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Philadelphia weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

The cradle of American independence sits in the Mid-Atlantic between coast and country, working through four full seasons: humid summers, crisp colourful autumns, and winters that swing from mild to snowbound. Philadelphia weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, records and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

−6.1°Fhigh well below average

60° / 38°Today
66° / 49°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+3.0°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–4960frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 80 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 80 in the 1940s54days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 35 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 35 in the 1940s+3.0°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 3.3 incheshigh 40°low 27°February, rain 3.1 incheshigh 43°low 28°March, rain 4.0 incheshigh 52°low 36°April, rain 3.9 incheshigh 64°low 45°May, rain 3.9 incheshigh 74°low 55°June, rain 3.6 incheshigh 82°low 64°July, rain 4.1 incheshigh 86°low 70°August, rain 4.0 incheshigh 84°low 68°September, rain 3.6 incheshigh 78°low 61°October, rain 3.3 incheshigh 67°low 50°November, rain 3.4 incheshigh 55°low 40°December, rain 3.8 incheshigh 44°low 31°wettest month July, 4.1 inches · 44.0 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Clear

Right now

59.5°

53°feels like
28%humidity
26°dew point
5 mphfrom N
UV index2.3
sunrise07:14sunset18:16day length11h 02m
TodayClear60°38°
MonClear62°41°
TueClear69°44°
WedClear64°49°
ThuClear69°48°
FriClear63°51°
SatClear63°48°

On this date: October 18

Today (forecast)
60° / 38°
Average for October 18
66° / 49°

High well below average · −6.1°F

  • Record high: 82.6° · 2016
  • Record low: 30.8° · 1982
  • One year ago: 71° / 46°

Every October 18 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 18 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Philadelphia is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 39.95°N, 75.16°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
39.95°N, 75.16°W
Time zone
America/New York
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

19 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +1.7°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

Philadelphia lies at the northern edge of the humid subtropical zone (Köppen Cfa). Set in the Mid-Atlantic between the Atlantic coast and the interior, it has four clearly marked seasons: hot, muggy summers, mild spring and autumn, and moderately cold winters.

Summer brings frequent humid spells, with heat and high humidity that push the heat index up on many days. Winters are the wild card: snowfall is highly variable (some years stay light while others bring major snowstorms) and lasting snow cover on the ground is rare. It is this swing between sticky summers and unpredictable winters, more than any single extreme, that defines the city's year.

The warmest month is July, with typical afternoon highs of 86.3°F and nights around 69.5°F. On about 70 nights a year, the temperature never drops below 68°F. The coolest month is January, when afternoons reach about 40.3°F and overnight lows sit around 26.9°F. Around 60 days a year dip below freezing.

In total, Philadelphia averages about 44.0 inches of precipitation a year; July is usually the wettest month (4.1 inches) and February the driest (3.1 inches).

The record here starts in 1940, and since then the annual mean in Philadelphia has climbed 3.0°F from the first ten years to the last ten. The count of days past 86°F has risen from roughly 35 a year to 55 between the record's first and last decades.

Sources:en.wikipedia.orgbritannica.comweather.gov

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 44°F. Wettest month: July (~4.1 in). Whole year averages ~44.0 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 99 rainy days a year: most in July (~10), fewest in October (~6).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Philadelphia month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Record high/low are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightRecord highRecord low
January40.3°26.9°3.3 in89.5 h72.8° (2007)−13.4° (1984)
February43.4°28.4°3.1 in810.5 h78.5° (2018)−7.8° (1979)
March52.5°35.7°4.0 in911.7 h88.3° (1998)0.9° (1984)
April63.9°45.5°3.9 in913.1 h95.2° (2002)19.1° (1982)
May73.8°55.3°3.9 in914.2 h96.1° (1996)34.6° (1966)
June82.2°64.3°3.6 in914.8 h102.7° (2011)43.6° (1972)
July86.3°69.5°4.1 in1014.6 h106.1° (2011)52.6° (1988)
August84.2°68.0°4.0 in913.6 h103.2° (2001)46.7° (1986)
September77.6°61.2°3.6 in712.2 h101.6° (1953)36.6° (1963)
October66.7°49.9°3.3 in610.9 h95.9° (2019)26.4° (1972)
November55.3°40.1°3.4 in79.7 h85.0° (1950)15.7° (1955)
December44.3°31.2°3.8 in89.2 h73.7° (1998)−2.0° (1963)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +3.0°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.36°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Dec–Feb is warming fastest: +0.48°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 86°F per year: 34.8 early in the record → 53.6 recently. Frost days: 80 → 60.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

All-time high in 2011, all-time low in 1984: 106.1°F / −13.4°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~44.0 in/year on average. Last decade: +6% vs that average. Long-term trend: +0.39 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Philadelphia

Which is the warmest month in Philadelphia?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Philadelphia is July (mean daily temperature of about 77.3°F) and the coolest is January (about 32.9°F).
How does today's temperature in Philadelphia compare to the historical average?
On October 18, 2026, Philadelphia is forecast to reach a high of 60.1°F and a low of 38.1°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 66.1°F and a low of 48.6°F, so today's high is 6.1°F cooler than that average.
How much has Philadelphia warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Philadelphia is about 3.0°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Philadelphia?
Philadelphia receives about 44.0 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with July typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Philadelphia?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Philadelphia is about 55.4°F. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Philadelphia by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Philadelphia (°F, full record since 1940): January 40°/27°, February 43°/28°, March 52°/36°, April 64°/45°, May 74°/55°, June 82°/64°, July 86°/70°, August 84°/68°, September 78°/61°, October 67°/50°, November 55°/40°, December 44°/31°.
What is the weather like in Philadelphia in summer?
In summer, June through August, Philadelphia is warm. Expect 82–86°F by day and 64–70°F at night, with July the warmest month. Rain is steady at around 3.9 inches a month, spread over roughly 9 days.
What is the weather like in Philadelphia in winter?
In winter, December through February, Philadelphia is cold. Daytime highs sit at 40–44°F and nights at 27–31°F; January is the coldest month. Rain falls on about 8 days a month, adding up to around 3.4 inches.
What is the weather like in Philadelphia in spring?
Spring in Philadelphia (March to May) is fairly mild. March is still 52°F in the afternoon and 36°F at night, May already 74°F and 55°F. Rain is steady at around 3.9 inches a month, spread over roughly 9 days.
What is the weather like in Philadelphia in autumn?
September to November is autumn in Philadelphia, and it is mild. September is still 78°F by day and 61°F at night; by November it is down to 55°F and 40°F. Rain falls on about 7 days a month, adding up to around 3.5 inches.
How many days a year does it rain in Philadelphia?
On long-term average, Philadelphia has about 99 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 44.0 inches.

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