Pittsburgh climate
Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania, United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C52 °F, and about 990 mm39 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Pittsburgh climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 235 | −621 | −228 | 732.9 | 27 |
| Feb | 338 | −622 | −130 | 682.7 | 25 |
| Mar | 949 | −229 | 439 | 773.1 | 22 |
| Apr | 1763 | 440 | 1151 | 853.3 | 8 |
| May | 2272 | 1151 | 1662 | 943.7 | 1 |
| Jun | 2780 | 1560 | 2170 | 1054.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 3086 | 1864 | 2475 | 913.6 | 0 |
| Aug | 3086 | 1762 | 2374 | 813.2 | 0 |
| Sep | 2679 | 1355 | 1967 | 853.3 | 0 |
| Oct | 1864 | 643 | 1254 | 843.3 | 3 |
| Nov | 1151 | 133 | 642 | 682.7 | 15 |
| Dec | 440 | −326 | 133 | 793.1 | 26 |
| Year | 3086 | −621 | 1152 | 99039 | 127 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 87% | 79% | 1.6 | 9:35 |
| Feb | 86% | 78% | 2.3 | 10:36 |
| Mar | 82% | 71% | 3.4 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 78% | 67% | 4.6 | 13:14 |
| May | 78% | 68% | 5.3 | 14:24 |
| Jun | 77% | 61% | 5.9 | 15:03 |
| Jul | 72% | 57% | 5.9 | 14:47 |
| Aug | 69% | 56% | 5.2 | 13:46 |
| Sep | 71% | 53% | 4.3 | 12:24 |
| Oct | 76% | 64% | 2.9 | 11:03 |
| Nov | 81% | 68% | 2.0 | 9:52 |
| Dec | 86% | 81% | 1.3 | 9:18 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Pittsburgh is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 18 °C64 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 2 °C35 °F and lows −6 °C21 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 26 °C46.7 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 990 mm39 in. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is June (105 mm4.1 in), the driest is November (68 mm2.7 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 69% in August to 87% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 53%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 1 km/h (0 mph) in June to 3 km/h (2 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.3 hours in December to 15.0 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in February, about 16 cm).
Best time to visit Pittsburgh
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and September: average highs of 22 °C72 °F to 26 °C79 °F with 85 mm3.3 in to 94 mm3.7 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 2 °C35 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Pittsburgh
- Winter (December–February) — highs 235 to 4 °C40 °F, lows −621 to −3 °C26 °F, about 73 mm2.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 949 to 22 °C72 °F, lows −229 to 11 °C51 °F, about 86 mm3.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2780 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 1560 to 18 °C64 °F, about 92 mm3.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1151 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 133 to 13 °C55 °F, about 79 mm3.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Pittsburgh compares
Compared with Cleveland, about 185 km to the northwest, Pittsburgh is on average 0.7 °C1.2 °F warmer and receives 6% more precipitation (990 mm39 in vs 936 mm37 in). The difference is largest in April (2.8 °C5 °F warmer).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Pittsburgh is the 176th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 105th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Satu Mare (Romania, Dfa), Piteşti (Romania, Dfa) and Baia Mare (Romania, Dfa).
Nearby places
- Akron 147 km · 10 °C50 °F · 995 mm39 in
- Cleveland 185 km · 11 °C51 °F · 936 mm37 in
- Columbus 261 km · 11 °C52 °F · 986 mm39 in
- Charleston 272 km · 13 °C56 °F · 1,128 mm44 in
- Buffalo 287 km · 9 °C49 °F · 947 mm37 in
- Brantford 300 km · 9 °C48 °F · 791 mm31 in
- London 301 km · 9 °C48 °F · 660 mm26 in
- Washington 306 km · 14 °C56 °F · 1,153 mm45 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Pittsburgh?
July is the warmest month in Pittsburgh, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (64 °F).
What is the coldest month in Pittsburgh?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 2 °C (35 °F) and an average low of -6 °C (21 °F).
When does it rain the most in Pittsburgh?
June is the wettest month with about 105 mm (4.1 in) of precipitation; November is the driest with about 68 mm (2.7 in).
What is the best time to visit Pittsburgh?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May and September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 332 m, while Pittsburgh lies at about 233 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.6 °C1.2 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.