Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Allentown’s winters are colder than most of the U.S., with about 33 inches of snow in Allentown International Airport
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 33 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Allentown at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Allentown’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Allentown’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Allentown feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 184 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 20 and the first by October 24. Frost and day counts come from Allentown International Airport, Allentown’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 4 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Allentown’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 2°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 33 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Allentown International Airport, is heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 48 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 129 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Allentown
84% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Allentown International Airport.
Living with Allentown’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
184 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 20 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, September and October. 17 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Allentown from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 35%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Allentown and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Allentown in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Allentown’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown, PA | 20° | 87° | 48" | 33" |
| Kensington, CT | 19° | 85° | 48" | 39" |
| New Martinsville, WV | 22° | 85° | 46" | 27" |
| Lawrenceburg, IN | 23° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
| Villa Hills, KY | 23° | 86° | 46" | 23" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Allentown averaged 2.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.7°).
A bigger shift than in 92% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods. In a city of 126,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Allentown compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Allentown’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Allentown weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Allentown’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Allentown International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 20° | 3.4" | 9.8" | 11 | 9 | 20° – 37° |
| February | 42° | 22° | 2.7" | 10.8" | 10 | 11 | 20° – 39° |
| March | 51° | 29° | 3.8" | 6.3" | 11 | 6 | 34° – 49° |
| April | 64° | 39° | 3.8" | 0.5" | 12 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| May | 74° | 49° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| June | 82° | 58° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 73° |
| July | 87° | 63° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| August | 84° | 61° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| September | 77° | 54° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| October | 66° | 42° | 4.2" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| November | 54° | 33° | 3.4" | 0.9" | 9 | 1 | 38° – 48° |
| December | 44° | 26° | 3.9" | 4.6" | 12 | 5 | 27° – 46° |
| Year | 64° | 41° | 47.6" | 33.1" | 129 | 31 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 46°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Allentown’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Allentown’s center.
- Snow: Allentown International Airport (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Allentown International Airport, 4 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the city’s official station.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Allentown’s climate
What is the weather like in Allentown?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 33 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 57% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 60% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Allentown in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 118 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Allentown get?
About 33 inches in a normal winter at Allentown International Airport, heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 31 days a year.
How hot does it get in Allentown?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 63°. About 18 days a year reach 90° (Allentown International Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Allentown?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 20 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 184 frost-free days, at Allentown International Airport.
What growing zone is Allentown in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Allentown?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Allentown getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 92% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Allentown.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.