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Lancaster weather in numbers
measured normals and 10 years of recorded weather
Lancaster swings 61°F across the year, from 86°F highs in July to 25°F lows in January, and July is usually the wettest month in a year that brings about 43 in of precipitation. Over 10 years of recorded weather it averages 117 days a year at 77°F or above, 42 of them at 86°F or above, 82 frost nights, and rain on 128 days.
Warmest month
July
86°F average high
Coldest month
January
25°F average low
Wettest month
July
43 in a year
Comfortable
4 months
April, May, September and October
Residents
59,000
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Most accurate here
European
96/100 CheckWeather Score
Warm days
117 days
a year at 77°F or above
Frost nights
82 nights
a year below 32°F
Rain days
128 days
a year with 0.04 in or more
Day counts are from the ERA5 reanalysis for Lancaster’s grid square, 2016 to 2025, counted the same way for every city so the numbers compare. A reanalysis square is an area, not a weather station, so it is good for counting days and not for a single day’s record.
The weather map: all three models at once
NWS, American, European side by side around Lancaster and nearby towns.Live rain radar →
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Lancaster hourly forecast: next 14 hours
consensus of the three models
Rain in the next 24 hours, model by model
each model's own hourly precipitation, side by side
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Lancaster 10-day forecast, out to 14 days
where the models agree, and where they split
Today
Partly cloudy
61°36°
models agree
Tomorrow
Clear
63°36°
models agree
Mon
Mostly clear
66°40°
models agree
Tue
Mostly clear
62°45°
±4°
Wed
Cloudy
60°39°
±6°
Thu
Partly cloudy
66°44°
±7°
Fri
Clear
68°47°
±6°
Sat
Partly cloudy
66°46°
models agree
Sun
Cloudy
63°46°
±8°
Mon
Light drizzle
61°51°
±15°
Tue
Cloudy
60°44°
models agree
Wed
Cloudy
51°39°
models agree
Thu
Cloudy
55°37°
models agree
Lancaster, Pennsylvania (PA) is at its warmest in Jul (average highs near 86°F) and coldest in Jan (lows around 25°F), with roughly 43 in of precipitation across the year. Below, compare what NWS, American, European forecast for Lancaster right now, and see exactly where they disagree.
average daytime high and overnight low across a typical year (1991-2020)
Jan
39°
25°
Feb
43°
25°
Mar
50°
31°
Apr
62°
41°
May
73°
51°
Jun
82°
61°
Jul
86°
67°
Aug
84°
66°
Sep
75°
58°
Oct
65°
46°
Nov
53°
37°
Dec
43°
29°
Source: 1991-2020 averages, ERA5 for this place adjusted with NASA POWER.
How Lancaster's weather has changed since 1995
30 years of daily data, 1995-2024, shown as change
+1.9°F
Around Lancaster, 2015-2024 averaged 1.9°F warmer than 1995-2004. 6 of the 10 warmest years since 1995 fall in the last ten, and the warmest was 2024.
1995each stripe is one year2024
cooler than averagearound averagewarmer than average
Days above 86°F
12 more days a year
2015-2024 against 1995-2004. Within the normal year-to-year swing
Frost nights
11 fewer nights a year
2015-2024 against 1995-2004, below 32°F. Within the normal year-to-year swing
Average wind
−4%
2015-2024 against 1995-2004. Within the normal year-to-year swing
Bars: each year against the area's 30-year average. Dashed lines: the average of the first and the last ten years.
See the numbers year by year
Year
Temp vs average
Days >86°F vs avg
Frost nights vs avg
Wind vs avg
1995
−1.3°F
+8
+18
+2%
1996
−3.3°F
−38
+24
+5%
1997
−1.7°F
+1
+14
+9%
1998
+1.2°F
+5
−18
−2%
1999
+0.3°F
+21
−1
+5%
2000
−1.8°F
−22
+6
+5%
2001
+0.7°F
+8
−3
−2%
2002
+1.0°F
+29
−0
+2%
2003
−2.2°F
−34
+11
+2%
2004
−0.9°F
−34
−2
−2%
2005
−0.2°F
+10
+7
−2%
2006
+0.9°F
−3
−12
+2%
2007
±0.0°F
+13
+6
−2%
2008
−0.6°F
−2
+11
−2%
2009
−1.5°F
−30
−6
−2%
2010
+0.3°F
+26
−3
+5%
2011
+0.3°F
−5
−1
−2%
2012
+1.9°F
+10
−7
−2%
2013
−1.1°F
−14
+15
−2%
2014
−2.4°F
−20
+19
−2%
2015
+0.1°F
−1
−7
−2%
2016
+1.2°F
+22
−6
+2%
2017
+1.0°F
−3
−10
+2%
2018
−0.2°F
−19
+11
+2%
2019
+0.5°F
+10
+7
−2%
2020
+1.4°F
−2
−22
−2%
2021
+1.4°F
+11
+3
−5%
2022
+0.3°F
+20
+2
+2%
2023
+2.1°F
+8
−18
−5%
2024
+2.7°F
+12
−25
−5%
Source: NASA POWER daily data from the MERRA-2 reanalysis, 1995-2024. Each value describes a grid square of about 50 km around Lancaster, not a weather station, and a square that takes in sea or a large lake runs milder than the city itself. That is why this section shows change against the square's own 30-year average rather than counts you could compare with a local station. Rain and snow are left out because their long-term record in this dataset is not consistent over time. "Within the normal year-to-year swing" means the change is smaller than the usual differences between single years.
Which forecast is most accurate in Lancaster?
CheckWeather Score, graded against the weather that actually happened
Provider
CheckWeather-score
Temp
Wind
Rain
Run by
European ★ Best
96
/100rank #1
96±0.4°F
98±0.5 mph
9597% hit
ECMWF - European Centre for Medium-Range Weather ForecastsReading, United Kingdom
American
80
/100rank #2
84±1.6°F
95±1.6 mph
6581% hit
NOAA / NCEP (United States)College Park, Maryland, USA
The accuracy above is the measured record. This is your opinion: which forecast service do you trust most in United States? Give each 1 to 5 stars.
NWSNational Blend (NBM)
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EuropeanECMWF
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One vote per service. Anonymous: we store no personal data, only a one-way hash of your connection for a day to stop double votes.
Where the models disagree
temperature and rain, judged separately
Day
Temperature
Rain
Today
±3°59° to 62°
models agree0% to 0% chance
Tomorrow
±3°61° to 65°
models agree0% to 0% chance
Mon
±3°65° to 68°
models agree0% to 0% chance
Tue
±4°59° to 64°
models agree0% to 0% chance
Wed
±6°56° to 63°
models agree0% to 0% chance
The models often agree on temperature and still split on rain, and rain is usually what decides whether a plan survives. A wide rain range means the shower is genuinely uncertain, not that the forecast is wrong.
Sunrise and sunset in Lancaster
today, local time
Sunrise
07:25
Sunset
18:12
Daylight
10h 47m
Common questions
What's the weather in Lancaster today?
Saturday, October 24: NWS, the American and the European model agree on a high near 61° in Lancaster today. Tomorrow: clear, around 63°, with a 0% chance of rain. The forecast on this page refreshes live.
Will it rain in Lancaster today or tomorrow?
Rain looks unlikely in Lancaster on Sunday, October 25: no model gives more than 0% (NWS 0%, American 0%, European 0%). On Saturday, October 24 the highest chance of rain from any model is 0%. The hourly strip and the model-by-model rain panel above update live.
Which forecast is most accurate for Lancaster?
Over the last 30 days, the European model has been the most accurate for Lancaster (CheckWeather Score 96/100), ahead of the American at 80. We grade every model against the recorded weather. See the US accuracy scoreboard for the full method.
What is the warmest month in Lancaster?
July is typically the warmest month in Lancaster, with average highs around 86°F.
How cold does Lancaster get?
The coldest month in Lancaster is January, when overnight lows average about 25°F.
How much rain does Lancaster get?
Lancaster sees roughly 43 in of precipitation a year, with July usually the wettest month.
Is Lancaster getting warmer?
Yes. In NASA's reanalysis for the area around Lancaster, 2015-2024 averaged 1.9°F warmer than 1995-2004.