Historical weather data, all-time temperature records, and monthly climate averages for Dunkirk, NY. Explore typical weather conditions by week for trip planning, and see how today compares to the historical record.
April 5th in Dunkirk runs a wide gamut — the date has seen lows as brutal as 21° (2016) and highs as balmy as 83° (2023), a 62-degree spread across just 36 years of records. Expect something in between: an average high of 49° and low of 32°, with about a 1-in-7 chance of snow still lingering.
Dunkirk's all-time extremes tell the story of a Lake Erie town that doesn't do mild quietly — 99° in July 1949 and -28° in February 2015 represent a 127-degree range between its hottest and coldest moments ever recorded. A single November day in 1947 buried the city under 19.7 inches of snow, a reminder of what lake-effect can do when conditions align.
Summer is Dunkirk's sweet spot, peaking the week of July 16–22 with average highs of 81° and its wettest stretch right on summer's heels in late July. Winters are raw and grey, bottoming out mid-January at an average high of just 33°. If you're planning a visit, the May–September window offers the most comfortable conditions before lake-effect season kicks back in.