Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0Summers in East Side are cooler than in 88% of U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 17°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 78% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.7° above 1901–2000. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from October to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in East Side at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about East Side’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with East Side’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in East Side feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 153 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 7 and the first by October 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Francis E Walter Dam, PA, 4 miles from the town’s center, 170 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts East Side’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. 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 45 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Wilkes-barre International Airport, is heaviest from January through February, about 11 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 139 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in East Side
95% 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 Francis E Walter Dam, PA.
Living with East Side’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
153 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 7 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 6.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in East Side from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (54%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 22%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →East Side and its neighbors
Kidder Township has the coldest January nights next door (15°, 1° colder). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like East Side’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Side, PA | 17° | 81° | 47" | 45" |
| Durham, NH | 16° | 81° | 47" | 39" |
| Warren, MA | 16° | 81° | 50" | 43" |
| Kennebunk, ME | 14° | 81° | 49" | 49" |
| Tolland, CT | 17° | 82° | 49" | 39" |
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 East Side averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 70% 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 East Side compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with East Side’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
East Side weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at East Side’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Wilkes-barre International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 17° | 3.3" | 11.7" | 13 | 15° – 33° |
| February | 36° | 18° | 2.5" | 10.9" | 11 | 15° – 34° |
| March | 45° | 25° | 3.4" | 10.1" | 12 | 27° – 46° |
| April | 58° | 34° | 3.9" | 0.8" | 12 | 41° – 51° |
| May | 69° | 45° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 52° – 63° |
| June | 76° | 54° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 62° – 69° |
| July | 81° | 59° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 65° – 73° |
| August | 79° | 57° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 64° – 71° |
| September | 72° | 50° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 58° – 65° |
| October | 60° | 38° | 4.5" | 0.7" | 11 | 45° – 57° |
| November | 48° | 30° | 3.4" | 3.2" | 10 | 34° – 44° |
| December | 38° | 23° | 3.6" | 7.7" | 12 | 22° – 42° |
| Year | 58° | 37° | 46.7" | 45.1" | 139 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 42°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where East Side’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 East Side’s center.
- Snow: Wilkes-barre International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Francis E Walter Dam, PA, 4 miles from the town’s center, 170 ft higher; 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 East Side’s climate
What is the weather like in East Side?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 45 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 78% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 88% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in East Side in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 163 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does East Side get?
About 45 inches in a normal winter at Wilkes-barre International Airport, heaviest from January through February, about 11 inches a month.
How hot does it get in East Side?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 59°. About 4 days a year reach 90° (Francis E Walter Dam, PA).
When is the first and last frost in East Side?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 7 and the first fall frost by October 6, about 153 frost-free days, at Francis E Walter Dam, PA.
What growing zone is East Side in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit East Side?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is East Side getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 70% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in East Side.
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.