Watertown climate — normals and trends
Watertown (United States) has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 7.8 °C and it receives 1,134 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (21.2 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-6.3 °C). Rainfall peaks in July.
Watertown averages 121 frost days, 1 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 155 rainy days per year.
Watertown has warmed by +1.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.17 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 130 to 112 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 32.7 °C (on 28 April 1990) and the coldest -32.3 °C (on 4 January 1981).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
WatertownNew York
- coords
- 43.97°, -75.91°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
7.8°C
Average daily high
11.3°C
Average daily low
4.3°C
Annual rainfall
1,134mm
Sunshine / day
8.5h
Mean relative humidity
76%
Average peak wind
18.2km/h
Seasonal range
27.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
121 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
1 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
155 d/yr
Annual snowfall
152.4 cm
Average feels-like high
9.3 °C
Average feels-like low
1.2 °C
Average peak gust
38.8 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
14 d/yr
Solar radiation
13.9 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.5 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.29 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
32.7 °C
28 April 1990
Coldest day
-32.3 °C
4 January 1981
Wettest day
96 mm
31 August 2005
Windiest day
55.0 km/h
25 February 1965
Strongest gust
115.9 km/h
6 April 1979
Hottest feels-like
37.9 °C
3 September 1953
Coldest feels-like
-37.6 °C
4 January 1981
Snowiest day
29.3 cm
25 December 1978
Sunniest day
15.1 h
17 June 2016
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -2.8 °C | -0.1 °C | 78 mm | -5 mm |
| Feb | -2.5 °C | -0.6 °C | 95 mm | +21 mm |
| Mar | 6.0 °C | +3.2 °C | 98 mm | +14 mm |
| Apr | 10.7 °C | +1.0 °C | 99 mm | +3 mm |
| May | 16.0 °C | -0.5 °C | 157 mm | +65 mm |
| Jun | 22.8 °C | +0.9 °C | 90 mm | -6 mm |
| Jul | 25.9 °C | +1.2 °C | 75 mm | -30 mm |
| Aug | 24.2 °C | +0.4 °C | 59 mm | -40 mm |
| Sep | 21.8 °C | +1.9 °C | 49 mm | -51 mm |
| Oct | 15.3 °C | +1.6 °C | 141 mm | +37 mm |
| Nov | 5.5 °C | -1.6 °C | 103 mm | -1 mm |
| Dec | -0.4 °C | -1.1 °C | 119 mm | +21 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Watertown?
Watertown has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 7.8 °C and it receives 1,134 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Watertown?
The hottest day measured in Watertown between 1940 and 2025 was 28 April 1990, reaching 32.7 °C.
What is the coldest day in Watertown?
The coldest day measured in Watertown between 1940 and 2025 was 4 January 1981, at -32.3 °C.
Does it snow in Watertown?
Yes. Watertown gets on average 152.4 cm of snow per year and has around 121 frost days.
Has the climate of Watertown warmed?
Yes: Watertown warmed by +1.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Watertown?
The wettest day measured in Watertown between 1940 and 2025 was 31 August 2005, with 96 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Watertown?
The windiest day measured in Watertown between 1940 and 2025 was 25 February 1965, with winds reaching 55.0 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Watertown?
The warmest month in Watertown is July (21.2 °C on average); the coldest is January (-6.3 °C).
How much does it rain in Watertown?
Watertown receives on average 1,134 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 155 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Watertown?
Watertown gets on average 8.5 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,103 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Watertown?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Watertown between 1940 and 2025 was 25 December 1978, with 29.3 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Watertown?
Yes: Watertown has on average 14 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Watertown?
In Watertown, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 37.9 °C on 3 September 1953, and the lowest was -37.6 °C on 4 January 1981.
Compare Watertown with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Watertown