Climateby Month

Pittsburgh, PA climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 765 ft elevation

Pittsburgh has warm and often humid summers and cold and snowy winters. Highs peak at 83°F in July and fall to 36°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 10 to 17 a month. Normal snowfall is about 44 in a year. By our comfort score the best months are May and September.

Warmest month
83°F
July normal high
Coldest month
21°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
154
39.6 in of precipitation
Snow a year
44.1 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Pittsburgh?

Normal highs range from 36°F in January to 83°F in July.

20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 36°F (2°C), low 21°F (-6°C) 36° 21° February: normal high 40°F (4°C), low 23°F (-5°C) March: normal high 49°F (9°C), low 30°F (-1°C) April: normal high 62°F (17°C), low 41°F (5°C) May: normal high 72°F (22°C), low 51°F (11°C) June: normal high 79°F (26°C), low 59°F (15°C) July: normal high 83°F (28°C), low 63°F (17°C) 83° 63° August: normal high 82°F (28°C), low 62°F (17°C) September: normal high 75°F (24°C), low 55°F (13°C) October: normal high 63°F (17°C), low 44°F (7°C) November: normal high 51°F (11°C), low 34°F (1°C) December: normal high 41°F (5°C), low 27°F (-3°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Pittsburgh?

January has the most wet days (about 17); the year brings about 40 in of precipitation.

January: 17 wet days 17 February: 14 wet days March: 14 wet days April: 14 wet days May: 14 wet days June: 12 wet days July: 11 wet days August: 11 wet days September: 10 wet days 10 October: 11 wet days November: 12 wet days December: 15 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 44.1 in a year, most of it in January.

January: 13.3 in of snow 13.3 February: 11.7 in of snow March: 7.6 in of snow April: 1.0 in of snow May: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 June: 0.0 in of snow July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.0 in of snow October: 0.4 in of snow November: 2.4 in of snow December: 7.7 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Pittsburgh?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 11 days.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 1 muggy days June: 6 muggy days July: 11 muggy days 11 August: 8 muggy days September: 3 muggy days October: 0 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Pittsburgh International Airport, 12 mi WNW of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.3 hours in December to 15.0 hours in June.

January: 9.7 hours of daylight February: 10.7 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.3 hours of daylight May: 14.4 hours of daylight June: 15.0 hours of daylight 15.0 July: 14.7 hours of daylight August: 13.7 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.1 hours of daylight November: 9.9 hours of daylight December: 9.3 hours of daylight 9.3 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Pittsburgh, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 36°F21°F 3.0 in17 13.3 in 0 9.7 h
February 40°F23°F 2.6 in14 11.7 in 0 10.7 h
March 49°F30°F 3.1 in14 7.6 in 0 12.0 h
April 62°F41°F 3.3 in14 1.0 in 0 13.3 h
May 72°F51°F 3.8 in14 0.0 in 1 14.4 h
June 79°F59°F 4.1 in12 0.0 in 6 15.0 h
July 83°F63°F 4.3 in11 0.0 in 11 14.7 h
August 82°F62°F 3.5 in11 0.0 in 8 13.7 h
September 75°F55°F 3.3 in10 0.0 in 3 12.4 h
October 63°F44°F 2.8 in11 0.4 in 0 11.1 h
November 51°F34°F 2.9 in12 2.4 in 0 9.9 h
December 41°F27°F 2.8 in15 7.7 in 0 9.3 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Pittsburgh

By our comfort score, the best months are May and September.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 291720
Feb 331716
Mar 47588
Apr 641291
May 711580
Jun 661082
Jul 58574
Aug 60863
Sep 681561
Oct 601270
Nov 44476
Dec 311716

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Pittsburgh

The last spring frost typically comes around Apr 24, and the first fall frost around Oct 27, leaving 186 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Pittsburgh
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Apr 24after May 11
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 27before Oct 13
Last hard freeze (28°F)Apr 12after Apr 26
First hard freeze (28°F)Nov 5before Oct 24
Frost-free season186 daysunder 165 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Emsworth L/D Ohio Rvr (USC00362574), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Pennsylvania.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 100°F (July 15, 1995); the lowest was -22°F (January 19, 1994).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Pittsburgh

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall and snow depth: Pittsburgh Intl Airport (USW00094823), 12 mi WNW of the city center, 1,203 ft (438 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Frost dates: Emsworth L/D Ohio Rvr (USC00362574), 6.6 mi NW of the city center, 717 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Humidity and wind by hour and cloud cover: Pittsburgh Allegheny Co Airport (USW00014762), 7.1 mi SSE of the city center, 1,248 ft (483 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Pittsburgh International Airport (725200-94823), 12 mi WNW of the city center, 1,119 ft (354 ft higher than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error