Lancaster climate — normals and trends
Lancaster (United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 11.3 °C and it receives 1,102 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (23.3 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-1.7 °C). Rainfall peaks in May.
Lancaster averages 102 frost days, 29 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 133 rainy days per year.
Lancaster has warmed by +1.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.21 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 113 to 91 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 39.7 °C (on 16 July 1988) and the coldest -30.6 °C (on 19 January 1994).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
LancasterOhio
- coords
- 39.71°, -82.60°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
11.3°C
Average daily high
16.4°C
Average daily low
6.6°C
Annual rainfall
1,102mm
Sunshine / day
8.6h
Mean relative humidity
71%
Average peak wind
16.2km/h
Seasonal range
25.0°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
102 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
29 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
133 d/yr
Annual snowfall
55.7 cm
Average feels-like high
15.0 °C
Average feels-like low
4.3 °C
Average peak gust
36.1 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
28 d/yr
Solar radiation
14.7 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.7 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.36 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
39.7 °C
16 July 1988
Coldest day
-30.6 °C
19 January 1994
Wettest day
99 mm
23 June 2017
Windiest day
47.9 km/h
25 March 1947
Strongest gust
104.4 km/h
25 March 1947
Hottest feels-like
43.0 °C
22 July 2011
Coldest feels-like
-36.1 °C
19 January 1994
Snowiest day
25.6 cm
4 April 1987
Sunniest day
14.8 h
23 June 2025
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -0.7 °C | -3.2 °C | 45 mm | -42 mm |
| Feb | 5.0 °C | +0.5 °C | 120 mm | +38 mm |
| Mar | 15.0 °C | +4.9 °C | 101 mm | -9 mm |
| Apr | 18.6 °C | +1.9 °C | 139 mm | +30 mm |
| May | 20.4 °C | -1.6 °C | 195 mm | +81 mm |
| Jun | 28.1 °C | +1.5 °C | 188 mm | +86 mm |
| Jul | 29.4 °C | +0.9 °C | 122 mm | +24 mm |
| Aug | 27.0 °C | -0.9 °C | 22 mm | -60 mm |
| Sep | 26.8 °C | +2.3 °C | 55 mm | -18 mm |
| Oct | 18.8 °C | +0.7 °C | 100 mm | +30 mm |
| Nov | 10.5 °C | -0.2 °C | 53 mm | -34 mm |
| Dec | 4.5 °C | -0.2 °C | 72 mm | -16 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Lancaster?
Lancaster has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 11.3 °C and it receives 1,102 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Lancaster?
The hottest day measured in Lancaster between 1940 and 2025 was 16 July 1988, reaching 39.7 °C.
What is the coldest day in Lancaster?
The coldest day measured in Lancaster between 1940 and 2025 was 19 January 1994, at -30.6 °C.
Does it snow in Lancaster?
Yes. Lancaster gets on average 55.7 cm of snow per year and has around 102 frost days.
Has the climate of Lancaster warmed?
Yes: Lancaster warmed by +1.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Lancaster?
The wettest day measured in Lancaster between 1940 and 2025 was 23 June 2017, with 99 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Lancaster?
The windiest day measured in Lancaster between 1940 and 2025 was 25 March 1947, with winds reaching 47.9 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Lancaster?
The warmest month in Lancaster is July (23.3 °C on average); the coldest is January (-1.7 °C).
How much does it rain in Lancaster?
Lancaster receives on average 1,102 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 133 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Lancaster?
Lancaster gets on average 8.6 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,139 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Lancaster?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Lancaster between 1940 and 2025 was 4 April 1987, with 25.6 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Lancaster?
Yes: Lancaster has on average 28 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Lancaster?
In Lancaster, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 43.0 °C on 22 July 2011, and the lowest was -36.1 °C on 19 January 1994.
Compare Lancaster with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Lancaster