New York: Geography and Climate

New York, located on the Atlantic Coastal Plain at the mouth of the Hudson River, is a city made up mostly of islands. Of the city's five boroughs, only the Bronx is contiguous to upstate New York. The larger metropolitan area takes in Long Island, northern New Jersey, and southwestern Connecticut. Commuters now live as far away as eastern Pennsylvania. The city lies at the conjunction of the Hudson and East Rivers with New York Bay leading to the Atlantic Ocean. The weather is mostly continental with the ocean moderating summer temperatures and keeping the humidity relatively high. Due to the number of colossal buildings and the city's high level of energy use, New York City tends to have its own "micro-climate" of warmer summers and winters than surrounding areas.

Area: 303 square miles (2000)

Elevation: 50 to 800 feet above sea level

Average Temperatures: January, 32.4° F; July, 76.9° F; annual average 54.91° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 42.6 inches of total precipitation; 26.5 inches of snowfall