Bottom line: A Heat Advisory is in effect for all five boroughs until 8 p.m. tonight, with heat index values reaching the middle 90s. Expect a sunny, hot afternoon followed by likely showers and thunderstorms between roughly 2 p.m. and the evening commute. Tonight cools sharply to the upper 50s.
NYC Forecast for Wednesday, May 20, 2026
The National Weather Service in Upton issued this forecast at 2:20 a.m. ET. Across most of the five boroughs, today is sunny to mostly sunny with a high near 85°F in Manhattan and 92°F in Queens, before falling to the upper 70s/low 80s in the afternoon as storms approach. Showers and thunderstorms are likely later this afternoon and into tonight, with rainfall amounts of a tenth to a quarter of an inch. West winds 10 to 14 mph shift to the north overnight.
Tonight, lows drop to around 58°F under mostly cloudy skies, with a 60–70% chance of rain. Temperatures rebound to about 61–63°F by daybreak Thursday.
Borough breakdown
- Manhattan: High near 85°F (Central Park observation 83°F at 9:51 a.m.). Storms most likely 2–6 p.m.
- Bronx: Similar to Manhattan; expect mid-80s and afternoon thunderstorms.
- Queens: Hottest borough today — high near 92°F at LaGuardia (86°F by 10:10 a.m.). Heat-index risk highest here.
- Brooklyn: Mid- to upper-80s. Storms arrive late afternoon; sea breeze may take the edge off near Coney Island and Gerritsen Beach.
- Staten Island: Under the same Heat Advisory; mid-80s with storm chances late afternoon. Beach hazards statement does not include NYC waters today.
MTA service expected impact
As of the 10:36 a.m. ET MTA service status update, no weather-driven outages are reported. Several lines have ongoing planned-work disruptions unrelated to today’s weather: the F has severe delays, the A and E have delays, and the B, C, W, and Z have no scheduled service in their planned-work windows. Afternoon thunderstorms can trigger signal-related delays, especially on outdoor portions of the 7, A, F, and N — check new.mta.info before you leave the office.
Schools, parking, and trash
NYC Public Schools are in session today. Under DOE heat guidelines, outdoor recess and physical activity are typically restricted or moved indoors when the heat index reaches the mid-90s — exactly the range NWS forecasts for this afternoon. Parents in Queens and the Bronx should check with their school for outdoor-activity changes.
Confirm alternate side parking status and DSNY collection updates via 311 before moving your car. May 20 is not a posted ASP suspension holiday, but storm flooding can change collection timing.
If you have to make a call today
If you bike, today is a morning ride day — get home before 2 p.m. or be ready to wait out storms. If you commute by outdoor subway lines, build in 15 minutes of buffer for the evening rush. If you have school-age kids in Queens, send a water bottle and expect indoor PE.
Sources
- NWS NYC forecast (gridpoint OKX 33,42) — updated 2026-05-20T06:20Z
- NWS Queens forecast (gridpoint OKX 40,44)
- NWS active alerts — New York
- KNYC Central Park latest observation
- KLGA LaGuardia latest observation
