Plum has chilly winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normalsUpdated once a decade
☀️
July high
83°
1712th coolest of 3,547 Pennsylvania towns
❄️
January low
21°
1316th mildest of 3,547 Pennsylvania towns
💧
Rain + melted snow
43 in
949th driest of 3,547 Pennsylvania towns
🌨️
Snow a winter
29 in
1362nd least snowy of 3,541 Pennsylvania towns
A normal year
What a year in Plum feels like
❄️
Winter
39° / 23°
Typical high / low · 12 days with an inch or more of snow
🌷
Spring
61° / 39°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Apr 16
☀️
Summer
82° / 60°
Typical high / low · 15 days reach 90° in a normal year
🍂
Fall
64° / 43°
Typical high / low · First frost around Nov 1
10°
20°
40°
50°
60°
70°
80°
90°
100°
32°
37°
21°
40°
23°
49°
30°
63°
39°
72°
48°
80°
57°
83°
61°
82°
60°
76°
53°
64°
42°
52°
33°
41°
26°
JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecD
32°, freezingBar runs from the typical overnight low up to the afternoon high
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month
Plum 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
30-yr range
January
37°
21°
3.2"
7.1"
18
21° – 38°
February
40°
23°
2.6"
8.2"
14
18° – 40°
March
49°
30°
3.4"
5.5"
14
33° – 51°
April
63°
39°
3.6"
0.3"
15
45° – 56°
May
72°
48°
3.9"
0
15
53° – 67°
June
80°
57°
4.7"
0
14
65° – 71°
July
83°
61°
4.5"
0
13
68° – 77°
August
82°
60°
3.7"
0
12
67° – 75°
September
76°
53°
3.7"
0
12
61° – 69°
October
64°
42°
3.2"
0
13
49° – 59°
November
52°
33°
3.1"
1.8"
13
36° – 48°
December
41°
26°
3.3"
5.7"
16
24° – 45°
Year
62°
41°
42.8"
28.6"
168
“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 Plum
Plum gets 43 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 168 days a year.
💧
43 in
Rain + melted snow a year
More rain than 61% of U.S. towns
❄️
29 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 55% of U.S. towns
☔
168 days
With rain or snow (0.01"+)
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
4.7"
JFMAMJJASOND
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
8.2"
JFMAMJJASOND
Frost & the growing season
About 197 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 16 and the first one by November 1. That leaves about 197 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 70% of U.S. towns.
🌱 Apr 16
🍂 Nov 1
197 frost-free days
JFMAMJJASOND
🥶
117
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
🧊
3
nights below 0° in a normal year
🔥
15
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 Plum
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Plum, 89% of that work is heating and 11% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
🔥
5,811 heating degree daysMore heating than 51% of U.S. towns
❄️
709 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 60% 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 Plum
Plum and its neighbors
Plum borders 10 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.9°. Upper Burrell has the coldest January nights (20°) and Oakmont the hottest July afternoons (85°). Plum’s January low is 21° and its July high 83°.
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Then and now
Warmer than it used to be
+1.0°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)
The last 30 years in Plum averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.2°). The shift is smaller than in 73% of U.S. towns.
❄️ Winter+1.6°now 31°, was 30°
🌷 Spring+1.1°now 50°, was 49°
☀️ Summer+0.4°now 71°, was 70°
🍂 Fall+0.8°now 53°, was 53°
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Plum’s spot on NOAA’s grid
+0.2°
+2.2°
JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecD
Year to year
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. February swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 18° to 40°. 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 Plum’s climate
What is the coldest month in Plum?
January, with a typical high of 37° and a low of 21°.
What is the hottest month in Plum?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 61°. About 15 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Plum get?
About 29 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.
When is the first frost in Plum?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by November 1, and the last spring frost by April 16.
What is the rainiest month in Plum?
June, with 4.7 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 43 inches.
📍Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Plum itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Salina 3 W, PA (11 mi, snow) and Acmetonia Lock 3, 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.