Washington, PA Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Washington's primary NOAA station, WASHINGTON 3 NE.
The climate verdict for Washington
Washington, Pennsylvania has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 51°F. Its climate comfort score of 63/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 46% of station-mapped location scores.
- 51°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 63/100
- comfort score, above 46% of station-mapped location scores
- 41.3"
- annual precipitation · 32" snow
- 182 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Washington: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00369318 · Washington, PA 51°F mean · 41.3" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-MID · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 51°F
- RANK-MID #3,156
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Fruitland
- PRCP-MID 41.3"
- SWING-MID 44°F
- COMF-MID 63/100
- LOAD-HEAT 5,674 HDD
- STN-1 USC00369318
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Fruitland, NM (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every PA station list.
- Hot Rodale Rsch Ctr, PA 52°F
- Washington (this station) 51°F
- Cold Barnesville, OH 51°F
- Near Fruitland, NM 51°F
- Near Coshocton Wpc P…, OH 51°F
Climate Living Index · Washington
Washington: 55/100 · grade C
Washington publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Washington, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 63/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 41.3 in · 6.3 from 35 in | 78/100 · B |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 129 calendar days | 59/100 · C |
| Frost-free season | 182 days/year | 51/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 51.4°F · 16.1° from 67.5°F | 46/100 · D |
| Snowfall burden | 31.9 inches/year | 36/100 · F |
Washington · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Washington is a continental Köppen climate: Dfa
Coldest-month mean 28.4°F and warmest-month mean 72.6°F place this station in continental, no dry season, hot summer climates (Dfa). Class Dfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, hot summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfa
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 72.6°F
- Coldest month
- 28.4°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Washington sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Washington's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 46th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- 61st percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 54th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Washington compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Washington's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
63 46th percentile score exceeds 46% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). This entry sits in this band.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37°F (3°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 3.3" | 9.9" | 26.9 | 0.0 |
| February | 40°F (5°C) | 22°F (-6°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 2.5" | 7.5" | 24.2 | 0.0 |
| March | 49°F (10°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 3.5" | 6.1" | 20.1 | 0.0 |
| April | 63°F (17°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 3.3" | 0.6" | 7.3 | 0.0 |
| May | 72°F (22°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 4.1" | 0.0" | 0.6 | 0.2 |
| June | 80°F (27°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 69°F (21°C) | 4.5" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 1.0 |
| July | 83°F (29°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 3.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.6 |
| August | 83°F (28°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 3.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.2 |
| September | 76°F (24°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 3.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| October | 64°F (18°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 3.0" | 0.0" | 3.8 | 0.0 |
| November | 52°F (11°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 3.1" | 1.8" | 14.6 | 0.0 |
| December | 41°F (5°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 3.3" | 6.0" | 24.7 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 84°F around July 8, short of 90°F on every date, while 129 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 19°F near January 23.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 27, then returns to freezing around November 20, covering 129 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is January 12, when 51% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is August 30 at 31%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 155 wet dates a year.
The widest day
April 22 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 23°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Washington.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 9.9"
16.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.5"
13.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.1"
13.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.6"
13.7 days with precipitation
14.1 days with precipitation
13.1 days with precipitation
11.6 days with precipitation
10.4 days with precipitation
10.4 days with precipitation
11.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.8"
12.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.0"
14.8 days with precipitation
Washington spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 28% of the annual total and December through February 22%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Washington has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 44.2°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: June averages 4.5" and February 2.5". The three wettest months together take 30% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
How Washington's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 154 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 41.3" between them, or roughly 0.27 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Washington
Washington averages 31.9 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 27 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 31.9 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 27 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 8% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 23
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 24
50% probability date
Growing Season
182 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,674
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
762
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside PA closest to Washington on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (51°F here).
- Aberdeen, WA 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Astoria, OR 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Beatrice, NE 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Brockton, MA 51°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (41.3" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Madill, OK 41.4" · 0.0" off
- Montpelier, VT 41.4" · 0.0" off
- Dayton, OH 41.3" · 0.0" off
- Paola, KS 41.4" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Washington
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Washington's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 5,674 annual heating degree days against 762 for cooling. Its 44.2°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Washington's frost-free season lasts about 182 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Washington coldest normal
January
The monthly mean of 28°F (-2°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Washington typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Washington snow peak
January
Washington averages 31.9 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Washington's climate
How much snow does Washington get? ▼
How cold does Washington get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Washington? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Washington's primary station: WASHINGTON 3 NE (USC00369318). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 4281328). Match rule for Washington: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Washington comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.