The forecast for Memorial Day can run hot and cold from year to year. Here's a look back at the wide range of weather conditions we have seen in NYC on Memorial Day.

What You Need To Know

  • The hottest Memorial Day had a high of 92 degrees

  • The coldest high on Memorial Day had a high of 55 degrees

  • Nearly 2.50 inches of rain in 1948 was the wettest Memorial Day

There are a few important things to note before we look at the numbers. First, Memorial Day was always on May 30 until Congress passed a law in 1968 that moved the holiday to the last Monday of the month.

Therefore, half of our records are specific to May 30, while more recent ones bounce around during the last days of May.

We should also put into context what we consider normal or what the averages are for the end of May. The average high temperature at the end of May is 75 degrees.

Rainfall can range, but the wettest days recorded in the last week of May range from about 1 inch to 3 inches in a single day.

So, let’s start with the hot weather. The hottest Memorial Day ever recorded was in 1942, when Central Park reported a high of 92 degrees. Since this was before 1968, this occurred on May 30.

Keeping in mind that the average high is 75 degrees, we had quite the stretch of warm Memorial Days in years past. From 2006 to 2016, nine out of ten years had high temperatures over 80 degrees.

When talking about the coldest Memorial Day, we’re talking about the coldest high temperature and not the low temperature. In 1982, the high temperature was only 55 degrees.

That’s 20 degrees below the average for the end of May! Memorial Day in 1982 was on May 24.

Although not on Memorial Day, 2021’s temperatures were in the 50s on Saturday, May 29. That’s certainly cold for this time of the year. 

Now, let’s talk about the wettest Memorial Day. This occurred in 1948, which was also on May 30. That year, 2.49 inches of rain fell in a single day! Now that’s what we call a washout. 

Although there are averages for Memorial Day, it’s very much in spring when the weather can range from year to year.  

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