New York’s weather is usually listed as temperate in travel guides and meteorological surveys, but the truth is the weather can go to extremes to the point where the climate is almost unbearable. New York can have long periods of incomprehensible heat and humidity during the summertime; where in winter, during December, January and February, there can be icy winds of arctic proportions with intermittent days of nearly warm weather.
New York has about 45 inches of rainfall per year, with long stretches of wet weather during November and April. Snow and freezing rain are pretty much always confined to the period between December and February, with the average total being about 30 inches and major blizzards hitting the city about once every four years.
Temperatures can plummet in winter to well below freezing due to high winds and Canadian weather fronts; the strongest of which come across the Hudson River on the west side of Manhattan. During the summertime New York’s average temperature is around 77 degrees Fahrenheit, days can be quite pleasurable until a wave of 60% humidity hits. Generally, like most big cities, the temperature is a little higher in Manhattan as the heat is absorbed by tall buildings, concrete and asphalt. Most New Yorkers will often complain about the humidity rather than the heat.