Will it snow in New York on Thanksgiving? When was the last time it snowed in November?

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, just a couple of weeks away, and with it the holiday season will officially kick off in the United States. One of the annual traditions that marks the beginning of the festive season is Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

That will be followed the next week by the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, which was lifted into place this past Saturday. But it truly doesn’t feel like the holidays without some snow. Here’s what the forecast looks like for New York City on Thanksgiving.

Will it snow in New York on Thanksgiving? When was the last time it snowed in November?

The Big Apple receives snow about every three years on average in November. In 2018, the Tri-State area received a significant snowfall in 2018, Central Park got over half a foot according to the National Weather Service. However, there was only a trace amount in 2021 and 2023 in the month of November.

Furthermore, not to rain on the parade, but the Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a warmer Thanksgiving weekend this year in the northeast, and much of the rest of the nation. So, any precipitation would most likely be in the form of rain and not soft fluffy ice crystals.

The last time it snowed on Thanksgiving in New York City was back in 1989 according to the National Weather Service records. That blustery Thanksgiving the high never got above freezing and a total of 4.4 inches were reported for the day.

Before that you would have to go back to 1938 for a significant snowfall on Thanksgiving Day. That year, Central Park got 3.9 inches of snow. In total that year, the heart of New York City got 12.8 inches of the white stuff.

November 1938 was the third snowiest November since records have been kept. 1882 and 1898 were the second-most and snowiest Novembers of all, respectively, with totals of 14 and 19 inches of snow falling in Central Park.