Harrisburg-Carlisle Metro Area, PA Climate


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United States / Pennsylvania / Harrisburg-Carlisle Metro Area / Counties / Cities / Zip Codes
The Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA Metro Area has a humid climate with mild temperatures. Summers in the area are warm and humid, reaching highs in the mid 80s on average. Winters tend to be cold and wet, with temperatures usually falling into the teens or lower. The region receives about 40 inches of precipitation during an average year mostly split between moderate snowfall in the winter and heavy rain in the spring and summer.

Harrisburg-Carlisle Metro Area, Pennsylvania gets 43 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year.

Harrisburg-Carlisle Metro Area averages 28 inches of snow per year. The US average is 28 inches of snow per year.

On average, there are 193 sunny days per year in Harrisburg-Carlisle Metro Area. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Harrisburg-Carlisle Metro Area gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 122 days per year. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground. In order for precipitation to be counted you have to get at least .01 inches on the ground to measure.


Weather Highlights

Summer High: the July high is around 85 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 21
Rain: averages 43 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 28 inches of snow a year


Bestplaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area is 7.1 (10=best), which means it is more comfortable than most places in Pennsylvania.

8.8 Summer - 5.2 Winter
June, September and August are the most pleasant months in the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area, while January and February are the least comfortable months.

  ClimateHarrisburg-Carlisle, PennsylvaniaUnited States
  43.0 in.38.1 in.
  28.0 in.27.8 in.
  122.1 days106.2 days
  193 days205 days
  84.6°85.8°
  21.1°21.7°
  7.17
  44.3
  741 ft.2443 ft.
Climate
YOU SHOULD KNOW

Many people confuse weather and climate but they are different. Weather is the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere is over long periods of time.

Weather is how the atmosphere is behaving and its effects upon life and human activities. Weather can change from minute-to-minute. Most people think of weather in terms of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, visibility, wind, and atmospheric pressure.

Climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a place. Climate can mean the average weather for a particular region and time period taken over 30 years. Climate is the average of weather over time.

July is the hottest month for the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area with an average high temperature of 84.6°, which ranks it as warmer than most places in Pennsylvania. In the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area, there are 5 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area are June, September and August.
In the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area, there are 12.4 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is hotter than most places in Pennsylvania.
January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area with an average of 21.1°. This is warmer than most places in Pennsylvania.
In the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area, there are 114.1 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is warmer than most places in Pennsylvania.
In the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area, there are 0.8 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is warmer than most places in Pennsylvania.
The humidity is usually comfortable in the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area but some summer months can be sticky or muggy. July is the most humid month, though humidity is low for most of the year. The most humid months are July, August and June.
September is the wettest month in the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area with 4.2 inches of rain, and the driest month is February with 2.7 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 27% of yearly precipitation and 21% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 43.0 inches in the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area means that it is about average compared to other places in Pennsylvania.
May is the rainiest month in the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area with 12.6 days of rain, and September is the driest month with only 9.0 rainy days. There are 122.1 rainy days annually in the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area, which is less rainy than most places in Pennsylvania. The rainiest season is Summer when it rains 28% of the time and the driest is Winter with only a 23% chance of a rainy day.
An annual snowfall of 28.0 inches in the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area means that it is less snowy than most places in Pennsylvania. January is the snowiest month in the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area with 8.7 inches of snow, and 6 months of the year have significant snowfall.
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