Manhattan, New York Weather Records

The hottest and coldest days Manhattan has ever recorded — and how today compares to normal

Manhattan’s all-time temperature records

Hottest day on record
106°Fset July 9, 1936
Coldest day on record
-15°Fset February 9, 1934

That is a 121°F span between the hottest and coldest days Manhattan has ever recorded — the full range of what its weather has done across the station’s record back to 1869.

Manhattan, NY · Today vs. normal

About typical for 10:30 PM on Sep 20

At 10:30 PM EDT on Sep 20 it was 68°F in Manhattan — about the 67°F typical for that hour (estimated from the Sep 20 normal high of 74°F and low of 60°F, interpolated from the monthly normals).

How extreme Manhattan’s weather gets

Manhattan’s weather is usually mild by its own standards — a typical year averages a daily high near 63°F, and the normal high for September runs about 76°F. The records sit well outside that everyday range. The hottest day on record reached 106°F in 1936 — roughly 43°F above a typical year’s average high, the kind of gap that turns an ordinary summer into a genuine heat event.

At the other end, Manhattan has bottomed out at -15°F (1934). Those edges are why the today-versus-normal readout above is worth a glance: it shows where today falls between the normal and the record, so a hot afternoon can be judged against the real history rather than a hunch. A reading a few degrees over the September normal is ordinary; one pushing toward the 106°F record is the rare event the record marks.

Frequently asked

What is the hottest day ever recorded in Manhattan?
Manhattan's hottest day on record reached 106°F, set on July 9, 1936. That is the single most extreme high in the nearest long-term weather station's full daily record — about 43°F hotter than a typical year's average high of 63°F, which is why a day like it stands out as genuinely rare rather than just a hot afternoon.
What is the record high temperature in Manhattan?
The all-time record high in Manhattan is 106°F, recorded on July 9, 1936. Records are drawn from the nearest long-term weather station's full daily history, so this is the hottest single day the station has ever logged — not a typical summer peak.
What is the coldest day ever recorded in Manhattan?
Manhattan's coldest day on record bottomed out at -15°F, set on February 9, 1934. Like the record high, it comes from the station's full daily record, so it captures the most extreme cold the area has recorded rather than an average winter low.
What is the record low temperature in Manhattan?
The all-time record low in Manhattan is -15°F, recorded on February 9, 1934. The gap between that and the 106°F record high — a span of 121°F — is the full range of temperatures Manhattan has experienced across its long-term daily record.
Is it normal to be this hot in Manhattan?
It depends on how far above Manhattan's normal a given day runs. A typical year here averages a daily high near 63°F; the all-time record of 106°F (set 1936) sits about 43°F above that. When a live reading is available, the live readout just below the record high and low compares it with the temperature typical for that hour this month (estimated from the month's normal high and low), so you can see how unusual the day is rather than guessing.
When did Manhattan set its temperature records?
Manhattan's record high of 106°F was set in 1936 (July 9, 1936), and its record low of -15°F in 1934 (February 9, 1934). Both are pulled from the station's full daily record going back to 1869, so they reflect the true extremes rather than a recent or partial sample.
Has Manhattan been getting hotter?
Yes — Manhattan's annual mean temperature has trended about 4.4°F warmer since 1870 (+0.29°F per decade, fitted to the complete years of 1870–2025). That gradual shift in the average is separate from the all-time records above, which mark the single most extreme days rather than the trend, but a warming baseline is part of why recent years more often brush up against the record-high end.