Climate · Mount Joy

Mount Joy, PA climate

Mount Joy has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 28 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
87°
169th hottest of 3,547 Pennsylvania towns
January low
22°
443rd mildest of 3,547 Pennsylvania towns
Rain + melted snow
45 in
1631st wettest of 3,547 Pennsylvania towns
Snow a winter
28 in
1162nd least snowy of 3,541 Pennsylvania towns
A normal year

What a year in Mount Joy feels like

Winter

42° / 24°
Typical high / low · 9 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

63° / 41°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Apr 24

Summer

85° / 62°
Typical high / low · 21 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

66° / 44°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 21
Best months to be outsideAprMayJunSepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Mount Joy weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet daysSnow on ground30-yr range
January40°22°3.3" 8.7"96 22° – 39°
February43°24°2.6" 8.8"88 22° – 41°
March52°31°3.8" 4.4"103 35° – 51°
April64°41°3.7" 0.2"110 48° – 58°
May74°50°4.1" 0130 57° – 68°
June82°60°4.2" 0110 67° – 74°
July87°64°4.3" 0110 70° – 79°
August85°62°3.5" 0100 69° – 77°
September78°55°4.8" 090 64° – 70°
October66°44°3.9" 0.1"90 51° – 61°
November54°34°3.3" 0.8"80 38° – 49°
December44°27°3.6" 4.5"93 26° – 46°
Year64°43°45.0"27.5"11721

“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 Mount Joy

Mount Joy gets 45 inches of rain and melted snow a year. September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 117 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 21 days of the year.

45 in
Rain + melted snow a year
More rain than 69% of U.S. towns
28 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 54% of U.S. towns
21 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
Fewer than 58% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
4.8"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
8.8"
Frost & the growing season

About 180 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first one by October 21. That leaves about 180 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 53% of U.S. towns.

121
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
1
nights below 0° in a normal year
21
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Mount Joy

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Mount Joy, 86% of that work is heating and 14% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

86%heating
5,277 heating degree daysLess heating than 61% of U.S. towns
871 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 52% 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 Mount Joy

Mount Joy and its neighbors

Mount Joy borders 4 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.4°. Mount Pleasant has the coldest January nights (22°) and Cumberland the hottest July afternoons (87°). Mount Joy’s January low is 22° and its July high 87°.

Littlestown: January low 22°, July high 86°Union: January low 22°, July high 86°Freedom: January low 22°, July high 87°Gettysburg: January low 22°, July high 87°Highland: January low 22°, July high 86°Franklin: January low 21°, July high 85°Butler: January low 22°, July high 86°Oxford: January low 22°, July high 86°Conewago: January low 21°, July high 86°Hamilton: January low 22°, July high 86°Reading: January low 22°, July high 86°Tyrone: January low 22°, July high 86°Germany: January low 22°, July high 86°Cumberland: January low 22°, July high 87°Mount Pleasant: January low 22°, July high 86°Straban: January low 22°, July high 86°Mount Joy: January low 22°, July high 87° Mount JoyGermanyCumberlandMount PleasantStraban
ColderMilder21° to 22°
Mount Pleasant21.6° −0.4°
Straban21.7° −0.3°
Germany21.8° −0.2°
Cumberland21.9° −0.1°
Mount Joy22.0°

Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.

Compared with other towns

How Mount Joy compares

Summer heat87° July high
Hotter than 63% of U.S. towns169th hottest of 3,547 Pennsylvania towns
Winter cold22° January low
Milder than 63% of U.S. towns443rd mildest of 3,547 Pennsylvania towns
Precipitation45" a year
Wetter than 69% of U.S. towns1631st wettest of 3,547 Pennsylvania towns
Snow28" a winter
Snowier than 54% of U.S. towns1162nd least snowy of 3,541 Pennsylvania towns
Growing season180 frost-free days
Longer than 53% of U.S. towns1177th longest of 3,547 Pennsylvania towns

Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+1.5°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Mount Joy averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.9°). The shift is larger than in 70% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+2.2° now 33°, was 31°
🌷 Spring+1.1° now 52°, was 51°
☀️ Summer+1.4° now 73°, was 72°
🍂 Fall+1.2° now 55°, was 54°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Mount Joy’s spot on NOAA’s grid

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 26° to 46°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Mount Joy’s climate

What is the coldest month in Mount Joy?

January, with a typical high of 40° and a low of 22°.

What is the hottest month in Mount Joy?

July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 64°. About 21 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Mount Joy get?

About 28 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.

When is the first frost in Mount Joy?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 21, and the last spring frost by April 24.

What is the rainiest month in Mount Joy?

September, with 4.8 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 45 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Mount Joy itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Emmitsburg 2 Se, MD (8 mi, snow) and Eisenhower Nhs, PA (4 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.

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