Photo: User:Cards84664 · CC BY-SA 4.0Erie gets about 104 inches of snow a winter, more than 98% of U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 81°. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 89% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.5° above 1901–2000. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 26 to November 4.
A year in Erie at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Erie’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Erie’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Erie feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 192 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by November 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Erie International Airport, 6 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Erie’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 104 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Erie International Airport, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 44 inches a year; October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 167 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Erie
89% 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 Erie International Airport.
Living with Erie’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
192 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 26 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 13 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Erie from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (76%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Erie and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Erie in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Erie’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie, PA | 20° | 81° | 44" | 104" |
| Auburn, NY | 17° | 81° | 42" | 109" |
| Frostburg, MD | 20° | 82° | 44" | 72" |
| Allegan, MI | 18° | 83° | 39" | 109" |
| Lenox, MA | 14° | 81° | 46" | 77" |
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 Erie averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.5°).
A bigger shift than in 56% 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 Erie compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Erie’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Erie weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Erie’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Erie International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 20° | 3.4" | 31.8" | 20 | 20 | 17° – 37° |
| February | 36° | 20° | 2.5" | 19.4" | 15 | 17 | 12° – 37° |
| March | 44° | 27° | 3.0" | 14.5" | 14 | 9 | 28° – 48° |
| April | 57° | 37° | 3.6" | 2.6" | 14 | 1 | 41° – 52° |
| May | 68° | 47° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 50° – 64° |
| June | 77° | 57° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| July | 81° | 62° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| August | 79° | 61° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| September | 73° | 54° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| October | 61° | 44° | 4.5" | 0.1" | 14 | 0 | 49° – 59° |
| November | 49° | 34° | 3.8" | 9.6" | 15 | 5 | 36° – 48° |
| December | 39° | 26° | 3.8" | 26.3" | 19 | 12 | 23° – 43° |
| Year | 58° | 41° | 43.9" | 104.3" | 167 | 63 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 12° to 37°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Erie’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 Erie’s center.
- Snow: Erie International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Erie International Airport, 6 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; 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 Erie’s climate
What is the weather like in Erie?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 104 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 61% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 89% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Erie in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 111 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Erie get?
About 104 inches in a normal winter at Erie International Airport, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 63 days a year.
How hot does it get in Erie?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 62°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Erie International Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Erie?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by November 4, about 192 frost-free days, at Erie International Airport.
What growing zone is Erie in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Erie?
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 Erie getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Erie.
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.