Climate of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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The climate of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania contains both maritime and continental influences, due to its topography and distance from the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Erie. For example, Pittsburgh's climate contains the wide variations in temperature common to continental climates, yet has winters more mild and summers less hot than other cities further inland at the same latitude. Overall, the city's climate features cool, sometimes cold winters with snow, warm, humid summers, and frequent clouds and precipitation. Pittsburgh is one of the ten most cloudy cities in the United States, averaging over 200 days of significant cloud cover per year^{[citation needed]}. It falls squarely into the humid continental climate (Dfa) zone on the Koppen climate classification.

[edit] Temperature

The warmest month of the year in Pittsburgh, as in most of the northern hemisphere, is July. The average high temperature is 83°F (28°C), with overnight low temperatures averaging 62°F (17°C). July in Pittsburgh is often humid, resulting in a considerable heat index. The coldest month of the year in Pittsburgh is January, when the average high temperature is 37°F (3°C). Overnight low temperatures average 20°F (-7°C). The moderating influence of Pittsburgh's proximity to the Atlantic Ocean is evident in the fact that Chicago, which is less than 110 miles (180 km) north of Pittsburgh (and about 400 miles west), experiences average January temperatures 7°F (3°C) colder on average. The highest temperature ever recorded in Pittsburgh was 103°F (39°C), on July 16, 1988. The coldest temperature ever recorded in the city was -22°F (-30°C), on January 19, 1994.

**Monthly average high temperatures**
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
°F	33	36	49	58	70	78	83	81	75	65	48	38
°C	1	2	9	14	21	26	28	27	23	17	9	3

**Monthly average low temperatures**
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
°F	19	22	31	38	49	56	62	60	54	41	33	25
°C	-8	-6	-2	3	9	13	16	15	12	5	1	-3

[edit] Precipitation

Shaler Township, a suburb of Pittsburgh during the February 2007 North America winter storm.

Precipitation is greatest in Pittsburgh in May, due to frequent thunderstorms and more organized low pressure systems which track up the eastern coast of the United States. On average, 4.04 inches (102.6 mm) of precipitation falls in May. The driest month of the year is February, when most precipitation falls in the form of low moisture content snow. However, Pittsburgh's February precipitation, 2.47 inches (62.7 mm), is relatively heavy compared to cities further inland, mainly because the city is east enough that it can be impacted by Nor' easters in some way, but usually lighter than in the central and eastern parts of the state.^{[citation needed]}.