Poughkeepsie, NY Climate

Poughkeepsie, NY has a humid continental climate with warm, humid summers and cold, wet winters. The area experiences temperature extremes, with hot summer days often reaching into the 90s and below zero temperatures in winter. During the spring and fall months, temperatures stay in the 50s and 60s. Rainfall is abundant throughout the year as Poughkeepsie receives about 43 inches of precipitation annually. Snowfall is also common in the winter months, and occasional snowstorms occur throughout the season.

Poughkeepsie, New York gets 47 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year.

Poughkeepsie averages 42 inches of snow per year. The US average is 28 inches of snow per year.

On average, there are 165 sunny days per year in Poughkeepsie. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Poughkeepsie gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 125 days per year. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground. In order for precipitation to be counted you have to get at least .01 inches on the ground to measure.

Weather Highlights

Summer High: the July high is around 84 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 15
Rain: averages 47 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 42 inches of snow a year

Bestplaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Poughkeepsie is 6.9 (10=best), which means it is about average compared to other places in New York.

8.9 Summer - 4.9 Winter

June, September and August are the most pleasant months in Poughkeepsie, while January and February are the least comfortable months.

Climate	Poughkeepsie, New York	United States
	47.0 in.	38.1 in.
	41.5 in.	27.8 in.
	124.5 days	106.2 days
	165 days	205 days
	84.3°	85.8°
	14.7°	21.7°
	6.9	7
	3.6	4.3
	200 ft.	2443 ft.

Climate

YOU SHOULD KNOW

Many people confuse weather and climate but they are different. Weather is the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere is over long periods of time.

Weather is how the atmosphere is behaving and its effects upon life and human activities. Weather can change from minute-to-minute. Most people think of weather in terms of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, visibility, wind, and atmospheric pressure.

Climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a place. Climate can mean the average weather for a particular region and time period taken over 30 years. Climate is the average of weather over time.

July is the hottest month for Poughkeepsie with an average high temperature of 84.3°, which ranks it as one of the hottest places in New York. In Poughkeepsie, there are 5 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Poughkeepsie are June, September and August.

In Poughkeepsie, there are 14.0 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is one of the hottest places in New York.

January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Poughkeepsie with an average of 14.7°. This is colder than most places in New York.

In Poughkeepsie, there are 142.9 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is colder than most places in New York.

In Poughkeepsie, there are 6.8 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is colder than most places in New York.

The humidity is usually comfortable in Poughkeepsie but some summer months can be sticky or muggy. July is the most humid month, though humidity is low for most of the year. The most humid months are July, August and June.

July is the wettest month in Poughkeepsie with 4.7 inches of rain, and the driest month is February with 2.8 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 27% of yearly precipitation and 21% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 47.0 inches in Poughkeepsie means that it is wetter than most places in New York.

May is the rainiest month in Poughkeepsie with 12.3 days of rain, and February is the driest month with only 8.4 rainy days. There are 124.5 rainy days annually in Poughkeepsie, which is about average compared to other places in New York. The rainiest season is Summer when it rains 27% of the time and the driest is Winter with only a 23% chance of a rainy day.

An annual snowfall of 41.5 inches in Poughkeepsie means that it is about average compared to other places in New York. February is the snowiest month in Poughkeepsie with 13.7 inches of snow, and 6 months of the year have significant snowfall.

Reviews for Poughkeepsie

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Jessica · Fontana, CA

Mixed Feelings

Over 6 years ago

I have mixed feelings about Poughkeepsie because there are equally as many things I love about that town as there are things I hate about it so I'm just going to write a More

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Lisa · Wappingers Falls, NY

Housing

Over 11 years ago

Prices are high here. housing is easily 25-30percent of our monthly More

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Sheri · Poughkeepsie, NY

cost of living

Over 12 years ago

It'd be great if jobs were available. This city is OK but COL is so much higher in NY than where I was raised in South Maybe I should head More

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