What Are the Warmest Cities in New York?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The three warmest cities in New York are New York City, Long Beach, and Riverhead.
In this article I’m going to share with you my ranking of the warmest places in New York.
I created my list by researching data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other climate data providers.
Below I’m listing the top 10 warmest places in New York that have the highest average yearly temperatures. Later in the article I share a table with 50 most populous cities and towns in New York state.
Top 10 Warmest Cities in New York
Here are the top 10 warmest places in New York ranked by their daily mean temperature. Most cities in this list are located in the New York City metropolitan area or on the Long Island. Northern New York is the coldest area of the state so there no cities in this ranking from this part of the state. Central New York is also not represented and neither is Western New York.
1. New York City – daily mean temperature of 55.75 °F
Due to its southerly location close to the Atlantic Ocean, New York City is the warmest city in the state. Its annual average temperature of 55.75 °F comes from data recorded in Belvedere Castle, Central Park so different boroughs of New York City may have slight temperature variations. Urban heat island effect may make certain areas of NYC even warmer. Average high temperatures during the summer reach 80-85 °F during the day and 64-70 °F at night. In the winter, temperatures ranging from 39 °F to 44 °F during the day and 28-34 °F at night give it relatively mild winters compared to the rest of the state. New York City has 2,534 sunshine hours a year.
2. Long Beach – daily mean temperature of 54.5 °F
The oceanfront city of Long Beach is the second warmest city in New York state. The city occupies the barrier island of the same name. It has a similar mild climate in the winter to New York City but it has cooler summers. This gives it a slightly less extreme but still warm climate. Because of the proximity of the coast, any heat waves in the region are much more comfortable in Long Beach than in New York City.
3. Riverhead – daily mean temperature of 54.05 °F
Riverhead, a town located on the north shore of Long Island, has the same daytime temperatures as New York City throughout the year. The difference in climate is noticeable is at night, when temperatures in Riverhead, particularly in the summer, can drop up to 3 degrees more. This, of course, can be desirable if you don’t like humid air and prefer a more comfortable summer climate.
4. Islip – daily mean temperature of 53.15 °F
Islip is a town on the south shore of Long Island. It has almost exactly the same climate as Long Beach located 34 miles southwest. It gets less summer heat because average lows are about 2 degrees lower between June and September.
5. Scarsdale – daily mean temperature of 52.25 °F
Scarsdale is a town located immediately north of New York City. The average high temperatures are higher in Scarsdale than in New York City. Summers can be up to 2 degrees hotter. The town is much cooler at night, though, with average lows in the winter dropping to much colder 20-25 °F compared to 28-34 °F in NYC. Summer nights are also much cooler, with lows of 57-62 °F compared to 64-70 °F in New York City.
6. White Plains – daily mean temperature of 52 °F
White Plains is another place immediately north of NYC. This city, situated just 2.5 miles north of Scarsdale, is an outer suburb of New York City. Climate data for the city comes from Westchester County Airport located further northeast. The area has lower diurnal variation than Scarsdale, with slightly warmer nights and cooler days.
7. Brookhaven – daily mean temperature of 51.2 °F
For the seventh place we’re back to Long Island and its southern shore. This city located 18 miles southwest of Riverhead has warm summers with temperatures between 76-82 °F during the day and 58-65 °F at night. Winters are cooler than in the previous cities, with average highs of 38-44 °F and lows of 30-35 °F.
8. Hudson – daily mean temperature of 51.15 °F
Hudson is located in the Hudson Valley, on the Hudson River. Hudson is the warmest city in Upstate New York. It has some of the coolest winters in this ranking. Daytime temperatures reach 35-40 °F, while lows drop to 18-25 °F.
9. Troy – daily mean temperature of 50.9 °F
Troy is located 8 miles northeast of Albany. It’s the second warmest place in Upstate New York after Hudson. Troy gets slightly lower average high temperatures than Hudson but the differences are negligible.
10. Poughkeepsie – daily mean temperature of 50.5 °F
Poughkeepsie is another city located in the mid Hudson Valley region. It’s the tenth warmest city in New York state. It has some of the coldest winters out of all cities in this ranking, with temperatures between 36-41 °F during the day and 18-24 °F at night. Meanwhile, summers are still hot, with temperatures between 80-85 °F, like in New York City.
50 Biggest Cities in New York Ranked by Daily Mean Temperature
I created the table below by researching data for the most populous municipalities (cities and towns) in New York state. When I couldn’t find National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data for a given city, I moved on to another. While the list includes 50 cities and towns, some of the bigger cities and towns may be missing because there was no data for them. Please check the closest geographically place then.
| City | Average high temperature (°F) | Average low temperature (°F) | Daily mean temperature (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | 62.6 | 48.9 | 55.75 |
| Long Beach | 62 | 47 | 54.5 |
| Riverhead | 62 | 46.1 | 54.05 |
| Islip | 61.1 | 45.2 | 53.15 |
| Scarsdale | 63.5 | 41 | 52.25 |
| White Plains | 60.6 | 43.4 | 52 |
| Brookhaven | 60.3 | 42.1 | 51.2 |
| Hudson | 61.6 | 40.7 | 51.15 |
| Troy | 61 | 40.8 | 50.9 |
| Poughkeepsie | 61 | 40 | 50.5 |
| Newburgh | 61 | 40 | 50.5 |
| Harrison | 59 | 42 | 50.5 |
| Middletown | 59.5 | 40 | 49.75 |
| Montgomery | 60.6 | 38.8 | 49.7 |
| Rochester | 58.5 | 40.6 | 49.55 |
| Yorktown | 60.1 | 38.9 | 49.5 |
| Albany | 59.4 | 39.4 | 49.4 |
| Lockport | 58.3 | 39.9 | 49.1 |
| Dunkirk | 57.5 | 40.5 | 49 |
| Canandaigua | 58 | 40 | 49 |
| Buffalo | 56.8 | 40.9 | 48.85 |
| Port Jervis | 59.7 | 37.8 | 48.75 |
| Oswego | 56 | 41.4 | 48.7 |
| Syracuse | 57.6 | 39.4 | 48.5 |
| North Tonawanda | 58.8 | 37.7 | 48.25 |
| Elmira | 59.4 | 36.9 | 48.15 |
| Saratoga Springs | 58.8 | 37.3 | 48.05 |
| Carmel | 56.7 | 39.3 | 48 |
| Niagara Falls | 56.7 | 38.8 | 47.75 |
| Batavia | 56.8 | 38.6 | 47.7 |
| Fulton | 56.3 | 38.3 | 47.3 |
| Jamestown | 57.6 | 36.9 | 47.25 |
| Geneva | 55.6 | 38.4 | 47 |
| Cortland | 56.2 | 37.2 | 46.7 |
| Utica | 56.4 | 36.9 | 46.65 |
| Norwich | 55 | 38 | 46.5 |
| Watertown | 55.4 | 37.4 | 46.4 |
| Binghamton | 54.8 | 37.8 | 46.3 |
| Ithaca | 56.2 | 36.3 | 46.25 |
| Auburn | 56 | 36.3 | 46.15 |
| Little Falls | 56.3 | 34.8 | 45.55 |
| Gloversville | 56 | 35 | 45.5 |
| Hornell | 56.2 | 33.9 | 45.05 |
| Olean | 57 | 33 | 45 |
| Ogdensburg | 54.2 | 35.8 | 45 |
| Salamanca | 55 | 35 | 45 |
| Glens Falls | 56.3 | 33.5 | 44.9 |
| Plattsburgh | 55 | 34.4 | 44.7 |
| Corning | 55.4 | 33.8 | 44.6 |
| Potsdam | 54 | 34 | 44 |
Check the Warmest Cities in Neighboring States
If you’re interested in learning about the warmest cities in states neighboring New York, check out the following articles:
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Connecticut?
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Massachusetts?
- What Are the Warmest Cities in New Jersey?
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Pennsylvania?
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Rhode Island?
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Vermont?
Also check my article on the warmest cities in the US in every state.
Frequently Asked Questions
The warmest city in New York state is New York City. It has an average annual temperature of 55.75 °F. Long Island is the second warmest city, with a temperature of 54.5 °F. Riverhead comes third with a temperature of 54.05 °F.
The warmest city in Upstate New York is Hudson, located on the Hudson River in Columbia County. It has an average annual temperature of 51.15 °F which makes it the eighth warmest city in the state.
New York reaches on average 80-85 °F in the summer months, with mean maximums of 96 °F. Upstate New York has slightly more moderate temperatures ranging on average from 79 to 84 °F in the warmest cities (with maximums of 93 °F) to 75-79 °F in the coldest ones (with maximums of 91 °F), where any heat wave will be much less extreme.
Winters in New York City last roughly between December and March, so the city has a relatively short cold season. In the colder parts of Upstate New York (for example in places situated by Lake Ontario and Lake Erie), winters last between November and April.
The coldest city in New York state is Potsdam. While its summer temperatures aren’t that cold (average high temperatures reach 75-79 °F and average low temperatures drop to 54-59 °F), its winters can be very cold, particularly at night. Daytime temperatures are between 26-32 °F but at night they go as low as 6-15 °F.