New York is 1.8°C (3.2°F) warmer by day, Seattle has 3°C (5.4°F) warmer nights, and both get similar annual rainfall.
New York is at its warmest in July and coolest in January, while Seattle peaks in July and bottoms out in December. Month for month, New York is the warmer of the two in 7 of 12 months.
Both collect a similar amount of rain over the year — 1,214 mm (47.8 in) in New York and 1,255 mm (49.4 in) in Seattle. The most comfortable time to visit is June, August and September in New York and June, July and August in Seattle.
| New York | Metric | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 73.9°F | 🌡️Average daytime high | 70.7°F |
| 30.2°F | 🌙Average nighttime low | 35.6°F |
| July | 🔥Hottest month | July |
| January | ❄️Coldest month | December |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 47.8 in | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 49.4 in |
| July | ☔Wettest month | November |
| February | 🏜️Driest month | July |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 80% | 💧Average humidity | 83% |
| 1.6 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 0.7 m/s |
Overnight, New York typically falls to around -1°C (30.2°F) while Seattle settles near 2°C (35.6°F).
New York is hottest in July and coldest in January, whereas Seattle peaks in July and is coolest in December.
New York sees the most rain in July and the least in February; Seattle is wettest in November and driest in July.
Seattle feels the more humid of the two, averaging 83% relative humidity against 80%.
For Seattle, the pick of the year is June, July and August.
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 | Seattle | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | 3.9 | 28.2❄️ | 52.5 | 24.3 | 39 | 53.8 |
| February | 6.6 | 30 | 53.6 | 24.8 | 40.6 | 56.5 |
| March | 15.1 | 39.4 | 63.7 | 29.8 | 46.4 | 63 |
| April | 27.1 | 50.7 | 74.3 | 33.8 | 52.7 | 71.8 |
| May | 37.6 | 59.5 | 81.5 | 38.7 | 58.6 | 78.8 |
| June | 47.3 | 67.6 | 88 | 44.1 | 63.5 | 82.9 |
| July | 56.5 | 74.5🔥 | 92.5 | 49.1 | 67.8 | 86.5 |
| August | 54.7 | 73 | 91.2 | 49.6 | 68🔥 | 86.4 |
| September | 44.8 | 66.2 | 87.8 | 44.4 | 63.5 | 82.6 |
| October | 32.9 | 55.6 | 78.3 | 35.6 | 54.1 | 72.5 |
| November | 23.5 | 45.5 | 67.5 | 28.4 | 44.2 | 59.9 |
| December | 13.1 | 35.1 | 57.2 | 23.9 | 38.7❄️ | 53.6 |
| Annual Avg | 30.2 | 52.2 | 73.9 | 35.6 | 53.1 | 70.7 |
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 Seattle feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. New York Seattle
See how New York and Seattle 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 Seattle — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
New York is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 23.3°C (73.9°F) against 21.5°C (70.7°F) in Seattle — roughly 1.8°C (3.2°F) warmer by day. Nights are milder in Seattle, with average lows of 2°C (35.6°F) versus -1°C (30.2°F).
New York is hottest in July, averaging highs of about 33.6°C (92.4°F), while Seattle peaks in July at around 30.3°C (86.5°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 -4.5°C (23.8°F) at the low point of the year in Seattle.
They get a similar amount of rain over a year — about 1,214 mm (47.8 in) in New York and 1,255 mm (49.4 in) in Seattle. New York is wettest in July and driest in February; Seattle is wettest in November and driest in July.
Seattle is the more humid of the two, averaging 83% relative humidity over the year against 80% in New York.
The most comfortable months in New York are June, August and September, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
Seattle is at its most pleasant around June, July and August, based on the mildest average temperatures of the year.
New York is the warmer city in 7 of the 12 months of the year. The gap is widest in January, about 6°C (10.8°F), and narrowest in May, 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 16.3°C (29.3°F) in Seattle — so Seattle has the steadier, more even climate.
On climate alone, New York comes out ahead — it offers warmer days and lower humidity than Seattle. Seattle is the better fit only if you'd actually prefer cooler weather 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 Seattle, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
