Feb 20, 2024 By Karen Mansfield 4 min read

Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

Southwestern Pennsylvania winter is on pace to be second-warmest for average high temperatures since 1875.

Courtesy NWS Pittsburgh

Here are the current season to date high and low temperature rankings so far this winter. This winter is on pace to be the second-warmest for average high temperatures and fourth warmest for average low temperatures, according to NWS Pittsburgh.

Winter is still here – some parts of Southwestern Pennsylvania saw as much as 7 inches of snowfall Friday into Saturday – but it’s getting less wintry.

According to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, this winter season is likely to end up being the second-warmest for average high temperatures and the fourth-warmest for average low temperatures across the Pittsburgh area since 1875.

The winter period from December to February is the fastest-warming season for most of the United States, and unusually warm winter days now happen more often, according to analysis of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration temperature data by Climate Central, a nonprofit climate research group.

The analysis looked at average winter temperatures for 240 cities across the U.S., including Pittsburgh, and found that more than 86% of those locations (206 cities) now experience more unusually warm winter days than in the 1970s.

On average, those locations now experience five more extremely warm winter days than they did in the 1970s, with Pittsburgh averaging six more extremely warm winter days.

Winter temperatures increased by 3.8 degrees Fahrenheit on average since 1970 in those warming cities, with winters in the fastest-warming cities increasing by as much as 7 degrees, according to the report.

Locations with the fastest winter warming since 1970 are found especially in the Northeast and Great Lakes regions.

Not only are winters warming overall, but cold snaps are becoming less severe and shorter in duration, Climate Central research shows.

Winter warming has its impacts, Climate Central’s report noted.

It contributes to longer allergy season, affects growing seasons and disrupts the chill that fruit and nut crops depend on, disrupts snowfall patterns that can result in reduced water supply, allows mosquitoes to thrive, and impacts cold-weather sports in the U.S., especially the high number of ski resorts in the Upper Midwest and Northeast.

Snow-wise, Pittsburgh has recorded 15.3 inches of snow to date, less than half the average amount of snowfall – 31.9 inches – it experiences in the winter.

“Wintertime temperatures are the fastest-warming out of the seasons, that’s definitely happening. Our winter season seems to be getting a little shorter out of all the seasons, so that window for snowfall gets shorter and the seasonal average for snowfall will shrink,” said Colton Milcarek, a meteorologist at NWS Pittsburgh.

Additionally, the region is experiencing an El Nino weather pattern, which has resulted in warmer, drier weather, Milcarek said.

“This year, we saw kind of a few factors come together to give us warmer temperatures,” he said.

Last year, Pittsburgh saw 17.6 inches of snowfall during the winter, while the lowest snowfall total in recent record was 16.6 inches in 1974.

Milcarek said the remainder of February is forecast to include above average temperatures and above average precipitation, “more of a rainy pattern.”

March looks to bring slightly above average temperatures.

For those who enjoy winter’s outdoor sports, there is still a possibility of snowfall, Milcarek added. Seasonal snowfall might be declining, but heavy snowstorms can still happen.

The earliest last day of snow that occurred was Feb. 24, 1946, and the latest last snowfall occurred on May 9, 1966, with the average last day of snow occurring on April 7.

“We’re probably going to see more snow this year. Winter’s not quite over yet,” he said.