Climate
Pennsylvania's diverse topography also produces a variety of climates, though the entire state experiences cold winters and humid summers. Straddling two major zones, the majority of the state, with the exception of the southeastern corner, has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa). Greater Philadelphia has some characteristics of the humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) that covers much of Delaware and Maryland to the south.
Moving toward the mountainous interior of the state, the winter climate becomes markedly colder, the number of cloudy days increases, and snowfall amounts are greater. Western areas of the state, particularly locations near Lake Erie, can receive over 100 inches (250 cm) of snowfall annually, and the entire state receives plentiful precipitation throughout the year. The state may be subject to severe weather from spring through summer into fall, as an average of 10 tornadoes touch down each year in the state.
| Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Pennsylvania Cities in °F | ||||||||||||
| City | Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | Apr. | May. | Jun. | Jul. | Aug. | Sep. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scranton | 34/19 | 37/21 | 47/28 | 59/39 | 70/48 | 78/57 | 82/62 | 80/60 | 73/53 | 61/42 | 50/34 | 38/24 |
| Erie | 34/21 | 36/21 | 44/28 | 56/38 | 67/48 | 76/59 | 80/64 | 79/63 | 72/56 | 61/46 | 50/37 | 38/27 |
| Pittsburgh | 36/21 | 40/23 | 50/30 | 62/40 | 71/49 | 79/58 | 83/63 | 82/62 | 75/54 | 63/43 | 52/35 | 40/25 |
| Harrisburg | 38/23 | 41/24 | 51/32 | 64/42 | 73/52 | 82/63 | 86/67 | 84/66 | 77/58 | 65/45 | 54/36 | 42/27 |
| Philadelphia | 40/26 | 44/28 | 53/34 | 64/44 | 74/54 | 83/64 | 87/69 | 85/68 | 78/60 | 67/48 | 56/39 | 45/30 |
| Allentown | 36/21 | 40/23 | 50/30 | 62/40 | 72/49 | 80/59 | 85/64 | 83/62 | 75/54 | 64/42 | 53/34 | 41/25 |
| East Stroudsburg | 35/16 | 39/17 | 49/26 | 61/36 | 72/46 | 80/55 | 85/59 | 83/58 | 75/50 | 64/38 | 51/30 | 40/22 |
| , ,
, East Stroudsburg |
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Read more about this topic: Economy Of Pennsylvania
Famous quotes containing the word climate:
“The climate of Ohio is perfect, considered as the home of an ideal republican people. Climate has much to do with national character.... A climate which permits labor out-of-doors every month in the year and which requires industry to secure comfort—to provide food, shelter, clothing, fuel, etc.—is the very climate which secures the highest civilization.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)
“Nobody is so constituted as to be able to live everywhere and anywhere; and he who has great duties to perform, which lay claim to all his strength, has, in this respect, a very limited choice. The influence of climate upon the bodily functions ... extends so far, that a blunder in the choice of locality and climate is able not only to alienate a man from his actual duty, but also to withhold it from him altogether, so that he never even comes face to face with it.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“Then climate is a great impediment to idle persons; we often resolve to give up the care of the weather, but still we regard the clouds and the rain.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)