Climateby Month

Buffalo, NY climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 602 ft elevation

Summers in Buffalo are warm; winters are cold and snowy. Highs peak at 80°F in July and fall to 32°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 10 to 19 a month. Normal snowfall is about 95 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is May, June and September.

Warmest month
80°F
July normal high
Coldest month
19°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
166
40.7 in of precipitation
Snow a year
95.4 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Buffalo?

Normal highs range from 32°F in January to 80°F in July.

0°20°40°60°80° January: normal high 32°F (0°C), low 19°F (-7°C) 32° 19° February: normal high 33°F (1°C), low 20°F (-7°C) March: normal high 42°F (6°C), low 26°F (-3°C) April: normal high 55°F (13°C), low 37°F (3°C) May: normal high 67°F (19°C), low 48°F (9°C) June: normal high 76°F (24°C), low 58°F (14°C) July: normal high 80°F (27°C), low 63°F (17°C) 80° 63° August: normal high 79°F (26°C), low 62°F (17°C) September: normal high 72°F (22°C), low 55°F (13°C) October: normal high 60°F (16°C), low 44°F (7°C) November: normal high 48°F (9°C), low 34°F (1°C) December: normal high 37°F (3°C), low 26°F (-3°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Buffalo?

January has the most wet days (about 19); the year brings about 41 in of precipitation.

January: 19 wet days 19 February: 16 wet days March: 15 wet days April: 13 wet days May: 13 wet days June: 12 wet days July: 11 wet days August: 10 wet days 10 September: 11 wet days October: 14 wet days November: 14 wet days December: 18 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 95.4 in a year, most of it in January.

January: 26.7 in of snow 26.7 February: 18.1 in of snow March: 14.1 in of snow April: 2.5 in of snow May: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 June: 0.0 in of snow July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.0 in of snow October: 0.9 in of snow November: 7.8 in of snow December: 25.3 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Buffalo?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 8 days.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 0 muggy days June: 3 muggy days July: 8 muggy days 8 August: 6 muggy days September: 2 muggy days October: 0 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Buffalo Niagara International Airpor, 8.1 mi ENE of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.1 hours in December to 15.3 hours in June.

January: 9.4 hours of daylight February: 10.6 hours of daylight March: 11.9 hours of daylight April: 13.4 hours of daylight May: 14.7 hours of daylight June: 15.3 hours of daylight 15.3 July: 15.0 hours of daylight August: 13.9 hours of daylight September: 12.5 hours of daylight October: 11.0 hours of daylight November: 9.8 hours of daylight December: 9.1 hours of daylight 9.1 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Buffalo, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 32°F19°F 3.4 in19 26.7 in 0 9.4 h
February 33°F20°F 2.5 in16 18.1 in 0 10.6 h
March 42°F26°F 2.9 in15 14.1 in 0 11.9 h
April 55°F37°F 3.4 in13 2.5 in 0 13.4 h
May 67°F48°F 3.4 in13 0.0 in 0 14.7 h
June 76°F58°F 3.4 in12 0.0 in 3 15.3 h
July 80°F63°F 3.2 in11 0.0 in 8 15.0 h
August 79°F62°F 3.2 in10 0.0 in 6 13.9 h
September 72°F55°F 4.1 in11 0.0 in 2 12.5 h
October 60°F44°F 4.0 in14 0.9 in 0 11.0 h
November 48°F34°F 3.5 in14 7.8 in 0 9.8 h
December 37°F26°F 3.8 in18 25.3 in 0 9.1 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Buffalo

By our comfort score, the best months are May, June and September.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 240924
Feb 280722
Mar 382816
Apr 55683
May 721580
Jun 711481
Jul 66962
Aug 661161
Sep 691670
Oct 551090
Nov 38288
Dec 2501020

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Buffalo

The last spring frost typically comes around Apr 24, and the first fall frost around Oct 26, leaving 183 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Buffalo
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Apr 24after May 9
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 26before Oct 10
Last hard freeze (28°F)Apr 13after Apr 27
First hard freeze (28°F)Nov 6before Oct 25
Frost-free season183 daysunder 163 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Buffalo (USW00014733), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in New York.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 98°F (July 9, 2020); the lowest was -12°F (February 14, 2016).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Buffalo

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall, snow depth, frost dates and humidity and wind by hour: Buffalo (USW00014733), 8.3 mi ENE of the city center, 693 ft (91 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Buffalo Niagara International Airpor (725280-14733), 8.1 mi ENE of the city center, 709 ft (107 ft higher than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.
  • Not available for this location: cloud cover (no station close enough or similar enough in elevation).

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error