Rifton, New York Weather
Cicadas claim the afternoon. Day 14 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Rifton weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJul 4Heavy Rain53%1.2″94°72°—
- SundayJul 5Heavy Rain38%0.81″87°72°-7°
- MondayJul 6Heavy Showers80%4.0″73°63°-14°
- TuesdayJul 7Showers76%0.96″63°61°-10°
- WednesdayJul 8Overcast20%—82°58°+19°
- ThursdayJul 9Light Drizzle13%0.02″91°62°+9°
- FridayJul 10Light Drizzle57%0.02″83°64°-8°
AQI 50 (Good), driven by Ozone. AQI up 16 in the last 6 hours — air quality is degrading. Ozone at AQI 49 — peak already passed at 1 PM under clear skies. Levels should ease through evening.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 49 — peak already passed at 1 PM under clear skies. Levels should ease through evening.
- Present
- AQI 49
- UV peak
- 3.3 at earlier today
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 49
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 5.2 µg/m³, PM10 at 6.3 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.83
- Wind
- light
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- background
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).








































If the first of July be rainy weather, 'twill rain more or less for four weeks together.
- Moonrise
- 10:52 PM
- Moonset
- 9:57 AM
- In sign
- ♓︎ Pisces
Cicadas claim the afternoon
Rifton at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 24°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: April 27 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jul 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest early potatoes. Begin drying onions on the surface.
ZIP code: 12471
16-Day Forecast — Rifton
- Sat95°72°53%
- Sun87°72°38%
- Mon73°63°80%
- Tue63°61°76%
- Wed82°58°20%
- Thu91°62°13%
- Fri83°64°57%
- Sat82°68°26%
- Sun76°62°27%
- Mon80°59°23%
- Tue85°61°32%
- Wed87°55°33%
- Thu84°60°49%
- Fri93°61°45%
- Sat88°65°43%
- Sun85°68°46%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of July 4, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Rifton
SPC has placed Rifton in the Slight Risk category for severe thunderstorms today.
- TODAYSLGTSlight Risk
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
Scattered severe storms possible. A few tornadoes, hail, and damaging wind gusts possible.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook. Outlooks are re-issued multiple times per day; this page reflects the most recent SPC polygons covering the city’s coordinates.
Microseason · July 1–5
Cicadas claim the afternoon
Annual cicada buzz begins, peaking in the heat of the day.
Day 185 of 365 · Wedge 37 of 72
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
Rifton's warmest month is July (~73°F mean) and its coldest is January (~27°F). Rainfall peaks in October (4.6 inches) and bottoms out in February (2.8 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 3.5″ | 7 |
| February | 29° | 2.8″ | 6 |
| March | 37° | 3.5″ | 6 |
| April | 49° | 3.9″ | 7 |
| May | 60° | 3.5″ | 9 |
| June | 68° | 4.6″ | 9 |
| July | 73° | 4.5″ | 7 |
| August | 72° | 4.3″ | 7 |
| September | 64° | 4.6″ | 6 |
| October | 52° | 4.6″ | 7 |
| November | 42° | 3.5″ | 6 |
| December | 33° | 3.8″ | 8 |
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Rifton?
- In Rifton, expect the last spring frost near mid-April; Rifton's first autumn frost comes around mid-November.
- What is the rainy season in Rifton?
- Rifton sees its heaviest rain in October (around 4.6 inches), part of roughly 47 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in Rifton?
- On average July tops the year in Rifton at about 73°F.
- What is the coldest month in Rifton?
- The coldest stretch in Rifton falls in January, around 27°F on average.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Rifton?
- Around mid-April, start frost-hardy crops in Rifton; tomatoes and basil belong a fortnight later.
- How many rainy days does Rifton get?
- Rifton averages about 84 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
- What hardiness zone is Rifton?
- Since January in Rifton averages 27°F, Rifton's USDA zone follows that floor — confirm it by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Rifton?
- Rifton's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Rifton?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Rifton in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Rifton?
- Current conditions for Rifton and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Rifton forecast updated?
- The Rifton forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Rifton?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Rifton are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Rifton?
- The next few days in Rifton's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Climate
Set in a warm-summer humid continental zone, Rifton, New York swings from 27°F in the heart of winter to 73°F at midsummer — a 46°F arc.
In a typical year Rifton records about 47 inches of precipitation on around 84 days.
Rifton sits at 41.8°N; that 46°F seasonal swing frames planting windows and frost dates across Rifton.
ZIP codes in Rifton
- 12561
- 12471
- 12487