Lancaster Metro Area, PA Climate

The climate in the Lancaster, PA Metro Area is typical of much of the Northeastern United States. Summers are hot and humid, with temperatures reaching into the mid-80s on average during the day. Winters are cold and snowy, with temperatures typically hovering around freezing during the day from November to March or April. Precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year, with snowfall possible from late October to early April. The area generally has four distinct seasons, allowing ample opportunity for outdoor activities that range from skiing in winter to swimming in summer.

Lancaster Metro Area, Pennsylvania gets 44 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year.

Lancaster Metro Area averages 24 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 Lancaster Metro Area. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Lancaster Metro Area gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 123 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 22
Rain: averages 44 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 24 inches of snow a year

Bestplaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for the Lancaster metro area is 7.2 (10=best), which means it is one of the most pleasant places in Pennsylvania.

8.7 Summer - 5.3 Winter

June, September and August are the most pleasant months in the Lancaster metro area, while January and February are the least comfortable months.

Climate	Lancaster, Pennsylvania	United States
	43.7 in.	38.1 in.
	23.9 in.	27.8 in.
	122.7 days	106.2 days
	193 days	205 days
	85.1°	85.8°
	21.5°	21.7°
	7.2	7
	3.8	4.3
	456 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 Lancaster metro area with an average high temperature of 85.1°, which ranks it as warmer than most places in Pennsylvania. In the Lancaster metro area, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for the Lancaster metro area are September, June and May.

In the Lancaster metro area, there are 14.0 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 Lancaster metro area with an average of 21.5°. This is warmer than most places in Pennsylvania.

In the Lancaster metro area, there are 109.6 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is warmer than most places in Pennsylvania.

In the Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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.

July is the wettest month in the Lancaster metro area with 4.5 inches of rain, and the driest month is February with 2.6 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 28% of yearly precipitation and 20% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 43.7 inches in the Lancaster metro area means that it is about average compared to other places in Pennsylvania.

May is the rainiest month in the Lancaster metro area with 12.3 days of rain, and February is the driest month with only 9.0 rainy days. There are 122.7 rainy days annually in the Lancaster 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 23.9 inches in the Lancaster metro area means that it is less snowy than most places in Pennsylvania. February is the snowiest month in the Lancaster metro area with 8.8 inches of snow, and 6 months of the year have significant snowfall.

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