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If you feel like you’ve spent most of August either carrying an umbrella or regretting that you didn’t, the numbers are here to validate you: New York City is officially having its rainiest August in five years.
Central Park has recorded 8.04 inches of rain through August 23, according to preliminary National Weather Service data, putting the city a whopping 4.58 inches above normal for this point in the month. For comparison, just 2.21 inches fell during all of August 2025—and somehow, we’re not done yet.
This month’s soggy stats have been boosted by several intense, fast-moving storms, including the deluge that hit the city last Thursday. Nearly 3 inches of rain fell in Central Park that day, overwhelming streets and highways across parts of Brooklyn and Queens. Then, early Sunday morning, another .96 inches fell in Central Park, much of it over a relatively short period.
Sunday's storms also caused flooding on several major roadways, including the Clearview Expressway, where two cars became trapped near Exit 5. Both drivers were able to get out safely with help from the FDNY, but portions of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and Long Island Expressway were temporarily closed.
As miserable as 8 inches may sound, New York has endured much soggier Augusts. The last wetter one was in 2021, when Central Park received 10.32 inches. And then there’s August 2011, a month best remembered by any basement-dwellers. Thanks to Tropical Storm Irene, Central Park recorded a staggering 18.95 inches of precipitation, the wettest August in the city's recorded history.
Still, 2026 has easily soaked the past few years. National Weather Service data show that August has already had 12 days with at least 0.01 inches of rain, including 4 days with at least 0.5 inches.
Unfortunately, your umbrella can't retire just yet. The National Weather Service currently gives NYC a 30-percent chance of showers and thunderstorms Monday evening, followed by a slight chance of showers Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday looks sunny, but another round could arrive Thursday: the forecast calls for a 50-percent chance of rain during the day, rising to 60-percent Thursday night, with thunderstorms possible.
The good news? The weekend is currently looking mostly sunny. At this point, we’ll take it!