Climate and average weather in Albany

In Albany, the summers are warm, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are very cold, snowy, and partly cloudy.

Best: early May to early October

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Albany typically varies from 18°F to 81°F, and is rarely below -1°F or above 90°F. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Albany for warm-weather activities is from early May to early October.

Hottest
Jul
81°
Coldest
Jan
18°
Wettest
Oct
4.4 in
Driest
Feb
2.8 in
Rain / yr
44.1 in
128 wet days
Daylight
8.9–15.1 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
148 ft
42.7°N
Clearest
Aug
57% cloud

Albany is capital city of the U.S. state of New York and seat of Albany County.

Density
1,782/km²
people per km²
Founded
1686

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Albany weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early May to early October.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Albany, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 4.2 months, from May 20 to September 24, with daily high temperatures above 69°F. The hottest month of the year in Albany is July, with an average high of 81°F and low of 63°F.

The cool season lasts 3.2 months, from December 2 to March 9, with daily high temperatures below 42°F. The coldest month of the year in Albany is January, with an average low of 18°F and high of 32°F.

Days typically run about 17°F warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 19°F) in May.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
Jan3218
Feb3519
Mar4428
Apr5739
May6849
Jun7758
Jul8163
Aug8062
Sep7354
Oct6043
Nov4833
Dec3724

How hot and cold Albany really feels

Feels-like highFeels-like lowactual air temp

The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.

On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about 7°F (around January 21), with roughly 160 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F) 63 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°F)Air high (°F)Feels-like low (°F)Air low (°F)
Jan3232918
Feb35351019
Mar44442028
Apr57573439
May68684749
Jun77775858
Jul82816363
Aug80806262
Sep73735354
Oct60603943
Nov48482733
Dec37371724

Average hourly temperature in Albany

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 81°F, and coldest before dawn in January, near 18°F.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Albany weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 18°3.09.66.89.20.0
Feb35° / 19°2.89.26.510.30.0
Mar44° / 28°3.710.8511.60.8
Apr57° / 39°3.811.71.513.13.9
May68° / 49°3.711.90.114.45.9
Jun77° / 58°4.212.3015.16.4
Jul81° / 63°3.811.3014.86.2
Aug80° / 62°3.610.1013.76.6
Sep73° / 54°3.99.4012.36.8
Oct60° / 43°4.410.70.410.84.7
Nov48° / 33°3.39.81.99.61.7
Dec37° / 24°3.710.868.90.0

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Albany gets about 44.1 in of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 4.5 months, from around Mar 23 to Aug 7, peaking in June at about 41% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 27.

October is the wettest month by volume, with 4.4 in over about 11 wet days; February is the driest, with 2.8 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetJun 13 · 41%Jan 27 · 28%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan3110
Feb339
Mar3611
Apr3812
May3812
Jun4012
Jul3711
Aug3210
Sep319
Oct3511
Nov3310
Dec3411

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Albany collects about 44.1 in of rain across 128 wet days — roughly 3.7 in in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. October is the wettest month with 4.4 in, while February is the driest at just 2.8 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 29% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0123456JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec3.02.83.73.83.74.23.83.63.94.43.33.7
Rainfall (in)Rain daysSnow days
Jan3.0107
Feb2.897
Mar3.7115
Apr3.8122
May3.7120
Jun4.2120
Jul3.8110
Aug3.6100
Sep3.990
Oct4.4110
Nov3.3102
Dec3.7116

Snow in Albany

Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.

Albany averages about 28 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Oct 22 to Apr 27 — about 6.2 months.

January is snowiest, with roughly 7 days of snow and an estimated 16 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 74 in of snow.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonJan 12
Snow daysSnowfall (in)
Jan716
Feb717
Mar515
Apr23
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct00
Nov25
Dec617

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Albany, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around June 6 and lasts for 4.5 months, ending around October 20. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 53% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 21 and lasts for 7.5 months, ending around June 5. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 68% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAug 28 · 55%Dec 19 · 31%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan3565
Feb3664
Mar3565
Apr3664
May3961
Jun4456
Jul5248
Aug5347
Sep5050
Oct4456
Nov3862
Dec3268

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 10, brings about 15 h 06 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 8 h 54 min — a swing of roughly 6 h 12 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.27:294:40
Feb10.37:025:18
Mar11.66:155:54
Apr13.15:206:30
May14.44:387:04
Jun15.14:227:29
Jul14.84:357:26
Aug13.75:076:52
Sep12.35:415:58
Oct10.86:165:05
Nov9.66:554:26
Dec8.97:254:18

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Albany averages about 7 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 5 and 10 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 4.2 months, from around Jun 19 to Oct 24. The sunniest month is September, with roughly 10 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is January, down near 6 sunny days — about 42% fewer than the September peak.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedSep 110 daysJan 15 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan6Gloomy
Feb6Gloomy
Mar7Gloomy
Apr7Gloomy
May7Gloomy
Jun7Gloomy
Jul9Mixed
Aug10Mixed
Sep10Mixed
Oct9Mixed
Nov7Gloomy
Dec5Gloomy

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Albany, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 4.0 months, from around May 28 to September 26. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 61% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 27 to May 27, and April is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecApr 3 · 100%Jul 22 · 36%muggyhumiddrycomfortablecomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
Jan1000000
Feb1000000
Mar1000000
Apr972000
May7913620
Jun382620132
Jul152430256
Aug222627224
Sep53211691
Oct906210
Nov991000
Dec1000000

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Albany is typically calm, near 6 mph, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 6.9 months, from around Oct 14 to May 10. The windiest month is March, averaging about 7 mph (calm).

The calmer part of the year runs from around May 11 to Oct 13, with August the calmest month at about 5 mph.

0510JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezeMar 8 · 7 mphAug 5 · 5 mph
Wind speed (mph)Feels
Jan7calm
Feb7calm
Mar7calm
Apr7calm
May6calm
Jun5calm
Jul5calm
Aug5calm
Sep5calm
Oct6calm
Nov6calm
Dec7calm

Best time to visit Albany

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Albany throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around mid May, Albany is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 64°F and 82°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Albany for general outdoor tourist activities is from early May to early October, with a peak score in the first week of September.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 5 · 7.1

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan0.0poor
Feb0.0poor
Mar0.9poor
Apr3.9fair
May5.9good
Jun6.3good
Jul6.2good
Aug6.6good
Sep6.7good
Oct4.7fair
Nov1.7poor
Dec0.0poor

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 75°F and 93°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Albany for hot-weather activities is from early June to mid September, with a peak score in the last week of August.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 23 · 6.6

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Albany, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 81°F), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 32°F), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, Albany sees daytime highs around 81°F and nights near 63°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

UV index (midday) in Albany by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Albany peaks around July 12 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 12UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Average hourly UV index in Albany

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in July the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 4.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan00
Feb00
Mar3.50
Apr60
May7.53.5
Jun7.53.5
Jul84.5
Aug60
Sep5.50
Oct10
Nov00
Dec00
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayTypical season (≥50%)

The growing season in Albany typically lasts about 236 days, from around March 28 to November 18 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 22 to October 19.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonMar 2850%Apr 2290%Oct 1990%Nov 1850%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1331
Feb1328
Mar3431
Apr8219
May990
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct9111
Nov5530
Dec2231

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 50°F)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 50°F: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Albany banks about 2,612 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.

01,0002,0003,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°F·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr20
May270
Jun523
Jul691
Aug642
Sep395
Oct71
Nov0
Dec0

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Albany receives about 3.8 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.4 and 6.1 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.2 months, from around Mar 16 to Sep 21. The brightest month is July, averaging about 5.9 kWh/m² (bright).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.5 kWh/m² — roughly 75% less than the July peak.

01234567JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJul 26.1 kWhDec 171.4 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan1.9Dim
Feb2.8Moderate
Mar3.8Moderate
Apr4.8Bright
May5.5Bright
Jun5.9Bright
Jul5.9Bright
Aug5.2Bright
Sep4.1Bright
Oct2.8Moderate
Nov1.9Dim
Dec1.5Dim

Where is Albany?

Albany sits at 42.7°N, 73.8°W, 148 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is West Albany, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Albany

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Albany.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Albany has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 387 ft around an average of 144 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 945 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,058 ft.

The land around Albany is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and trees (39%) within 2 miles, trees (68%) within 10 miles, and trees (84%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
387 ft
10 miles
945 ft
50 miles
4,058 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
Nearby: West Albany 2.5 mi · Troy 6.2 mi · Latham 6.2 mi · Cohoes 8.7 mi · Rotterdam 14 mi · Schenectady 14 mi · Clifton Park 15 mi · Glenville 24 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Albany (42.6526°, -73.7562°, elevation 148 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).