 11.8 rain days and a 19.6kph wind — mild with real rain frequency, matching the unpredictable-but-agreeable read.
Forum verdict on July: "brutally hot and sticky" and "the luck of the draw" on how bad both get. The heat itself isn't what people complain about — it's heat plus the walking and stair-climbing the city demands. The detail that comes up again and again is subway platforms: the trains are air-conditioned, the platforms are not, and one poster was "sweltering and sticky in seconds" waiting for one. Regulars plan around it rather than through it — a shower and a change of clothes back at the hotel in the late afternoon, because "the humidity can really sap energy." Several suggest dodging the last two weeks of July and the first two of August specifically. One visitor used to Midwest summers wrote simply: "Never again." Our record has 29.5°C highs and 21°C nights in July, which is the part people underrate — it doesn't cool off.
Year-round notes are on New York's overview. Add your own note from New York's card on the map.
New York climate normals — August
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in New York in August
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Quietthe editor's quiet month, US Open, Summer break in United States
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for New York's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Fair weatherNew York's best weather comes in May, June and September — separate windows, not one continuous season.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in New York in August
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Season
Free outdoor season
1 Jun – 31 AugSummer season opensFree concerts, outdoor cinema and Shakespeare in the parks all summer, most of it needing nothing more than turning up early with something to sit on.
- Season
The August lull
1–31 AugSchool holidaysHumid, slow and half-empty as the city leaves for the beaches. The restaurants that take three months to book are suddenly available on the day.
- Festival
US Open
23 Aug – 13 SepSporting eventCrowdedBook earlyThree weeks out at Flushing Meadows, ending the second weekend of September. Grounds passes in the first week are the best value sport in the city. Source ↗
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of New York — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is New York?
New York in August — FAQ
- Is August a good time to visit New York?
- August in New York: hot, rainy — a great time to visit. It ranks #6 of 12 months for New York on SeasonMap's comfort score (73/100).
- What is the weather like in New York in August?
- In August, New York averages a daily high of 28.7°C and a low of 21.1°C, with about 130.9 mm of rain over roughly 10 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in New York in August?
- New York has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 60 in August.
Within 300 km: Newport's Newport Jazz Festival on 31 Jul – 2 Aug, and Baltimore's Chesapeake blue crab season on 1 Apr – 30 Nov.