New York weather in December
Temperature, sea and sunshine in December: long-term averages from 30 years of weather data, not a forecast.
Holiday weather in December
Poor
Best time to visit: April – October
What is the weather like in New York in December?
In December, New York is cold: daytime highs average 6 °C, and nights often drop below freezing (−1 °C). The sea averages 9.1 °C – swimming is only for the hardy. Expect around 5 hours of sunshine a day. Rain is frequent, with about 10 rainy days and 102 mm in total. Snow falls on about 2 days. All in all, December is not an ideal month for a holiday in New York.
December compared
How the weather changes from November to January. Tap a month to open it.
| NovemberNov | DecemberDec | JanuaryJan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Score | 49 | 24 | 27 |
| Day | 12° | 6° | 4° |
| Night | 4° | −1° | −4° |
| Sea | 13° | 9° | 6° |
| Sun | 6 h | 5 h | 6 h |
| Rain days | 8 | 10 | 9 |
More details for December
- Daylight
- 9 h 17 min07:13 – 16:30
- UV index
- 1 · lowclear sky, noon (estimate)
- Muggy days
- 0 daysdew point 18 °C or more
- Wind
- 18 km/haverage daily peak
- Cloud cover
- 59 %on average
- Hot days
- 0 days30 °C or more
- Snow days
- 2 days1 cm or more of fresh snow
- Time zone
- UTC−5America/New_York
How the score comes together
- Temperatureweight 50 %0 %
- Sunshineweight 20 %33 %
- Few rainy daysweight 30 %59 %
Each factor is rated from 0 to 100 % and weighted for the travel style “City break”.
What to pack in December
- Warm jacket
- Rain jacket or umbrella
New York in December: quick answers
Is New York hot in December?
No. In December, New York is cold: daytime highs average 6 °C and nights drop to about −1 °C.
Can you swim in New York in December?
Only if you don't mind cold water: in December the sea averages just 9.1 °C. Comfortable swimming is possible from July to September.
Does it rain much in New York in December?
Rain is frequent, with about 10 rainy days and 102 mm in total.
New York month by month
The whole year in New YorkAll destinations: USA
Climate averages 1996–2025, not a forecast. Data: Copernicus ERA5 / ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0), NOAA OISST, GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)