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New NYC climate projections have just been released: brace for warmer and wetter weather in the coming decades

Annual precipitation is predicted to increase by 10% through the 2030s.

Anna Rahmanan
Written by
Anna Rahmanan
Senior National News Editor
Rain in NYC
Photograph: Shutterstock
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New York City is heading toward a warmer, wetter future.

A new report by the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice and the New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC), an independent board that analyzes local environmental impact, warns that NYC will see an increase in the frequency and duration of hotter-than-average days and overall rainfall. The risk stemming from the latter changes are something to be concerned about as well.

Officials are clearly aware of it all, having recently released their "rainproofing" plan detailing how NYC will deal with the heavy rain problem moving forward

What are the climate predictions?

In terms of temperatures, the city will likely get between 2 and 4.7 degrees warmer overall in the next 15 or so years.

According to the latest report, sea levels in the area will continue to rise between half-a-foot and just over a foot all the way through the 2030s. Rain wise, estimates predict annual precipitation to increase by up to 10% until then.

How hot will NYC be in 2050?

Although the latest findings pertain to the next decade more or less, a 2014 report by the New York City Panel on Climate Change noted how NYC's temperatures will likely resemble those of Birmingham, Alabama (that is: it'll be scorching hot) by the year 2050.

What are the hottest months in NYC?

According to the National Weather Service, in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, the hottest month in New York has been July, so it should be no surprise if this year’s pattern remains the same.

In 2023, in particular, August and June were pretty warm as well, with the average temperature reaching 75 degrees in the former month and 70 degrees in the latter. 

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