Pittsburgh climate — normals and trends
Pittsburgh (United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 10.6 °C and it receives 1,216 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 (22.4 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-2.0 °C). Rainfall peaks in May.
Pittsburgh averages 105 frost days, 20 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 148 rainy days per year.
Pittsburgh has warmed by +1.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.22 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 118 to 92 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 38.2 °C (on 16 July 1988) and the coldest -29.1 °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
PittsburghPennsylvania
- coords
- 40.44°, -80.00°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
10.6°C
Average daily high
15.6°C
Average daily low
6.0°C
Annual rainfall
1,216mm
Sunshine / day
8.3h
Mean relative humidity
72%
Average peak wind
15.4km/h
Seasonal range
24.4°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
105 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
20 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
148 d/yr
Annual snowfall
73.9 cm
Average feels-like high
14.1 °C
Average feels-like low
3.6 °C
Average peak gust
36.7 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
16 d/yr
Solar radiation
14.0 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.9 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.41 · 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
38.2 °C
16 July 1988
Coldest day
-29.1 °C
19 January 1994
Wettest day
128 mm
17 September 2004
Windiest day
45.1 km/h
3 April 1975
Strongest gust
107.6 km/h
16 February 1967
Hottest feels-like
42.7 °C
15 July 1995
Coldest feels-like
-35.1 °C
19 January 1994
Snowiest day
31.5 cm
25 November 1950
Sunniest day
14.8 h
4 July 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 | -1.2 °C | -3.2 °C | 50 mm | -38 mm |
| Feb | 3.8 °C | -0.1 °C | 120 mm | +38 mm |
| Mar | 14.2 °C | +4.8 °C | 77 mm | -35 mm |
| Apr | 17.7 °C | +1.7 °C | 134 mm | +19 mm |
| May | 20.1 °C | -1.1 °C | 237 mm | +110 mm |
| Jun | 27.4 °C | +1.7 °C | 168 mm | +46 mm |
| Jul | 29.6 °C | +1.9 °C | 125 mm | +11 mm |
| Aug | 27.5 °C | +0.6 °C | 42 mm | -57 mm |
| Sep | 25.8 °C | +2.4 °C | 95 mm | +2 mm |
| Oct | 17.7 °C | +0.7 °C | 83 mm | -0 mm |
| Nov | 9.8 °C | -0.3 °C | 64 mm | -27 mm |
| Dec | 3.8 °C | -0.4 °C | 88 mm | -1 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 Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 10.6 °C and it receives 1,216 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Pittsburgh?
The hottest day measured in Pittsburgh between 1940 and 2025 was 16 July 1988, reaching 38.2 °C.
What is the coldest day in Pittsburgh?
The coldest day measured in Pittsburgh between 1940 and 2025 was 19 January 1994, at -29.1 °C.
Does it snow in Pittsburgh?
Yes. Pittsburgh gets on average 73.9 cm of snow per year and has around 105 frost days.
Has the climate of Pittsburgh warmed?
Yes: Pittsburgh warmed by +1.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Pittsburgh?
The wettest day measured in Pittsburgh between 1940 and 2025 was 17 September 2004, with 128 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Pittsburgh?
The windiest day measured in Pittsburgh between 1940 and 2025 was 3 April 1975, with winds reaching 45.1 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Pittsburgh?
The warmest month in Pittsburgh is July (22.4 °C on average); the coldest is January (-2.0 °C).
How much does it rain in Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh receives on average 1,216 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 148 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh gets on average 8.3 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,030 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Pittsburgh?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Pittsburgh between 1940 and 2025 was 25 November 1950, with 31.5 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Pittsburgh?
Yes: Pittsburgh has on average 16 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Pittsburgh?
In Pittsburgh, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 42.7 °C on 15 July 1995, and the lowest was -35.1 °C on 19 January 1994.
Compare Pittsburgh with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Pittsburgh