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Buffalo weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Buffalo is one of the snowiest big cities in America, a place where a storm off Lake Erie can dump a metre or more on one neighbourhood while another a few kilometres away stays in the sun. Buffalo weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+5.0°Fhigh above average

62° / 33°Today
57° / 46°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+2.8°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–4991frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 118 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 118 in the 1940s56days above 77°F a year now (2016–2025) · 48 in the 1940sdays above 77°F · 48 in the 1940s+2.8°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 3.1 incheshigh 31°low 20°February, rain 2.8 incheshigh 32°low 20°March, rain 3.4 incheshigh 40°low 27°April, rain 3.8 incheshigh 51°low 38°May, rain 3.7 incheshigh 64°low 50°June, rain 3.9 incheshigh 74°low 61°July, rain 4.0 incheshigh 78°low 66°August, rain 3.6 incheshigh 77°low 65°September, rain 3.5 incheshigh 70°low 58°October, rain 3.5 incheshigh 59°low 47°November, rain 3.5 incheshigh 47°low 37°December, rain 3.4 incheshigh 36°low 27°wettest month July, 4.0 inches · 42.2 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Clear

Right now

32.5°

27°feels like
90%humidity
30°dew point
5 mphfrom E
UV index0.0
sunrise07:36sunset18:23day length10h 47m
TodayClear62°33°
ThuClear62°38°
FriClear58°43°
SatClear62°42°
SunClear63°45°
MonOvercast58°47°
TueClear53°41°

On this date: October 21

Today (forecast)
62° / 33°
Average for October 21
57° / 46°

High above average · +5.0°F

  • Highest since 1940: 73.0° · 2007
  • Lowest since 1940: 32.3° · 1952
  • One year ago: 58° / 46°

Every October 21 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 21 on record (n = 86). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Buffalo is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 42.89°N, 78.88°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
42.89°N, 78.88°W
Time zone
America/New York
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

20 of the last 30 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +1.8°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

Buffalo sits at the eastern end of Lake Erie in western New York, and the lake governs its winter reputation. The climate is humid continental (Köppen Dfa), but the hallmark of the cold season is lake-effect snow: as frigid air streams across the open water it soaks up moisture and unloads it in narrow, intense bands wherever the wind points. One part of the city can be buried while another stays clear.

Those bands can be staggering. In November 2014 a storm locals christened Snowvember left more than 1.5 metres of snow across the southern suburbs, and the blizzard of 1977 drove wind and snow off a frozen Lake Erie to bring the region to a standstill. Summers are a different city altogether: mild and comfortable, cooled by breezes off the lake, and Buffalo has never officially reached 38°C.

The year peaks in July, at around 78.2°F by mid-afternoon, with nights around 65.9°F. Roughly 55 days a year now top 77°F. In January, the coolest month, afternoons reach about 30.6°F and nights dip to 19.9°F. Around 90 days a year dip below freezing.

Buffalo picks up roughly 42.2 inches a year, with a peak of 4.0 inches in July and as little as 2.8 inches in February.

Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Buffalo has risen by 2.8°F between its first decade and its last. That last decade has also been the warmest in the record.

Sources:en.wikipedia.orgbritannica.comweather.gov

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 47°F. Wettest month: July (~4.0 in). Whole year averages ~42.2 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 118 rainy days a year: most in December (~11), fewest in September (~9).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Buffalo month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Highest and Lowest are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightHighestLowest
January30.6°19.9°3.1 in109.2 h61.3° (1950)−12.0° (1982)
February31.6°19.6°2.8 in910.3 h61.1° (2018)−14.9° (1979)
March39.7°27.0°3.4 in1011.7 h73.1° (2012)−6.2° (1967)
April51.4°38.4°3.8 in1013.2 h84.4° (1990)11.9° (1940)
May63.6°50.1°3.7 in1014.5 h86.7° (1978)30.8° (1963)
June73.7°60.7°3.9 in1015.1 h90.2° (1994)40.1° (1972)
July78.2°65.9°4.0 in1014.9 h92.7° (1988)49.6° (1963)
August76.6°64.6°3.6 in1013.8 h91.3° (1948)45.7° (1982)
September69.9°57.8°3.5 in912.3 h93.6° (1953)37.9° (1963)
October58.7°47.3°3.5 in1010.8 h79.6° (2019)25.3° (1965)
November47.0°37.3°3.5 in119.5 h74.5° (2022)11.8° (1958)
December36.1°27.0°3.4 in118.9 h64.9° (1982)−5.9° (1980)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +2.8°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.32°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Dec–Feb is warming fastest: +0.54°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 77°F per year: 48.3 early in the record → 55.8 recently. Frost days: 118 → 91.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

Hottest day since 1940 in 1953, coldest in 1979: 93.6°F / −14.9°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~42.2 in/year on average. Last decade: −1% vs that average. Long-term trend: +0.20 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Buffalo

Which is the warmest month in Buffalo?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Buffalo is July (mean daily temperature of about 71.7°F) and the coolest is January (about 24.9°F).
How does today's temperature in Buffalo compare to the historical average?
On October 21, 2026, Buffalo is forecast to reach a high of 62.1°F and a low of 32.9°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 57.1°F and a low of 45.7°F, so today's high is 5.0°F warmer than that average.
How much has Buffalo warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Buffalo is about 2.8°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Buffalo?
Buffalo receives about 42.2 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with July typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Buffalo?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Buffalo is about 48.4°F. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Buffalo by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Buffalo (°F, full record since 1940): January 31°/20°, February 32°/20°, March 40°/27°, April 51°/38°, May 64°/50°, June 74°/61°, July 78°/66°, August 77°/65°, September 70°/58°, October 59°/47°, November 47°/37°, December 36°/27°.
What is the weather like in Buffalo in summer?
June to August is summer in Buffalo, and it is pleasantly warm. Expect 74–78°F by day and 61–66°F at night, with July the warmest month. Rain is steady at around 3.8 inches a month, spread over roughly 10 days.
What is the weather like in Buffalo in winter?
Winter in Buffalo (December to February) is cold, with afternoons close to freezing. Daytime highs sit at 31–36°F and nights at 20–27°F; February is the coldest month. Rain and snow are steady at around 3.1 inches a month, spread over roughly 10 days.
What is the weather like in Buffalo in spring?
March to May is spring in Buffalo, and it is on the cool side. March starts at 40°F by day and 27°F at night; by May it is 64°F and 50°F. Rain is steady at around 3.6 inches a month, spread over roughly 10 days.
What is the weather like in Buffalo in autumn?
In autumn, September through November, Buffalo is cool. September is still 70°F by day and 58°F at night; by November it is down to 47°F and 37°F. Rain falls on about 10 days a month, adding up to around 3.5 inches.
How many days a year does it rain in Buffalo?
On long-term average, Buffalo has about 118 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 42.2 inches.

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