Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Nights turn raw in Albany each January, colder than in 82% of U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 83°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 66% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.5° higher. The heating season runs November to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Albany at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Albany’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Albany’s place in New York beside it.
What a year in Albany feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 169 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 27 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Albany Airport, 5 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Albany’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −8°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 56 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Albany Nwfo Univ, NY, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 41 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 141 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Albany
90% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Albany Airport.
Living with Albany’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
169 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 27 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 49 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Albany from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (66%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Albany and its neighbors
Guilderland has the coldest January nights next door (15°, 1° colder). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Albany’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany, NY | 16° | 83° | 41" | 56" |
| Plymouth, IN | 17° | 83° | 40" | 55" |
| Niles, MI | 18° | 83° | 40" | 63" |
| Clearfield, PA | 18° | 83° | 41" | 63" |
| Shelby, OH | 18° | 83° | 40" | 49" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Albany averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.3°).
A bigger shift than in 58% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods. In a city of 102,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Albany compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Albany’s place among New York’s.
Albany weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Albany’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Albany Nwfo Univ, NY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 16° | 2.7" | 16.5" | 14 | 21 | 13° – 32° |
| February | 36° | 18° | 2.4" | 9.9" | 9 | 16 | 12° – 33° |
| March | 45° | 26° | 3.0" | 9.8" | 12 | 10 | 28° – 46° |
| April | 59° | 36° | 3.3" | 2.3" | 12 | 1 | 41° – 52° |
| May | 71° | 48° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| June | 79° | 57° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| July | 83° | 62° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| August | 82° | 60° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| September | 74° | 53° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 60° – 68° |
| October | 62° | 41° | 4.0" | 0.5" | 11 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 49° | 32° | 2.9" | 1.7" | 12 | 1 | 36° – 45° |
| December | 38° | 23° | 3.3" | 15.5" | 12 | 11 | 23° – 42° |
| Year | 59° | 39° | 41.0" | 56.2" | 141 | 61 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 12° to 33°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Albany’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Albany’s center.
- Snow: Albany Nwfo Univ, NY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Albany Airport, 5 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Albany’s climate
What is the weather like in Albany?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 56 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Albany in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 136 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 13°.
How much snow does Albany get?
About 56 inches in a normal winter at Albany Nwfo Univ, NY, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 61 days a year.
How hot does it get in Albany?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 62°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Albany Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Albany?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 27 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 169 frost-free days, at Albany Airport.
What growing zone is Albany in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Albany?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Albany getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Albany.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.