Etna’s winters are milder but snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 44 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Etna at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Etna’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Etna’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Etna feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 186 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first by October 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Emsworth L/d Ohio Rvr, PA, 7 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Etna’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 44 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Pittsburgh International Airport, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 41 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 154 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Etna
86% 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 Emsworth L/d Ohio Rvr, PA.
Living with Etna’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
186 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 24 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: April, May, June, August, September and October. 1.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Etna from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (92%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Etna and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Etna in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Etna’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etna, PA | 22° | 85° | 41" | 44" |
| Hartford City, IN | 19° | 84° | 41" | 32" |
| Walden, NY | 18° | 84° | 44" | 44" |
| Chicago Ridge, IL | 17° | 84° | 39" | 39" |
| Lincoln Village, OH | 21° | 85° | 40" | 28" |
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 Etna averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 65% 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 Etna compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Etna’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Etna weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Etna’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Pittsburgh International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 22° | 3.0" | 13.3" | 17 | 14 | 22° – 40° |
| February | 41° | 24° | 2.4" | 11.7" | 14 | 11 | 19° – 41° |
| March | 51° | 31° | 3.2" | 7.6" | 14 | 5 | 35° – 52° |
| April | 64° | 40° | 3.4" | 1.0" | 14 | 0 | 46° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 50° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 55° – 68° |
| June | 81° | 59° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 66° – 72° |
| July | 85° | 63° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| August | 83° | 62° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| September | 77° | 55° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| October | 65° | 43° | 3.0" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| November | 53° | 34° | 2.9" | 2.4" | 12 | 1 | 37° – 49° |
| December | 42° | 27° | 3.2" | 7.7" | 15 | 8 | 24° – 45° |
| Year | 63° | 42° | 40.8" | 44.1" | 154 | 40 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 41°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Etna’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 Etna’s center.
- Snow: Pittsburgh International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Emsworth L/d Ohio Rvr, PA, 7 miles from the town’s center, 100 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 Etna’s climate
What is the weather like in Etna?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 44 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 50% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 54% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Etna in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 107 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 22°.
How much snow does Etna get?
About 44 inches in a normal winter at Pittsburgh International Airport, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 40 days a year.
How hot does it get in Etna?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 63°. About 20 days a year reach 90° (Emsworth L/d Ohio Rvr, PA).
When is the first and last frost in Etna?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 24 and the first fall frost by October 27, about 186 frost-free days, at Emsworth L/d Ohio Rvr, PA.
What growing zone is Etna 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 Etna?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Etna getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Etna.
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.