Rodale Research Center, Pennsylvania climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Rodale Research Center's normal year runs from 20°F January nights to 85°F July afternoons, with 48.7 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 10.8°C, January lows of −7°C, July highs of 29°C, 1,236 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationRodale Research Center
- Station IDUSC00367578
- Location40.55°N 75.72°W
- Elevation550 ft (168 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Rodale Research Center is 62°F and the normal low 39°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 27%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Rodale Research Center.
- Jan 38° 20°
- Feb 41° 21°
- Mar 49° 29°
- Apr 62° 39°
- May 72° 49°
- Jun 80° 58°
- Jul 85° 62°
- Aug 83° 60°
- Sep 77° 53°
- Oct 65° 41°
- Nov 53° 32°
- Dec 43° 25°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Rodale Research Center each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 85°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 20°F. The most precipitation falls in July (5.41 in), the least in February (2.78 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38°F | 20°F | 28.8°F | 3.37 | 8 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 41°F | 21°F | 30.7°F | 2.78 | 7 | <1 | 25 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 49°F | 29°F | 38.9°F | 3.93 | 8 | <1 | 21 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 62°F | 39°F | 50.4°F | 4.10 | 10 | <1 | 8 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 72°F | 49°F | 60.1°F | 3.77 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 80°F | 58°F | 68.9°F | 4.48 | 10 | 3 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 85°F | 62°F | 73.7°F | 5.41 | 10 | 6 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 83°F | 60°F | 71.7°F | 4.44 | 9 | 4 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 77°F | 53°F | 65.0°F | 4.78 | 9 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 65°F | 41°F | 53.1°F | 4.27 | 9 | <1 | 6 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 53°F | 32°F | 42.9°F | 3.57 | 8 | <1 | 16 | 10 h |
| December | 43°F | 25°F | 33.7°F | 3.78 | 8 | <1 | 26 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 62°F | 41°F | 51.5°F | 48.68 | 104 | 15 | 131 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −7°C | −1.8°C | 86 mm |
| February | 5°C | −6°C | −0.7°C | 71 mm |
| March | 10°C | −2°C | 3.8°C | 100 mm |
| April | 17°C | 4°C | 10.2°C | 104 mm |
| May | 22°C | 9°C | 15.6°C | 96 mm |
| June | 27°C | 14°C | 20.5°C | 114 mm |
| July | 29°C | 17°C | 23.2°C | 137 mm |
| August | 29°C | 16°C | 22.1°C | 113 mm |
| September | 25°C | 12°C | 18.3°C | 121 mm |
| October | 18°C | 5°C | 11.7°C | 108 mm |
| November | 12°C | 0°C | 6.1°C | 91 mm |
| December | 6°C | −4°C | 0.9°C | 96 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Hamburg (14 miles away), gets 21 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00367578; 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.
Which months are mildest at Rodale Research Center?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, August has the fewest days with rain (9).
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 USC00367578.
When is the last frost at Rodale Research Center?
In Rodale Research Center, 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 October 14 in half of years and before October 1 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
- October 141 year in 10 before October 1; 9 in 10 before October 31
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 171 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 198 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 10 in half of springs and before October 26 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Rodale Research Center in zone 6b in ZIP code 19538, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Pennsylvania · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00367578; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Rodale Research Center?
In a normal year in Rodale Research Center, 15 days a year reach 90°F, 131 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 104 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 15a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 131a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 21high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 104a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00367578.
How sunny is it at Rodale Research Center?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Rodale Research Center, 3.9 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (79%) and December the cloudiest (63%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 65% | 1.9 |
| February | 68% | 2.7 |
| March | 67% | 3.6 |
| April | 70% | 4.8 |
| May | 69% | 5.3 |
| June | 74% | 5.9 |
| July | 79% | 6.0 |
| August | 77% | 5.2 |
| September | 75% | 4.2 |
| October | 69% | 3.0 |
| November | 70% | 2.1 |
| December | 63% | 1.6 |
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 many heating and cooling degree days does Rodale Research Center record?
A normal year at Rodale Research Center brings 5,674 heating degree days, 6% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 779 cooling degree days, 14% 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 3,067 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,124 | 0 |
| February | 960 | 0 |
| March | 809 | 0 |
| April | 446 | 6 |
| May | 194 | 42 |
| June | 37 | 155 |
| July | 2 | 270 |
| August | 7 | 216 |
| September | 85 | 83 |
| October | 375 | 7 |
| November | 665 | 0 |
| December | 972 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,674 | 779 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00367578. 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.
How does Rodale Research Center's climate compare?
Rodale Research Center is warmer than 67 of the 108 places with their own NOAA record in Pennsylvania, and wetter than 90. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 51.5°F is warmer than 47%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Rodale Research Center 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 Rodale Research Center share this climate record?
18 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.
- Breinigsville, PA8,159 people · 5 mi E
- Ancient Oaks, PA7,731 people · 7 mi E
- Kutztown University, PA4,225 people · 4 mi SW
- Kutztown, PA4,214 people · 4 mi SW
- Fleetwood, PA4,101 people · 8 mi SW
- Macungie, PA3,335 people · 9 mi E
- Alburtis, PA2,625 people · 7 mi SE
- Trexlertown, PA2,169 people · 7 mi E
- Topton, PA2,063 people · 3 mi S
- Hereford, PA1,494 people · 11 mi SE
- New Jerusalem, PA631 people · 8 mi S
- Mertztown, PA630 people · 5 mi SE
- New Tripoli, PA571 people · 9 mi N
- Lyons, PA446 people · 5 mi S
- Bowers, PA236 people · 5 mi S
- Dryville, PA198 people · 6 mi S
- Kempton, PA171 people · 9 mi NW
- Maxatawny, PA78 people · 2 mi SE
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 Rodale Research Center's climate
What is the coldest month at Rodale Research Center?
January, with a normal high of 38°F and a normal low of 20°F. The warmest is July (85°F by day, 62°F at night).
Does it snow at Rodale Research Center?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Hamburg (14 miles away), records 21 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Rodale Research Center?
July, with 5.41 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.78 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Rodale Research Center in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Rodale Research Center in zone 6b in ZIP code 19538, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Rodale Research Center?
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
- Pennsylvania climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Hamburg, PA14 miles from this station, 52.2°F a year
- Allentown, PA16 miles from this station, 53.1°F a year
- Reading, PA18 miles from this station, 53.7°F a year
- Lehighton, PA19 miles from this station, 50.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made