New York in short
The numbers in three sentences
NOAA's Dec–Feb 2026-27 outlook for New York: temperature 40–49% chance Above normal; precipitation 40–49% chance Above normal.
Among the 9 strong El Niño winters with complete records, the snowiest here was 2009-10 (51.4 in, 172% of normal) and the least snowy was 1972-73 (2.8 in, 9% of normal).
In the “Big Three” El Niño winters it recorded 1982-83 (27.2 in, 91% of normal), 1997-98 (5.5 in, 18% of normal), 2015-16 (32.8 in, 110% of normal).
Snow by winter
The chart as a table: inches, % of normal, El Niño peak
Snow in past strong El Niño winters
Winters with above-normal snow
3 of 9
In 3 of 9 strong El Niño winters, New York got above-normal snow (median 72% of normal).
Normal: 29.8 in per season (NOAA 1991–2020 normal).
| Winter | % of normal |
|---|---|
| 1957-5844.7 inPeak ONI 1.69 / RONI 1.89 | 150% |
| 1965-6621.4 inPeak ONI 1.82 / RONI 1.99 | 72% |
| 1972-732.8 inPeak ONI 1.84 / RONI 1.97 | 9% |
| 1982-83Big 327.2 inPeak ONI 2.14 / RONI 2.40 | 91% |
| 1991-9212.6 inPeak ONI 1.54 / RONI 2.12 | 42% |
| 1997-98Big 35.5 inPeak ONI 2.37 / RONI 2.28 | 18% |
| 2009-1051.4 inPeak ONI 1.50 / RONI 1.50 | 172% |
| 2015-16Big 332.8 inPeak ONI 2.59 / RONI 2.25 | 110% |
| 2023-247.5 inPeak ONI 1.99 / RONI 1.42 | 25% |
Snowfall from NOAA station record New York-Central Park Area (ThreadEx; current station NY CITY CENTRAL PARK) (NYCthr, 140 ft).
Past strong El Niño winters are a guide, not a forecast. Every El Niño is different: this one comes with a negative PDO, which NOAA says may dampen typical impacts.
NOAA's outlook and El Niño now
Issued Sep 17, 2026 · next Oct 15, 2026
NOAA Dec–Feb outlook
Official- Temperature
- 40–49% chance Above normal
- Precipitation
- 40–49% chance Above normal
Issued Sep 17, 2026 by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. Next update Oct 15, 2026.
El Niño now
- NOAA status
- El Niño Advisory
- RONI, JAS 2026
- +1.69 °C
- Chance of very strong (≥ +2.0 °C) in Dec–Feb
- 81%
NOAA status: El Niño Advisory. El Niño continues to strengthen, with a strong-to-very strong El Niño likely through January-March 2027 (remaining greater than an 83% chance). (NOAA CPC, Oct 8, 2026.)
About this station
New York-Central Park Area (ThreadEx; current station NY CITY CENTRAL PARK) · ACIS NYCthr
- Station: New York-Central Park Area (ThreadEx; current station NY CITY CENTRAL PARK), ACIS id
NYCthr, GHCNUSW00094728. - Matched by station name.
How we pick stations and count winters: method & sources. Last updated .
Not a forecast
This is not a weather forecast. Seasonal outlooks are probabilities from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center; past El Niño winters show what happened, not what will happen. Snowfall is from NOAA station records (ACIS) and may contain gaps or station changes. For forecasts and warnings, use weather.gov. Not affiliated with NOAA/NWS.