Honestly, if you looked out your window in Manhattan or Brooklyn today, you probably saw a bit of a mess. Slush. Gray skies. That weird New York drizzle that isn't quite rain but definitely isn't a postcard-perfect snowflake either. Most people check their phones, see a little cloud icon, and think they've got the day figured out.
They don't.
The current weather New York hourly situation is actually a lot more technical—and frankly, more annoying—than just "it’s cold." We are currently sitting in a tight atmospheric squeeze. As of late Saturday night, January 17, 2026, the temperature in New York is hovering exactly at 30°F. With humidity at a heavy 88% and a whisper of a wind coming from the west at just 1 mph, the air feels stagnant, damp, and biting.
The Hourly Breakdown: Why Sunday Changes Everything
If you’re planning to sleep in tomorrow, Sunday, January 18, you might want to double-check your windows before you head out for coffee. We just finished a Saturday that saw a high of 38°F with a mix of rain and snow that left about 1 to 2 inches on the ground, depending on whether you’re in Staten Island or the Bronx.
But the hourly transition tonight into tomorrow is where it gets tricky.
Right now, it's mostly cloudy. By dawn, things shift. We’re looking at a 35% chance of snow showers starting Sunday morning and persisting through the night. The high for Sunday is only hitting 35°F, and with a low of 25°F, whatever melted today is going to turn into a sheet of black ice tonight.
What the Professionals Are Watching
The National Weather Service has already pulled the trigger on a Winter Weather Advisory starting at 7:00 AM EST Sunday. It’s not a "shut down the city" kind of storm, but it’s the kind of weather that makes the G train even more of a nightmare than usual.
Experts like those at the NWS New York office are tracking a coastal low that shifted just enough to the north to bring measurable snow to all five boroughs. While earlier models suggested this might stay offshore, we’re now looking at 1–3 inches citywide.
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Looking Ahead: The Bitter Cold Shift
The current weather New York hourly isn't just about the snow. It’s the thermal cliff we’re about to walk off.
Monday, January 19 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), starts a drying trend, but the mercury is dropping. We’ll see a high of 32°F—the freezing point—and a low of 19°F.
Then comes Tuesday.
If you think 30°F is cold, Tuesday is going to be a reality check. We’re forecasting a high of only 24°F and a bone-chilling low of 15°F. The wind will be kicking up to about 9 mph from the west, making the "real feel" temperature significantly lower. This is classic January in New York: a messy snow event followed by a deep freeze that turns the snow piles into concrete.
Nuance and Misconceptions
People often think "Winter Weather Advisory" means a blizzard. It doesn't.
In NYC, an advisory is often more about the impact than the amount. Two inches of snow at 3:00 AM on a Sunday is a non-event. Two inches of snow starting at 7:00 AM on a Sunday when people are heading to brunch and church? That’s a mess.
There's also the La Niña factor to consider this year. We are currently in a weak La Niña cycle, which, according to the Climate Prediction Center, usually means wetter-than-average winters for the Northeast. However, "wetter" doesn't always mean "snowier." It often means these annoying 34°F days where it fluctuates between rain and slush, ruining your leather boots.
Survival Tips for the Next 48 Hours
- Watch the refreeze: Tonight’s low of 30°F means all that slush from Saturday's rain/snow mix is hardening. Walking the dog at midnight? Wear traction.
- Sunday Travel: If you’re using the bridges or tunnels, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM looks like the peak "moderate snow" window.
- Layering: By Tuesday, you’ll need the heavy down parka. The transition from 35°F (Sunday) to 24°F (Tuesday) is a 30% drop in temperature in just 48 hours.
The city has already activated its winter weather emergency plan. The Department of Sanitation is out, and travel advisories are in effect. Don't let the "mostly cloudy" sky tonight fool you; the atmosphere is reloading for a very cold, very white Sunday morning.
Stay off the roads if you can during the mid-morning hours tomorrow. Check your local radiator—you're going to need it by Tuesday night when we hit that 15-degree mark. Keep an eye on the hourly updates, as these coastal lows love to wiggle 20 miles east or west at the last second, which is the difference between a dusting and a shovel-ready morning.