Ithaca weather in August

In August, Ithaca sees average daytime highs of 77°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 3.4 in of rain across 11.3 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 79°F in the first days to 76°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in August, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 18 min at the start of August to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Ithaca's 1st-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ithaca's year-round climate.

Daytime high
77°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
60°
11th coldest
Rainfall
3.4 in
11.3 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:18 AM – 7:02 PM
Cloud cover
58%
1st clearest
Wind
5 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Ithaca is city in Tompkins County, New York, USA, enclosed by the town of the same name.

Density
1,958/km²
people per km²
Founded
1888

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 79°F in the first days to 76°F by the end.

A typical August day in Ithaca reaches about 77°F in the afternoon and slips back to 60°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 69°F and 85°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 2°F cooler than July and about 7°F warmer than September.

50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17962
27962
37862
47862
57862
67862
77862
87862
97861
107861
117861
127861
137861
147861
157761
167761
177760
187760
197760
207760
217760
227760
237760
247659
257659
267659
277659
287659
297659
307658
317558

How August really feels in Ithaca

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

August sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Ithaca weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 18°2.81210.89.20.0
Feb33° / 19°2.510.48.410.30.0
Mar42° / 26°3.512.37.111.60.4
Apr55° / 37°3.913.32.613.13.2
May66° / 48°3.613.20.114.45.6
Jun75° / 57°3.911.70156.5
Jul79° / 62°3.812.4014.86.3
Aug77° / 60°3.411.3013.76.7
Sep70° / 53°3.810.4012.36.4
Oct58° / 43°4.113.10.510.84.0
Nov46° / 33°3.312.24.19.61.2
Dec36° / 25°3.412.59.18.90.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in August, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 26% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25446
35446
45446
55446
65446
75446
85347
95347
105347
115248
125248
135248
145248
155248
165248
175248
185248
195248
205248
215248
225248
235248
245248
255347
265347
275248
285248
295248
305248
315149

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Ithaca gets around 3.4 in of rain over 11.3 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 36% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
240
340
440
539
639
739
839
938
1038
1138
1238
1338
1438
1537
1637
1737
1836
1936
2035
2135
2234
2334
2434
2533
2633
2732
2832
2931
3031
3131

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the humid band about 30% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 18% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1162734211
2172733211
3172733212
4182733202
5182833202
6182832202
7182832202
8192832192
9192832192
10202832192
11202831182
12212931182
13212931182
14212931172
15222931171
16222931161
17232931161
18232931151
19242931151
20242931151
21252930151
22262930151
23272930150
24282829150
25292929140
26292828140
27302827140
28312827140
29322827130
30322826130
31332826130

Wind in August

Winds average 5 mph in August, the calmest month.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 18 min at the start of August to 13 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 72 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:02 AM to 5:34 AM, and sunset from 7:22 PM to 6:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.35:027:22
214.35:037:21
314.35:047:20
414.25:057:19
514.25:067:17
614.15:077:16
714.15:087:15
814.15:097:14
914.05:107:12
1014.05:117:11
1113.95:137:09
1213.95:147:08
1313.95:157:07
1413.85:167:05
1513.85:177:04
1613.75:187:02
1713.75:197:01
1813.75:206:59
1913.65:216:58
2013.65:226:56
2113.55:236:54
2213.55:246:53
2313.45:266:51
2413.45:276:50
2513.35:286:48
2613.35:296:46
2713.25:306:45
2813.25:316:43
2913.25:326:41
3013.15:336:39
3113.15:346:38

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.15 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.31 kWh/m² to a high of 5.99 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 5.15 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Ithaca?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.7
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Ithaca for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Ithaca in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Ithaca sees daytime highs around 77°F and nights near 60°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Ithaca in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ithaca peaks around July 11 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 11UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Ithaca?

Ithaca sits at 42.4°N, 76.5°W, 410 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Cortland, 19 mi away.

Topography around Ithaca

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Ithaca has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 919 ft around an average of 686 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,772 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,060 ft.

The land around Ithaca is covered by trees (59%) within 2 miles, trees (65%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (66%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
919 ft
10 miles
1,772 ft
50 miles
2,060 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
August weather nearby: Cortland 19 mi · Elmira 29 mi · Vestal 34 mi · Auburn 34 mi · Binghamton 38 mi · Syracuse 45 mi · Clay 54 mi · Cicero 54 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 Ithaca (42.4406°, -76.4966°, elevation 410 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).