Climate and average weather in Utica

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

Best: late May to late September

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Utica typically varies from 15°F to 78°F, and is rarely below -5°F or above 86°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 Utica for warm-weather activities is from late May to late September.

Hottest
Jul
78°
Coldest
Jan
15°
Wettest
Jun
5.1 in
Driest
Feb
3.1 in
Rain / yr
49.9 in
157 wet days
Daylight
8.8–15.2 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
456 ft
43.1°N
Clearest
Aug
58% cloud

Utica is city in Oneida County, New York, United States.

Density
1,387/km²
people per km²
Founded
1734

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

Utica 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 late September.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Utica, 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 66°F. The hottest month of the year in Utica is July, with an average high of 78°F and low of 61°F.

The cool season lasts 3.3 months, from December 3 to March 11, with daily high temperatures below 38°F. The coldest month of the year in Utica is January, with an average low of 15°F and high of 30°F.

Days typically run about 16°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)
Jan3015
Feb3216
Mar4124
Apr5537
May6647
Jun7456
Jul7861
Aug7659
Sep7052
Oct5741
Nov4531
Dec3522

How hot and cold Utica 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 3°F (around January 22), with roughly 172 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F) 93 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)
Jan3030515
Feb3232616
Mar41411624
Apr54553137
May66664547
Jun74745656
Jul78786161
Aug76765959
Sep70705152
Oct57573741
Nov45452431
Dec35351322

Average hourly temperature in Utica

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 15°F.

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

Utica 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
Jan30° / 15°3.41312.79.20.0
Feb32° / 16°3.111.810.910.20.0
Mar41° / 24°4.013.58.211.60.3
Apr55° / 37°4.413.92.813.13.0
May66° / 47°4.413.90.214.45.4
Jun74° / 56°5.113.7015.16.2
Jul78° / 61°4.713.3014.96.2
Aug76° / 59°4.312013.86.7
Sep70° / 52°4.110.8012.36.3
Oct57° / 41°4.613.10.510.83.8
Nov45° / 31°3.813.64.59.51.0
Dec35° / 22°4.014.610.68.90.0

Chance of rain

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

Utica gets about 49.9 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 2.0 months, from around Nov 13 to Jan 12, peaking in November at about 49% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Sep 1.

June is the wettest month by volume, with 5.1 in over about 14 wet days; February is the driest, with 3.1 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwettermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetNov 30 · 49%Sep 1 · 33%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan4213
Feb4312
Mar4414
Apr4614
May4514
Jun4514
Jul4413
Aug3812
Sep3611
Oct4213
Nov4514
Dec4715

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Utica collects about 49.9 in of rain across 157 wet days — roughly 4.2 in in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. June is the wettest month with 5.1 in, while February is the driest at just 3.1 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 29% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0123456JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec3.43.14.04.44.45.14.74.34.14.63.84.0
Rainfall (in)Rain daysSnow days
Jan3.41313
Feb3.11211
Mar4.0148
Apr4.4143
May4.4140
Jun5.1140
Jul4.7130
Aug4.3120
Sep4.1110
Oct4.6131
Nov3.8145
Dec4.01511

Snow in Utica

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.

Utica averages about 50 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Oct 18 to May 6 — about 6.6 months.

January is snowiest, with roughly 12 days of snow and an estimated 21 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 101 in of snow.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonJan 14
Snow daysSnowfall (in)
Jan1321
Feb1123
Mar819
Apr36
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct11
Nov510
Dec1122

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

In Utica, 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 26 and lasts for 5.9 months, ending around October 22. 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 23 and lasts for 6.1 months, ending around April 25. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 84% 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%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJul 10 · 53%Dec 26 · 14%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan1684
Feb2278
Mar3070
Apr3466
May3664
Jun4456
Jul5248
Aug5347
Sep4852
Oct3961
Nov2872
Dec1684

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 14, brings about 15 h 12 min of light; the shortest, around December 14, only 8 h 48 min — a swing of roughly 6 h 24 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.27:364:45
Feb10.27:085:23
Mar11.66:226:00
Apr13.15:266:36
May14.44:437:11
Jun15.14:267:36
Jul14.94:407:33
Aug13.85:126:58
Sep12.35:476:04
Oct10.86:225:10
Nov9.57:024:31
Dec8.97:324:22

Sunny days

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

Utica 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 9 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 7.0 months, from around Mar 22 to Oct 20. The sunniest month is August, with roughly 9 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is January, down near 3 sunny days — about 69% fewer than the August peak.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedAug 309 daysJan 12 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan3Gloomy
Feb4Gloomy
Mar6Gloomy
Apr6Gloomy
May7Gloomy
Jun7Gloomy
Jul8Mixed
Aug9Mixed
Sep9Mixed
Oct7Gloomy
Nov4Gloomy
Dec3Gloomy

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

The more humid part of the year lasts 3.9 months, from around May 28 to September 22. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 55% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 23 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 4 · 100%Jul 23 · 40%muggyhumiddrycomfortablecomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
Jan1000000
Feb1000000
Mar1000000
Apr982000
May8212510
Jun452420101
Jul192631203
Aug242929171
Sep58211560
Oct925200
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 Utica is typically calm, near 7 mph, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 6.7 months, from around Oct 14 to May 4. The windiest month is January, averaging about 8 mph (light breeze).

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

0510JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezeJan 6 · 8 mphAug 8 · 5 mph
Wind speed (mph)Feels
Jan8light breeze
Feb8light breeze
Mar8light breeze
Apr7calm
May7calm
Jun6calm
Jul5calm
Aug5calm
Sep6calm
Oct7calm
Nov7light breeze
Dec8light breeze

Best time to visit Utica

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

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

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

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 29 · 6.9

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
Mar0.3poor
Apr3.0poor
May5.4fair
Jun6.2good
Jul6.3good
Aug6.6good
Sep6.3good
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 Utica for hot-weather activities is from mid June to mid September, with a peak score in the third week of August.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 21 · 5.8

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 Utica, 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 30°F), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, Utica sees daytime highs around 78°F and nights near 61°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

UV index (midday) in Utica 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 Utica peaks around July 13 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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 13UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Average hourly UV index in Utica

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
Mar40
Apr60
May7.54
Jun84.5
Jul84.5
Aug60
Sep5.50
Oct1.50
Nov00
Dec00
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

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

The growing season in Utica typically lasts about 222 days, from around April 4 to November 11 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 30 to October 11.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonFeb 1610%Apr 450%Apr 3090%Oct 1190%Nov 1150%Jan 2010%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1131
Feb1028
Mar2531
Apr7128
May970
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep990
Oct8622
Nov4730
Dec1931

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. Utica banks about 2,145 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
Apr3
May202
Jun449
Jul594
Aug543
Sep318
Oct36
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.

Utica receives about 3.7 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.3 and 6.1 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.2 months, from around Mar 17 to Sep 22. The brightest month is July, averaging about 5.9 kWh/m² (bright).

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

01234567JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJul 16.1 kWhDec 191.3 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan1.6Dim
Feb2.5Moderate
Mar3.7Moderate
Apr4.7Bright
May5.5Bright
Jun5.9Bright
Jul5.9Bright
Aug5.1Bright
Sep4.0Bright
Oct2.6Moderate
Nov1.7Dim
Dec1.3Dim

Where is Utica?

Utica sits at 43.1°N, 75.2°W, 456 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Rome, 14 mi away.

Topography around Utica

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Utica has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 482 ft around an average of 486 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,355 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,337 ft.

The land around Utica is covered by trees (41%) and artificial surfaces (41%) within 2 miles, trees (60%) and grassland (23%) within 10 miles, and trees (78%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
482 ft
10 miles
1,355 ft
50 miles
3,337 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
Nearby: Rome 14 mi · Gloversville 45 mi · Cicero 45 mi · Syracuse 47 mi · Clay 48 mi · Amsterdam 54 mi · Cortland 59 mi · Glenville 61 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 Utica (43.1009°, -75.2327°, elevation 456 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).