Climate and average weather in Hempstead

In Hempstead, the summers are humid, warm, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are cold, breezy, snowy, and partly cloudy.

Best: late May to mid October

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Hempstead typically varies from 29°F to 78°F, and is rarely below 14°F or above 84°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 Hempstead for warm-weather activities is from late May to mid October.

Hottest
Jul
78°
Coldest
Jan
29°
Wettest
Dec
4.7 in
Driest
Feb
3.5 in
Rain / yr
47.0 in
119 wet days
Daylight
9.1–14.9 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
56 ft
40.7°N
Clearest
Oct
52% cloud

Hempstead is town in Nassau County, New York, United States, suburb of NYC.

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

Hempstead 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 late May to mid October.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

The hot season lasts 3.8 months, from June 4 to September 27, with daily high temperatures above 68°F. The hottest month of the year in Hempstead is July, with an average high of 78°F and low of 71°F.

The cool season lasts 3.5 months, from December 8 to March 22, with daily high temperatures below 45°F. The coldest month of the year in Hempstead is January, with an average low of 29°F and high of 38°F.

Days typically run about 8°F warmer than nights year-round.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
Jan3829
Feb3929
Mar4435
Apr5344
May6254
Jun7264
Jul7871
Aug7770
Sep7164
Oct6254
Nov5244
Dec4435

How hot and cold Hempstead 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 17°F (around January 23), with roughly 118 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F), worst in January.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°F)Air high (°F)Feels-like low (°F)Air low (°F)
Jan38381929
Feb39391929
Mar44442735
Apr53533944
May62625454
Jun72726464
Jul78787171
Aug77777070
Sep71716464
Oct62625354
Nov52523844
Dec44442735

Average hourly temperature in Hempstead

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 78°F, and coldest before dawn in January, near 29°F.

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

Hempstead 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
Jan38° / 29°3.79.83.99.40.0
Feb39° / 29°3.59.23.710.40.0
Mar44° / 35°4.610.43.111.70.8
Apr53° / 44°3.910.80.313.12.9
May62° / 54°3.510.9014.25.2
Jun72° / 64°3.710.3014.96.5
Jul78° / 71°3.59.9014.66.9
Aug77° / 70°4.09.8013.67.0
Sep71° / 64°3.89.2012.36.9
Oct62° / 54°4.49010.95.5
Nov52° / 44°3.68.90.39.72.9
Dec44° / 35°4.710.52.49.10.7

Chance of rain

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

Hempstead gets about 47.0 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 3.4 months, from around Mar 20 to Jul 2, peaking in April at about 37% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Aug 31.

December is the wettest month by volume, with 4.7 in over about 11 wet days; February is the driest, with 3.5 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetApr 3 · 37%Aug 31 · 26%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan3210
Feb339
Mar3410
Apr3611
May3511
Jun3410
Jul3210
Aug3210
Sep299
Oct309
Nov309
Dec3411

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Hempstead collects about 47.0 in of rain across 119 wet days — roughly 3.9 in in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. December is the wettest month with 4.7 in, while February is the driest at just 3.5 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 29% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0123456JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec3.73.54.63.93.53.73.54.03.84.43.64.7
Rainfall (in)Rain daysSnow days
Jan3.7104
Feb3.594
Mar4.6103
Apr3.9110
May3.5110
Jun3.7100
Jul3.5100
Aug4.0100
Sep3.890
Oct4.490
Nov3.690
Dec4.7112

Snow in Hempstead

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.

Hempstead averages about 14 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 22 to Apr 12 — about 4.7 months.

February is snowiest, with roughly 4 days of snow and an estimated 12 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 36 in of snow.

0246JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonFeb 10
Snow daysSnowfall (in)
Jan49
Feb412
Mar39
Apr01
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct00
Nov01
Dec25

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

In Hempstead, 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 26 and lasts for 4.8 months, ending around November 18. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 56% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around January 5 and lasts for 5.7 months, ending around June 25. The cloudiest month is April, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 57% 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 · 58%Apr 5 · 42%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan4753
Feb4753
Mar4555
Apr4357
May4456
Jun4654
Jul5545
Aug5644
Sep5545
Oct5545
Nov5050
Dec4753

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 11, brings about 14 h 54 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 9 h 06 min — a swing of roughly 5 h 48 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.47:224:45
Feb10.46:575:21
Mar11.76:145:54
Apr13.15:226:27
May14.24:436:59
Jun14.94:287:22
Jul14.64:417:20
Aug13.65:106:48
Sep12.35:415:57
Oct10.96:135:06
Nov9.76:494:30
Dec9.17:184:24

Sunny days

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

Hempstead averages about 10 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 8 and 13 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 3.8 months, from around Jul 31 to Nov 24. The sunniest month is October, with roughly 12 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is May, down near 9 sunny days — about 30% fewer than the October peak.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedOct 413 daysMay 178 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan10Mixed
Feb9Mixed
Mar9Mixed
Apr9Mixed
May9Mixed
Jun9Mixed
Jul11Mixed
Aug11Mixed
Sep12Mixed
Oct13Mixed
Nov11Mixed
Dec10Mixed

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 Hempstead, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 4.1 months, from around May 31 to October 3. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 88% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around October 4 to May 30, 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 10 · 100%Jul 25 · 11%oppressivemuggydryhumidcomfortablecomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
Jan10000000
Feb10000000
Mar10000000
Apr9910000
May75177100
Jun1925322320
Jul2102338261
Aug4132336241
Sep2621252260
Oct71179300
Nov9641000
Dec10000000

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 Hempstead is typically light breeze, near 10 mph, and varies moderately with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 6.5 months, from around Oct 6 to Apr 20. The windiest month is January, averaging about 12 mph (light breeze).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Apr 21 to Oct 5, with August the calmest month at about 8 mph.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezebreezyJan 1 · 12 mphAug 7 · 8 mph
Wind speed (mph)Feels
Jan12light breeze
Feb11light breeze
Mar11light breeze
Apr10light breeze
May9light breeze
Jun8light breeze
Jul8light breeze
Aug8light breeze
Sep9light breeze
Oct11light breeze
Nov11light breeze
Dec12light breeze

Hazard calendar for Hempstead

In seasonPeak

When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.

Hempstead sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Best time to visit Hempstead

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

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

Around early June, Hempstead 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 Hempstead for general outdoor tourist activities is from late May to mid October, with a peak score in the last week of August.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 31 · 7.3

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
Mar0.8poor
Apr2.9poor
May5.1fair
Jun6.5good
Jul6.8good
Aug6.9good
Sep6.9good
Oct5.4fair
Nov2.9poor
Dec0.7poor

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 Hempstead for hot-weather activities is from late June to mid September, with a peak score in the third week of July.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJul 17 · 6.5

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 Hempstead, 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 78°F), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 38°F), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, Hempstead sees daytime highs around 78°F and nights near 71°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Hempstead

Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 73°F and coldest in February near 40°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 30 to Sep 25 — about 2.9 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan43Bracing
Feb40Bracing
Mar40Bracing
Apr46Bracing
May55Bracing
Jun65Cool
Jul72Refreshing
Aug73Refreshing
Sep70Refreshing
Oct63Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec48Bracing

UV index (midday) in Hempstead 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 Hempstead peaks around July 11 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 22 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 11UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Average hourly UV index in Hempstead

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
Mar4.50
Apr60
May7.53.5
Jun84
Jul84.5
Aug6.51.5
Sep5.50
Oct20
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in Hempstead by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Hempstead is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (November, 9 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1018 µg/m³Nov 169 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

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

The growing season in Hempstead typically lasts about 303 days, from around March 4 to December 31 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from March 30 to November 26.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonMar 450%Mar 3090%Nov 2690%Dec 3150%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan3831
Feb3728
Mar6828
Apr990
May1000
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct1000
Nov954
Dec6831

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. Hempstead banks about 3,081 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
Apr18
May249
Jun539
Jul755
Aug731
Sep534
Oct244
Nov10
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.

Hempstead receives about 4.1 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.7 and 6.4 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.2 months, from around Mar 16 to Sep 20. The brightest month is July, averaging about 6.2 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.8 kWh/m² — roughly 71% less than the July peak.

012345678JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJul 26.4 kWhDec 171.7 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan2.1Moderate
Feb3.0Moderate
Mar4.1Bright
Apr5.2Bright
May5.8Bright
Jun6.2Intense
Jul6.2Intense
Aug5.5Bright
Sep4.3Bright
Oct3.2Moderate
Nov2.2Moderate
Dec1.8Dim

Where is Hempstead?

Hempstead sits at 40.7°N, 73.6°W, 56 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Uniondale, 1.2 mi away.

Topography around Hempstead

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Hempstead has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 118 ft around an average of 72 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 400 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,663 ft.

The land around Hempstead is covered by artificial surfaces (53%) and trees (32%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (42%) and trees (30%) within 10 miles, and trees (42%) and water (41%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
118 ft
10 miles
400 ft
50 miles
1,663 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
Nearby: Uniondale 1.2 mi · Garden City 1.9 mi · West Hempstead 1.9 mi · Roosevelt 2.5 mi · Franklin Square 3.1 mi · East Meadow 3.1 mi · Mineola 3.1 mi · Baldwin 3.7 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 Hempstead (40.7062°, -73.6187°, elevation 56 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).