New York (NYC) weather in December
December in New York: cold, rainy — a fair time to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#11 of 12 months in New York · #1087 of 1413 destinations to visit in December · comfort 54/100 (tier D)
- Days
- 7°C
- Nights
- 1°C
- Wet days
- 10
- Sun
- 5.7 h
- Humidity
- 73%
- Daylight
- 9 h

What December is like in New York
Cold and crowded, with the tree, the markets and a city that empties completely for the last week of the year.
festivalpeak
confidence: high
Traveller notes on New York in December
The forum's December picture for New York: cold to very cold, with rain as likely as snow — first flakes average around 15 December, and early December has almost no odds of any. Christmas week improves the snow chances but often delivers rain or plain dry cold instead. On crowds the regulars are more precise than you would expect: tourist numbers are very high at the start of December, there is a sweet spot mid-month while school is still in, and Midtown, Rockefeller Center and the shopping streets are the pinch points. Pack a hat, gloves and scarf you can strip off — indoors is always overheated.
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 — December
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in New York in December
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.
Peak crowdsthe editor's peak month, Christmas season, Winter / Christmas 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).
Toughest 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 December
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Holiday
Christmas season
28 Nov – 1 JanChristmas & New YearCrowdedThe tree, the markets and Fifth Avenue at its most crowded, followed by a city that empties out completely for the last week of the year. Source ↗
- Hazard
Nor'easter season
1 Dec – 15 Mar · usuallyWinter storms & galesClosuresOne or two coastal storms a winter dump enough snow to stop the airports and briefly silence the parks. The city keeps running; the flights in and out are what break. 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.
- Newport242 kmChristmas at the mansions20 Nov – 2 JanChristmas & New Yearnewportmansions.org
- Baltimore273 kmHampden Christmas lights27 Nov – 1 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New Yearbaltimore.org
- Philadelphia130 kmChristmas Village and holiday markets20 Nov – 24 Dec · usuallyChristmas & New Yearvisitphilly.com
Where is New York?
New York in December — FAQ
- Is December a good time to visit New York?
- December in New York: cold, rainy — a fair time to visit. It ranks #11 of 12 months for New York on SeasonMap's comfort score (54/100).
- What is the weather like in New York in December?
- In December, New York averages a daily high of 7.3°C and a low of 1.4°C, with about 117.6 mm of rain over roughly 10 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in New York in December?
- New York has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 51 in December.
- Does it snow in New York in December?
- New York sees roughly 8.5 cm of snowfall in December.
Within 300 km: Newport's Christmas at the mansions on 20 Nov – 2 Jan, and Baltimore's Hampden Christmas lights around 27 Nov – 1 Jan.