Weather in New York City - December to January
Weather in New York City - December to January
I am traveling from the UK to USA for a few months, my first stop being New York City for a few weeks over Christmas and New Years.
Generally speaking, what is the weather like? What would be appropriate clothing? I think it snows often, so I was assuming some waterproof shoes / boots would be sensible at least.
I find it similar to Scotland in many ways. It’s bloody cold and windy. Always reminds me of that Fairytale of New York song. The lyrics go “the wind blows right through you, it’s no place for the old”.
Wool layers work best. A long wool coat is perfect, if you have one. Puffer jackets are too bulky and sweaty if you take the train or the bus. You definitely need boots, but make sure they’re warm, waterproof and comfortable. You’ll be walking a lot.
Have fun!
Thanks!
Winter weather on the northeast US coast is a battle between cold, dry air blowing in from the northwest, and (relatively) warm, humid air from the Gulf Stream coming up from the Caribbean. The weather is determined by which of those two forces is "winning" at a given moment, and it can swing abruptly when the balance shifts.
Expect cold, windy, rainy weather. But don't be surprised to get snow and ice if those Canadians send a strong cold front.
The comment comparing New York to Scotland is a good one. Dress like you are going to Aberdeen and you should be just fine in New York.
Wind protection, the wind can really whip intensely between buildings
Good, non-slip, ice-friendly shoes. They might clean the streets daily, but all of the ice gets packed onto the sides, crossing the street can be treacherous. Ice puddles, slush. Sidewalks are not cleaned very diligently after a snow / ice storm. So you have to be mindful of your footing
Have layers, so that you can go from the icy outside, to the burning hot inside of buildings quickly.
You could use a site like wunderground.com to get an idea of what the weather has been like around that time prior years.
https://www.wunderground.com/history/weekly/us/ny/new-york-city/KLGA/date/2023-12-25
For what it's worth last few years it's been chilly but kind of on the warmer side. NYC area hasn't been hit with a huge amount of snow the last few years either, feels like we only get a few days of snow maybe in January/February nowadays.
Thanks!
It's cold, the buildings in Manhattan are a wind tunnel, and it might snow.
It's cold, but generally not consistently well below freezing unless there's a significant cold front which is semi-random as to when it happens, but periods of 1-5 days of extreme cold happen a few times per year. Snow is similar, over the course of a few weeks, there's a possibility 1-2 days of a significant snowfall, but more likely several days of light to moderate snow that makes cities a mess.
Pay attention to the weather forecast before leaving, if there's a winter storm coming, expect 1-2 days of not doing much/delays. If it happens to fall on a travel day, you may need to adjust plans earlier or later. You probably won't have to worry, but being prepared is important.