Photo: Canadian2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0For weather, Dunbar is about as ordinary as U.S. towns get
January nights here settle around 21°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 63°. Precipitation is plentiful here, more than falls on 65% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around April 22; autumn frost returns near October 27.
A year in Dunbar at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dunbar’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dunbar’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Dunbar feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 187 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 22 and the first by October 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Connellsville 2 Ssw, PA, 1.6 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dunbar’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −3°. 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 24 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Connellsville 2 Ssw, PA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 175 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dunbar
88% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. 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 Connellsville 2 Ssw, PA.
Living with Dunbar’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
187 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 22 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 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dunbar from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (87%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dunbar and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Dunbar yet.
Climates most like Dunbar’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunbar, PA | 21° | 84° | 46" | 24" |
| Westbrook, CT | 22° | 83° | 47" | 25" |
| Wilmington, OH | 21° | 84° | 44" | 27" |
| Bargersville, IN | 20° | 85° | 44" | 26" |
| Wanaque, NJ | 20° | 85° | 48" | 28" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Dunbar averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 90% 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.
How Dunbar compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dunbar’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Dunbar weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dunbar’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Connellsville 2 Ssw, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 21° | 3.5" | 9.5" | 18 | 11 | 22° – 39° |
| February | 42° | 22° | 3.1" | 7.4" | 15 | 7 | 20° – 40° |
| March | 51° | 29° | 3.8" | 3.2" | 15 | 4 | 34° – 50° |
| April | 64° | 39° | 4.0" | 0.1" | 16 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| May | 73° | 48° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 54° – 67° |
| June | 80° | 57° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 64° – 71° |
| July | 84° | 61° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| August | 83° | 60° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| September | 77° | 53° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 61° – 69° |
| October | 65° | 41° | 3.3" | 0.1" | 14 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| November | 53° | 32° | 3.3" | 0.4" | 13 | 1 | 36° – 48° |
| December | 43° | 26° | 3.6" | 3.7" | 17 | 6 | 24° – 45° |
| Year | 63° | 41° | 46.0" | 24.4" | 175 | 28 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 45°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Dunbar’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 Dunbar’s center.
- Snow: Connellsville 2 Ssw, PA (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Connellsville 2 Ssw, PA, 1.6 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft lower; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- 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 Dunbar’s climate
What is the weather like in Dunbar?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 24 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 53% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dunbar in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 116 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 22°.
How much snow does Dunbar get?
About 24 inches in a normal winter at Connellsville 2 Ssw, PA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 28 days a year.
How hot does it get in Dunbar?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 61°. About 17 days a year reach 90° (Connellsville 2 Ssw, PA).
When is the first and last frost in Dunbar?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 22 and the first fall frost by October 27, about 187 frost-free days, at Connellsville 2 Ssw, PA.
What growing zone is Dunbar in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Dunbar?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Dunbar getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 90% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dunbar.
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.