Erie, Pennsylvania climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Erie's normal year runs from 21°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 43.0 inches of precipitation and 104 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 10.4°C, January lows of −6°C, July highs of 27°C, 1,092 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationErie International Airport
- Station IDUSW00014860
- Location42.08°N 80.18°W
- Elevation730 ft (223 m)
- From the center6 miles
- Population92,940
On October 23, the normal high in Erie is 60°F and the normal low 44°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 47%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Erie.
- Jan 35° 21°
- Feb 37° 21°
- Mar 44° 28°
- Apr 57° 38°
- May 68° 49°
- Jun 77° 59°
- Jul 81° 64°
- Aug 80° 63°
- Sep 74° 57°
- Oct 62° 46°
- Nov 51° 37°
- Dec 40° 28°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Erie each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 21°F. The most precipitation falls in October (4.38 in), the least in February (2.52 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35°F | 21°F | 28.2°F | 3.41 | 31.8 | 20 | <1 | 26 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 37°F | 21°F | 28.9°F | 2.52 | 19.4 | 15 | <1 | 24 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 44°F | 28°F | 36.1°F | 3.08 | 14.5 | 14 | <1 | 22 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 57°F | 38°F | 47.4°F | 3.47 | 2.6 | 14 | <1 | 8 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 68°F | 49°F | 58.8°F | 3.50 | 0.0 | 14 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 77°F | 59°F | 68.2°F | 3.70 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 81°F | 64°F | 72.7°F | 3.33 | 0.0 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 80°F | 63°F | 71.5°F | 3.35 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 74°F | 57°F | 65.2°F | 4.32 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 62°F | 46°F | 54.3°F | 4.38 | 0.1 | 14 | <1 | <1 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 51°F | 37°F | 43.6°F | 3.75 | 9.6 | 15 | <1 | 9 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 40°F | 28°F | 34.1°F | 4.17 | 26.3 | 19 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 59°F | 43°F | 50.8°F | 42.98 | 104.3 | 167 | 5 | 111 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C | −6°C | −2.1°C | 87 mm | 81 cm |
| February | 3°C | −6°C | −1.7°C | 64 mm | 49 cm |
| March | 7°C | −2°C | 2.3°C | 78 mm | 37 cm |
| April | 14°C | 3°C | 8.6°C | 88 mm | 7 cm |
| May | 20°C | 10°C | 14.9°C | 89 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 25°C | 15°C | 20.1°C | 94 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 27°C | 18°C | 22.6°C | 85 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 17°C | 21.9°C | 85 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 23°C | 14°C | 18.4°C | 110 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 17°C | 8°C | 12.4°C | 111 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 10°C | 3°C | 6.4°C | 95 mm | 24 cm |
| December | 5°C | −2°C | 1.2°C | 106 mm | 67 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014860; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Erie?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (10).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014860.
When is the last frost in Erie?
In Erie, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 26 in half of years and after May 13 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 4 in half of years and before October 21 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- April 261 year in 10 after May 13; 9 in 10 after April 10
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 41 year in 10 before October 21; 9 in 10 before November 17
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 192 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 219 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 11 in half of springs and before November 16 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Erie in zones 6b to 7a across its 8 ZIP code areas (6b in 16508, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Erie's NOAA station is in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 0°F (30 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Pennsylvania · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00014860; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
What hardiness zone is each Erie ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Erie's 8 ZIP code areas run from zone 6b to 7a: 4 in 6b and 4 in 7a. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Erie?
In a normal year in Erie, 5 days a year reach 90°F, 111 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 167 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 5a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 111a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 42high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 167a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 28a normal year
The highest temperature in Erie's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1873) is 100°F, on June 25, 1988; the lowest is −18°F, on January 19, 1994.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1977, with 61.70 in; the snowiest season is 2017–18, with 166.3 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014860; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record ERIthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Erie, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 61°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 62°F; the driest air comes in January (19°F). December is the windiest month (11.7 mph on average), and June has the most clear or nearly clear hours (67%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19°F | 72% | 67% | 10.9 mph | 27% | 62% |
| February | 23°F | 72% | 65% | 10.3 mph | 34% | 55% |
| March | 31°F | 66% | 58% | 10.1 mph | 46% | 43% |
| April | 40°F | 63% | 54% | 9.3 mph | 56% | 31% |
| May | 53°F | 68% | 57% | 8.5 mph | 60% | 25% |
| June | 60°F | 68% | 57% | 8.0 mph | 67% | 15% |
| July | 62°F | 69% | 59% | 7.7 mph | 64% | 15% |
| August | 60°F | 71% | 60% | 8.0 mph | 66% | 16% |
| September | 50°F | 71% | 60% | 9.4 mph | 52% | 30% |
| October | 38°F | 67% | 60% | 10.6 mph | 40% | 47% |
| November | 30°F | 70% | 65% | 11.7 mph | 24% | 64% |
| December | 23°F | 73% | 69% | 11.7 mph | 18% | 74% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014860. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Erie?
Over a year 70% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Erie, 3.7 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (81%) and December the cloudiest (46%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 428th (with 16 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 55% | 1.5 |
| February | 54% | 2.1 |
| March | 62% | 3.3 |
| April | 67% | 4.6 |
| May | 73% | 5.6 |
| June | 78% | 6.3 |
| July | 81% | 6.3 |
| August | 81% | 5.5 |
| September | 77% | 4.3 |
| October | 64% | 2.6 |
| November | 59% | 1.7 |
| December | 46% | 1.0 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Erie need?
A normal year in Erie brings 5,905 heating degree days, 10% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 752 cooling degree days, 17% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,010 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,139 | 0 |
| February | 1,009 | 0 |
| March | 897 | 1 |
| April | 534 | 6 |
| May | 238 | 46 |
| June | 46 | 144 |
| July | 5 | 242 |
| August | 7 | 210 |
| September | 84 | 90 |
| October | 346 | 14 |
| November | 643 | 1 |
| December | 958 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,905 | 752 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014860. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Erie been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 50.2°F, 0.6°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 50.8°F. 3 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 53.6°F | +2.8°F | 41.48 | 44.4 |
| 2022 | 50.8°F | at normal | 47.75 | 83.7 |
| 2023 | 52.1°F | +1.3°F | 42.21 | 29.4 |
| 2024 | 54.1°F | +3.3°F | 37.60 | 79.6 |
| 2025 | 50.2°F | −0.6°F | 44.25 | 82.1 |
Over 145 complete years from 1874 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.2°F per century (+0.12°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00014860; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Erie's climate compare?
Erie is warmer than 55 of the other 107 places with their own NOAA record in Pennsylvania, and wetter than 38. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 50.8°F is warmer than 44%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Erie is Dfa: continental, no dry season, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Erie share this climate record?
9 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Northwest Harborcreek, PA8,908 people · 11 mi NE
- Lawrence Park, PA3,786 people · 10 mi NE
- Wesleyville, PA3,135 people · 10 mi NE
- Fairview, PA3,014 people · 5 mi SW
- Girard, PA2,941 people · 9 mi SW
- Lake City, PA2,866 people · 9 mi SW
- Avonia, PA1,571 people · 6 mi SW
- Behrend, PA1,561 people · 10 mi E
- McKean, PA476 people · 6 mi S
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Erie's climate
What is the coldest month in Erie?
January, with a normal high of 35°F and a normal low of 21°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 64°F at night).
Does it snow in Erie?
Yes: 104 inches in a normal year, falling on 55 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (31.8 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Erie?
October, with 4.38 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.52 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Erie in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Erie in zones 6b to 7a across its 8 ZIP code areas (6b in 16508, the largest). By the same method at Erie's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 0°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 7a.
How late can frost come in Erie?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 26; in one year in ten it comes after May 13. Waiting until May 13 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Erie in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Pennsylvania climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Union City, PA21 miles from this station, 47.1°F a year
- Springboro, PA22 miles from this station, 47.5°F a year
- Port Meadville Airport, PA32 miles from this station, 48.6°F a year
- Linesville, PA32 miles from this station, 48.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made