Climate and average weather in Jamestown

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

Best: late May to early October

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Jamestown typically varies from 17°F to 77°F, and is rarely below -0°F or above 85°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 Jamestown for warm-weather activities is from late May to early October.

Hottest
Jul
77°
Coldest
Jan
17°
Wettest
Jun
5.0 in
Driest
Feb
2.9 in
Rain / yr
49.0 in
166 wet days
Daylight
8.9–15.1 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
1,378 ft
42.1°N
Clearest
Aug
58% cloud

Jamestown is city in Chautauqua County, New York, United States.

Density
1,281/km²
people per km²
Founded
1810

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

Jamestown 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 early October.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

The hot season lasts 4.4 months, from May 17 to September 26, with daily high temperatures above 65°F. The hottest month of the year in Jamestown is July, with an average high of 77°F and low of 60°F.

The cool season lasts 3.2 months, from December 3 to March 8, with daily high temperatures below 39°F. The coldest month of the year in Jamestown is January, with an average low of 17°F and high of 31°F.

Days typically run about 16°F warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 18°F) in April.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
Jan3117
Feb3318
Mar4225
Apr5537
May6547
Jun7356
Jul7760
Aug7558
Sep6951
Oct5741
Nov4532
Dec3523

How hot and cold Jamestown 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 4°F (around January 23), with roughly 173 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F) 88 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)
Jan3131617
Feb3333718
Mar42421625
Apr55553137
May65654447
Jun73735656
Jul77776060
Aug75755858
Sep69695051
Oct57573641
Nov45452432
Dec35351423

Average hourly temperature in Jamestown

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 77°F, and coldest before dawn in January, near 17°F.

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

Jamestown 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
Jan31° / 17°3.715.313.99.30.0
Feb33° / 18°2.91210.410.30.0
Mar42° / 25°3.713.67.711.70.5
Apr55° / 37°4.614.13.313.13.2
May65° / 47°4.714.80.114.45.2
Jun73° / 56°5.014.40156.0
Jul77° / 60°4.514.4014.86.2
Aug75° / 58°4.313.2013.76.5
Sep69° / 51°3.811012.36.2
Oct57° / 41°4.113.61.110.83.8
Nov45° / 32°3.813.96.79.61.0
Dec35° / 23°3.915.512.590.0

Chance of rain

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

Jamestown gets about 49.0 in of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 2.3 months, from around Nov 17 to Jan 25, peaking in December at about 52% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Sep 13.

June is the wettest month by volume, with 5.0 in over about 14 wet days; February is the driest, with 2.9 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwetterdrierwettermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetDec 3 · 52%Sep 13 · 36%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan4915
Feb4312
Mar4414
Apr4714
May4815
Jun4714
Jul4614
Aug4313
Sep3711
Oct4414
Nov4714
Dec5116

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Jamestown collects about 49.0 in of rain across 166 wet days — roughly 4.1 in in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. June is the wettest month with 5.0 in, while February is the driest at just 2.9 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 29% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0123456JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec3.72.93.74.64.75.04.54.33.84.13.83.9
Rainfall (in)Rain daysSnow days
Jan3.71514
Feb2.91210
Mar3.7148
Apr4.6143
May4.7150
Jun5.0140
Jul4.5140
Aug4.3130
Sep3.8110
Oct4.1141
Nov3.8147
Dec3.91613

Snow in Jamestown

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.

Jamestown averages about 56 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Oct 9 to May 3 — about 6.8 months.

January is snowiest, with roughly 13 days of snow and an estimated 22 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 97 in of snow.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonJan 15
Snow daysSnowfall (in)
Jan1422
Feb1020
Mar814
Apr35
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct11
Nov712
Dec1321

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

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

The clearer part of the year begins around April 12 and lasts for 6.4 months, ending around October 24. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 52% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 25 and lasts for 5.6 months, ending around April 11. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 87% 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 24 · 53%Jan 12 · 12%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan1387
Feb2377
Mar3070
Apr3664
May3862
Jun4555
Jul5050
Aug5248
Sep4852
Oct4060
Nov2674
Dec1585

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 16, brings about 15 h 06 min of light; the shortest, around December 16, 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)
Jan9.37:495:04
Feb10.37:225:41
Mar11.76:376:16
Apr13.15:436:51
May14.45:027:25
Jun15.04:467:49
Jul14.84:597:46
Aug13.75:307:13
Sep12.36:036:20
Oct10.86:375:27
Nov9.67:154:49
Dec9.07:454:41

Sunny days

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

Jamestown averages about 6 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 2 and 10 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 7.1 months, from around Apr 5 to Nov 7. The sunniest month is September, with roughly 9 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is January, down near 2 sunny days — about 75% fewer than the September peak.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedSep 110 daysJan 112 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan2Gloomy
Feb4Gloomy
Mar6Gloomy
Apr7Gloomy
May7Gloomy
Jun8Gloomy
Jul8Mixed
Aug9Mixed
Sep9Mixed
Oct8Gloomy
Nov4Gloomy
Dec2Gloomy

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

The more humid part of the year lasts 4.0 months, from around May 26 to September 23. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 54% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 24 to May 25, 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 2 · 100%Jul 24 · 41%muggyhumiddrycomfortablecomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
Jan1000000
Feb1000000
Mar1000000
Apr972000
May7912810
Jun412424101
Jul202629233
Aug232930172
Sep56221661
Oct916300
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 Jamestown is typically calm, near 7 mph, and varies moderately with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 6.8 months, from around Oct 10 to May 5. The windiest month is January, averaging about 9 mph (light breeze).

The calmer part of the year runs from around May 6 to Oct 9, with August the calmest month at about 6 mph.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezebreezyJan 7 · 9 mphAug 7 · 5 mph
Wind speed (mph)Feels
Jan9light breeze
Feb8light breeze
Mar8light breeze
Apr8light breeze
May7calm
Jun6calm
Jul6calm
Aug6calm
Sep6calm
Oct8light breeze
Nov8light breeze
Dec8light breeze

Best time to visit Jamestown

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

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

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

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 29 · 6.7

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
Mar0.5poor
Apr3.2poor
May5.2fair
Jun6.1good
Jul6.2good
Aug6.5good
Sep6.2good
Oct3.8fair
Nov1.0poor
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 Jamestown for hot-weather activities is from mid June to early September, with a peak score in the second week of July.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJul 11 · 5.7

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 Jamestown, 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 77°F), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 31°F), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, Jamestown sees daytime highs around 77°F and nights near 60°F. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 14 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Jamestown

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

The sea at the nearest coast (about 28 mi away) is warmest in August at about 73°F and coldest in February near 34°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 6 to Sep 21 — about 2.6 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan37Bracing
Feb34Bracing
Mar34Bracing
Apr38Bracing
May48Bracing
Jun62Cool
Jul71Refreshing
Aug73Refreshing
Sep70Refreshing
Oct60Cool
Nov51Bracing
Dec44Bracing

UV index (midday) in Jamestown 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 Jamestown peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Average hourly UV index in Jamestown

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 June the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 5.5 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
May84.5
Jun8.55.5
Jul85
Aug73
Sep60
Oct20
Nov00
Dec00
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

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

The growing season in Jamestown typically lasts about 226 days, from around April 2 to November 13 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from May 3 to October 11.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonFeb 1210%Apr 250%May 390%Oct 1190%Nov 1350%Jan 1810%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1131
Feb1228
Mar2831
Apr7130
May950
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep990
Oct8718
Nov4930
Dec2031

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. Jamestown banks about 2,039 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.

05001,0001,5002,0002,500JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°F·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr2
May186
Jun432
Jul565
Aug515
Sep305
Oct33
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.

Jamestown receives about 3.8 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.3 and 6.2 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.2 months, from around Mar 17 to Sep 22. The brightest month is June, averaging about 6.1 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.3 kWh/m² — roughly 78% less than the June peak.

01234567JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJun 296.2 kWhDec 201.3 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan1.6Dim
Feb2.6Moderate
Mar3.8Moderate
Apr4.9Bright
May5.7Bright
Jun6.1Intense
Jul6.0Intense
Aug5.3Bright
Sep4.1Bright
Oct2.8Moderate
Nov1.8Dim
Dec1.3Dim

Where is Jamestown?

Jamestown sits at 42.1°N, 79.2°W, 1,378 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Erie, 43 mi away.

Topography around Jamestown

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Jamestown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 390 ft around an average of 1,437 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,030 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,900 ft.

The land around Jamestown is covered by trees (58%), grassland (21%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 2 miles, trees (68%) and grassland (23%) within 10 miles, and trees (68%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
390 ft
10 miles
1,030 ft
50 miles
1,900 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Nearby: Erie 43 mi · Lackawanna 55 mi · Port Colborne 55 mi · West Seneca 57 mi · Buffalo 58 mi · Fort Erie 58 mi · Cheektowaga 61 mi · Welland 62 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 Jamestown (42.097°, -79.2353°, elevation 1,378 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. 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).