Manhattan in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), Manhattan sees average daytime highs around 65°F and overnight lows near 45°F, with 11.2 in of precipitation over about 30 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 50°F in early March to 79°F by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

Spring is Manhattan's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Manhattan's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
65°F
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
45°F
Precipitation
11.2 in
30 wet days
Avg wind
10 mph
Travel score
5.4
2nd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Manhattan in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 50°F in early March to 79°F by late May.

A typical spring day in Manhattan reaches about 65°F and drops to 45°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.

20°40°60°80°MarAprMay

How spring really feels in Manhattan

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 28 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
28
wind chill below the day's low

The story in spring is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Manhattan weather by month

How the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan39° / 21°0.94.52.89.60.0
Feb44° / 24°1.45.32.810.50.8
Mar55° / 34°2.48.11.711.73.8
Apr66° / 44°3.69.80.5136.0
May75° / 55°5.212014.16.5
Jun85° / 66°4.110.2014.75.3
Jul90° / 70°3.79.5014.54.2
Aug87° / 67°3.79.2013.54.9
Sep80° / 59°3.17.3012.37.0
Oct68° / 46°2.57.30.2116.9
Nov54° / 34°1.85.319.93.7
Dec42° / 24°1.44.72.19.30.5

Cloud cover in Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time across spring.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitationSnow

Manhattan gets around 11.2 in of rain and snow over 30 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%MarAprMay

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Wind in Spring

Winds average 10 mph across spring.

051015MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours in early March to 14 h 30 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMMarAprMay

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 5.2 kWh/m².

0246MarAprMay
Planning a trip in spring

Is spring a good time to visit Manhattan?

Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

5.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
2.7
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

spring is a reasonable time to visit Manhattan for sightseeing.

What to pack for Manhattan in Spring

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

In spring, Manhattan sees daytime highs around 65°F and nights near 45°F. Worth packing: light clothes, a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 30 days see rain.

light clothesa warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Manhattan in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages 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 Manhattan peaks around June 22 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May7Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Manhattan in Spring

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Manhattan is worst in April — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 5.1× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodApr 1530 µg/m³Oct 236 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar16Moderate
Apr32Moderate
May11Good
Jun11Good
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Manhattan?

Manhattan sits at 39.2°N, 96.6°W, 1,020 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Junction City, 17 mi away.

Topography around Manhattan

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Manhattan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 266 ft around an average of 1,053 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 512 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 751 ft.

The land around Manhattan is covered by trees (35%) and artificial surfaces (33%) within 2 miles, grassland (54%) and trees (23%) within 10 miles, and grassland (54%) and cropland (34%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
266 ft
10 miles
512 ft
50 miles
751 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Spring weather nearby: Junction City 17 mi · Topeka 49 mi · Emporia 58 mi · Salina 61 mi · Lawrence 73 mi · Leavenworth 89 mi · Newton 89 mi · Gardner 92 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 Manhattan (39.1836°, -96.5717°, elevation 1,020 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.