With relatively comfortable temperatures hitting NYC as we transition into fall, you may not remember that we had one blistering summer. Four heat waves scorched the city, making summer 2025 the second hottest summer on record, according to Fox5. But it wasn’t just a boiling summer—it was also extremely dry (though the city’s most recent downpours might have you thinking otherwise).
According to NYC meteorologist, John Davitt, NYC hasn’t seen a dryer summer (June, July, August) since 1999—when the MTA still accepted subway tokens instead of the MetroCard! In fact, 2025 went down as the 30th driest summer out of NYC’s all time 156 driest summers.
NYC only received 8.7 inches of rain between June and August 2025, wrote The New York Post. Yet, the driest NYC summer on record still remains the summer of 1999, when the city saw less than 4 inches of rain between June and August.
On average, NYC summers experience about 14 inches of rain. Thus, New Yorkers experienced a 36% decrease in rainfall this summer, staying mostly dry and very hot.
Despite experiencing below-average rainfall, New York City is not under a drought watch—unlike the majority of the state at this time.
NYC’s reservoir levels are currently sitting just 2% below their storage capacity, indicating that the system is still providing a sufficient, and next-to-normal water supply.
Moreover, New Yorkers can expect some heavy precipitation come winter, as the Farmer’s Almanac issued a bold forecast for the colder months.