San Francisco is 1.7°C (3.1°F) warmer by day, San Francisco has 7.4°C (13.3°F) warmer nights, New York gets 595 mm (23.4 in) more rain a year.
New York is at its warmest in July and coolest in January, while San Francisco peaks in September and bottoms out in December. Month for month, San Francisco is the warmer of the two in 9 of 12 months.
New York is the wetter of the two, collecting 1,214 mm (47.8 in) of rain a year against 619 mm (24.4 in) in San Francisco. The most comfortable time to visit is June, August and September in New York and July, August and September in San Francisco.
| New York | Metric | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 73.9°F | 🌡️Average daytime high | 77°F |
| 30.2°F | 🌙Average nighttime low | 43.5°F |
| July | 🔥Hottest month | September |
| January | ❄️Coldest month | December |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 47.8 in | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 24.4 in |
| July | ☔Wettest month | December |
| February | 🏜️Driest month | July |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 80% | 💧Average humidity | 77% |
| 1.6 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 2.3 m/s |
Overnight, New York typically falls to around -1°C (30.2°F) while San Francisco settles near 6.4°C (43.5°F).
New York is hottest in July and coldest in January, whereas San Francisco peaks in September and is coolest in December.
New York sees the most rain in July and the least in February; San Francisco is wettest in December and driest in July.
New York feels the more humid of the two, averaging 80% relative humidity against 77%.
For San Francisco, the pick of the year is July, August and September.
Month by month, here is the coldest night, the average day and the hottest afternoon each city can expect. Switch Compare to read rainfall, humidity, wind or solar instead, and Period to move between the long-term 45-year average and any single year — the shading is a quick warm-to-cool guide.
| Month | New York | San Francisco | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | 3.9 | 28.2❄️ | 52.5 | 35.4 | 49.3❄️ | 63 |
| February | 6.6 | 30 | 53.6 | 37.2 | 51.8 | 66.2 |
| March | 15.1 | 39.4 | 63.7 | 39.9 | 55 | 70.2 |
| April | 27.1 | 50.7 | 74.3 | 41.4 | 58.8 | 76.3 |
| May | 37.6 | 59.5 | 81.5 | 45 | 62.4 | 79.7 |
| June | 47.3 | 67.6 | 88 | 48.2 | 66.7 | 85.3 |
| July | 56.5 | 74.5🔥 | 92.5 | 50.4 | 67.5 | 84.4 |
| August | 54.7 | 73 | 91.2 | 51.8 | 69.1 | 86.4 |
| September | 44.8 | 66.2 | 87.8 | 51.1 | 70.3🔥 | 89.6 |
| October | 32.9 | 55.6 | 78.3 | 46.9 | 66.2 | 85.3 |
| November | 23.5 | 45.5 | 67.5 | 39.7 | 56.7 | 73.4 |
| December | 13.1 | 35.1 | 57.2 | 35.4 | 49.5 | 63.5 |
| Annual Avg | 30.2 | 52.2 | 73.9 | 43.5 | 60.3 | 77 |
Min / mean / max temperature (°F). 🔥 marks each city's hottest month, ❄️ its coldest; shading runs cool blue to warm red.
The same figures plotted out, so the shape of a typical year is easier to see than in a grid. Where the two lines run close together New York and San Francisco feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. New York San Francisco
See how New York and San Francisco stack up against other cities. Swipe for more.
Choose which city to keep, then search for any other city in our database — we'll build the comparison for you.
Quick answers to the questions people ask most when comparing New York and San Francisco — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
San Francisco is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 25°C (77°F) against 23.3°C (73.9°F) in New York — roughly 1.7°C (3.1°F) warmer by day. Nights are milder in San Francisco, with average lows of 6.4°C (43.5°F) versus -1°C (30.2°F).
New York is hottest in July, averaging highs of about 33.6°C (92.4°F), while San Francisco peaks in September at around 32°C (89.7°F). That makes New York the hotter of the two at the height of summer.
New York gets colder. In its coldest month (January) overnight lows average about -15.6°C (3.9°F), compared with 1.9°C (35.5°F) at the low point of the year in San Francisco.
New York is the wetter city, collecting about 1,214 mm (47.8 in) of rain a year versus 619 mm (24.4 in) in San Francisco. New York is wettest in July and driest in February; San Francisco is wettest in December and driest in July.
New York is the more humid of the two, averaging 80% relative humidity over the year against 77% in San Francisco.
The most comfortable months in New York are June, August and September, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
San Francisco is at its most pleasant around July, August and September, based on the mildest average temperatures of the year.
San Francisco is the warmer city in 9 of the 12 months of the year. The gap is widest in February, about 12.1°C (21.8°F), and narrowest in June, about 0.5°C (0.9°F).
New York has the bigger seasonal swing, about 25.7°C (46.3°F) between its coldest and hottest months versus 11.7°C (21.1°F) in San Francisco — so San Francisco has the steadier, more even climate.
On climate alone, San Francisco comes out ahead — it offers warmer days, less rain and lower humidity than New York. New York is the better fit only if you'd actually prefer cooler weather, more rainfall and a more humid climate.
Every figure on this page is calculated from NASA POWER satellite climate data spanning 1981–2025 (45 years). The averages describe the long-term climate of New York and San Francisco, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
