Rifton, New York Weather
Rifton, New York — live current conditions, hourly and 7-day forecasts, NWS alerts, radar and satellite imagery, tide predictions, marine conditions and a solunar fishing forecast, soil and crop conditions for Rifton, Ulster County.
Tides, marine forecast and fishing conditions near Rifton. Tide source:
Full aviation weather for Rifton is published on the Kingston-Ulster Airport (K20N) page, 18 km away. It carries the current METAR decoded into plain language — surface wind, visibility, cloud layers and ceiling, temperature and dewpoint, and altimeter setting — alongside the raw observation as transmitted. 6 airfields within reach of Rifton have their own pages, listed below.
The Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) is shown across its full validity period, with each change group broken out so you can see when conditions are expected to shift. Flight category is derived automatically — VFR, MVFR, IFR or LIFR — from reported ceiling and visibility, with runway details and field elevation alongside. Observations update roughly hourly and forecasts several times a day.
Other airports near Rifton: Dutchess County Airport (KPOU) 27 km · Joseph Y Resnick Airport (KN89) 31 km · New York Stewart International Airport (KSWF) 38 km · Orange County Airport (KMGJ) 41 km · Randall Airport (K06N) 54 km
Conditions reported at K20N describe the airfield itself. Weather 18 km away can differ, particularly in terrain or near the coast. For conditions at Rifton specifically, see the current conditions and forecast above.
Soil conditions, frost risk and crop weather for Rifton.
About Rifton, New York
Rifton lies cradled by the rolling hills of Ulster County, a place where the Wallkill River, a ribbon of cool, clear water, has etched its course through fertile land. It lies 11.2 miles north-north-west of Poughkeepsie, NY (from Poughkeepsie, NY: bearing 328°T), and is situated 6.5 miles south-south-west of Kingston. The air here, especially in the languid afternoons of late summer, carries the scent of damp earth and sun-warmed pine needles, a subtle perfume that clings to the sturdy oaks and maples lining the roads. Fields, a patchwork of greens and golds depending on the season, unfurl towards the horizon, punctuated by the occasional weathered barn and the quiet hum of unseen life. The landscape itself feels ancient, a testament to the slow, deliberate work of water and ice, now softened by generations of human hands that have coaxed sustenance from its soil. This corner of the Hudson Valley carries the quiet echo of its past, a history woven from the industrious spirit of early settlers and the agricultural bounty they cultivated. Rifton's identity has been shaped by its connection to the Wallkill, a waterway that once powered mills and facilitated trade, its gentle flow now a soothing backdrop to the present-day rhythm of life. While the grand estates of the wider region draw much attention, Rifton maintains a more understated character, its local economy rooted in agriculture and small, independent businesses that serve the surrounding communities. The area is also known for its proximity to the Shawangunk Ridge, a geological marvel that offers a rugged beauty and a haven for hikers and nature lovers, its dramatic cliffs catching the last rays of the setting sun in a spectacle of fiery orange and soft lavender.
Live animated radar for Rifton and surroundings — RainViewer.
NOAA GOES-16 GEOCOLOR — live animated loop updated every 10 minutes. Shows cloud cover, storm systems and weather patterns across the continental US.
Source: NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East · Public domain · Auto-updates on page reload
| Location | Rifton, Ulster County, New York |
| Coordinates | 41.837593°N, 74.037363°W |
| Timezone | Eastern Time (America/New_York) |
| ZIP Code(s) | 12487, 12471, 12561 |
| Area Code | 845 |
| Page generated | September 2026 |
| Weather data | Open-Meteo (open-source), NOAA National Weather Service |
About This Rifton, New York Weather Page
This page provides live weather conditions and forecasts for Rifton, New York, including current conditions, a 24-hour hourly forecast, 7-day outlook, NWS extended text forecast, precipitation radar and NOAA GOES-16 satellite imagery. Aviation weather — live METAR observations and TAF forecasts — is published separately on the pages for the nearest reporting airports, linked from the aviation section above. Additional sections may include tide predictions, wave height, wave direction and sea-surface temperature, a barometric pressure trend, and a solunar-based fishing forecast with a fishing-conditions rating for coastal localities, and soil temperature, crop weather and live USGS river gauge data for agricultural areas near a monitored waterway. All data updates automatically on every page visit.
Location data for Rifton includes coordinates 41.837593°N, 74.037363°W, situated in Ulster County. ZIP code 12487, 12471, 12561. Telephone area code: 845. Timezone: Eastern Time (America/New_York).
Weather data is sourced from the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) and the open-source Open-Meteo API. River and stream data is sourced from the USGS National Water Information System. Tide predictions are sourced from NOAA CO-OPS; marine and solunar data are modeled from Open-Meteo and public sunrise/moon calculations and should be treated as a general guide alongside on-the-water conditions. Radar is provided by RainViewer. Satellite imagery is sourced from NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East and is public domain.
