A Manhattan street in a snowstorm, a taxi crawling through the snow.

Layover guideNew York · JFK

Weather in New York

Four real seasons: 30C summers, snowy sub-zero winters, rain possible any month; hurricane season peaks Sep.

Deans Charbal / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Climate normals (Central Park, 1991-2020): July averages 84.9F/70.1F (29C/21C); January 39.5F/27.9F (4C/-2C). Pack for genuine cold Dec-Mar and genuine heat Jun-Aug.

Snow is a real disruption risk in winter: the annual normal is 29.8 inches (76 cm), almost all of it December through March (February alone averages 10.1 in).

Rain is spread evenly year-round — roughly 3-4.5 inches every month, 49.5 in annually — so there is no dry season to count on.

Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, peaking September 10 with most activity mid-August to mid-October.

NWS New York (Central Park normals and extremes, 1869-present) · checked 2026-08-18
NOAA National Hurricane Center (climatology) · checked 2026-08-18

The rest of New York

The whole guide

Getting out of the airportYellow cabs run to Manhattan on a published flat rate from official stands at every terminal, and the AirTrain links the terminals to the subway and the Long Island Rail Road.Ride-hailingUber and Lyft operate at JFK, but the pickup point is not always the kerb: Terminals 5 and 7 send you out to Howard Beach on the AirTrain.Local laws that catch crew outTwo legal systems apply at once, and cannabis is the trap: legal to buy in New York State, illegal to take out of the state or the country.Staying connectedFree unlimited wifi at all Port Authority airports, no time limit.Eating near the crew hotelsFood halls are the crew move — one roof, many vendors, long hours; Chelsea Market runs 7am-10pm daily.What to buyClothing and shoes under $110 per item are completely tax-free in NYC; most everything else adds 8.875% at the register.TippingTip 18-20% at restaurants (not included in the bill), $1+/drink at bars, 15-20% in taxis — it is wages, not extra.