Bern has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 27 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normalsUpdated once a decade
☀️
July high
86°
274th hottest of 3,547 Pennsylvania towns
❄️
January low
22°
853rd mildest of 3,547 Pennsylvania towns
💧
Rain + melted snow
46 in
1281st wettest of 3,547 Pennsylvania towns
🌨️
Snow a winter
27 in
1062nd least snowy of 3,541 Pennsylvania towns
A normal year
What a year in Bern feels like
❄️
Winter
41° / 24°
Typical high / low · 7 days with an inch or more of snow
🌷
Spring
63° / 40°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Apr 26
☀️
Summer
84° / 62°
Typical high / low · 16 days reach 90° in a normal year
🍂
Fall
66° / 44°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 19
10°
20°
40°
50°
60°
70°
80°
90°
100°
32°
39°
22°
42°
23°
51°
30°
64°
40°
74°
50°
82°
59°
86°
64°
84°
62°
77°
55°
65°
43°
54°
34°
44°
27°
JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecD
32°, freezingBar runs from the typical overnight low up to the afternoon high
Best months to be outsideMayJunSepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month
Bern weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
Month
High
Low
Rain + melt
Snow
Wet days
Snow on ground
30-yr range
January
39°
22°
3.3"
7.4"
11
8
21° – 38°
February
42°
23°
2.4"
9.5"
12
11
21° – 40°
March
51°
30°
3.6"
5.0"
12
5
33° – 49°
April
64°
40°
3.6"
0.3"
13
0
47° – 57°
May
74°
50°
3.7"
0
14
0
57° – 67°
June
82°
59°
4.5"
0
13
0
67° – 74°
July
86°
64°
4.8"
0
12
0
71° – 79°
August
84°
62°
4.5"
0
11
0
69° – 77°
September
77°
55°
4.7"
0
10
0
63° – 70°
October
65°
43°
4.0"
0.3"
12
0
49° – 61°
November
54°
34°
3.1"
0.8"
10
1
38° – 49°
December
44°
27°
3.7"
3.9"
12
5
27° – 46°
Year
63°
42°
45.9"
27.2"
142
30
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.
Rain & snow
Rain and snow in Bern
Bern gets 46 inches of rain and melted snow a year. July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 142 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 30 days of the year.
💧
46 in
Rain + melted snow a year
More rain than 73% of U.S. towns
❄️
27 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 53% of U.S. towns
⛄
30 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
More than 51% of U.S. towns
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
4.8"
JFMAMJJASOND
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
9.5"
JFMAMJJASOND
Frost & the growing season
About 176 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first one by October 19. That leaves about 176 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 53% of U.S. towns.
🌱 Apr 26
🍂 Oct 19
176 frost-free days
JFMAMJJASOND
🥶
125
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
🧊
2
nights below 0° in a normal year
🔥
16
days that reach 90° in a normal year
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
JFMAMJJASOND
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
JFMAMJJASOND
Heating & cooling
Heating and cooling a home in Bern
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Bern, 87% of that work is heating and 13% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
🔥
5,717 heating degree daysLess heating than 51% of U.S. towns
❄️
843 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 50% of U.S. towns
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
Around Bern
Bern and its neighbors
Bern borders 9 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.7°. Centre has the coldest January nights (21°) and Ontelaunee the hottest July afternoons (87°). Bern’s January low is 22° and its July high 86°.
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Then and now
Warmer than it used to be
+1.6°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)
The last 30 years in Bern averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.3°). The shift is larger than in 78% of U.S. towns.
❄️ Winter+2.5°now 33°, was 30°
🌷 Spring+1.3°now 51°, was 50°
☀️ Summer+1.4°now 73°, was 72°
🍂 Fall+1.4°now 55°, was 53°
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Bern’s spot on NOAA’s grid
+0.9°
+3.3°
JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecD
Year to year
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. December swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 27° to 46°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
10°
20°
30°
40°
50°
60°
70°
80°
90°
JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecD
Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions
Common questions about Bern’s climate
What is the coldest month in Bern?
January, with a typical high of 39° and a low of 22°.
What is the hottest month in Bern?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 64°. About 16 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Bern get?
About 27 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.
When is the first frost in Bern?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 19, and the last spring frost by April 26.
What is the rainiest month in Bern?
July, with 4.8 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 46 inches.
📍Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Bern itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Reading 3.5 Sw, PA (6 mi, snow) and Blue Marsh Lake, PA (2 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.