How extreme does State College's weather get?

The hottest, coldest, wettest and snowiest days State College has recorded — the outer limits of what its weather can do, and how far they sit beyond a normal day.

Based on 50+ years of daily weather observations (1971–present), from the State College station. Updated through May 2026 — an all-time extreme only changes when a more extreme day actually occurs, so some dates are old. That is normal, not stale data.

The four kinds of extreme

The hottest, coldest, wettest and snowiest single days State College has recorded — each shown against what a normal day that time of year looks like.

🔥 Hottest day

102°F Jul 17, 1988

That is about 21°F hotter than a normal July afternoon in State College (typical high near 81°F).

The three most extreme on record

1 102°F Jul 17, 1988

2 101°F Jul 23, 2011

3 99°F Jul 9, 1988

❄️ Coldest night

-18°F Jan 19, 1994

About 38°F colder than a normal January night in State College (typical low near 21°F).

The three most extreme on record

1 -18°F Jan 19, 1994

2 -18°F Jan 20, 1994

3 -17°F Jan 17, 1982

🌧️ Most rain in one day

5.05 in Sep 18, 2004

More rain in a single day than State College usually gets in the whole month of September (typical September total about 4.0 in).

The three most extreme on record

1 5.05 in Sep 18, 2004

2 4.71 in Jun 23, 1972

3 3.66 in Aug 18, 1994

⛄ Most snow in one day

26.6 in Mar 3, 1994

Close to a whole typical March's snow in one day (State College averages about 9 in across the month).

The three most extreme on record

1 26.6 in Mar 3, 1994

2 25.0 in Mar 14, 1993

3 16.2 in Jan 8, 1996

How hot and cold it gets, month by month

The shaded band is the normal range of daily temperatures for each month. The dots show the most extreme it has ever been — so you can see how far beyond a normal day the records really sit.

normal range of daily temperatureshottest ever recordedcoldest ever recorded

State College's record heat sits well above even a hot day for the season — July's 102°F is about 21°F beyond a normal hot afternoon. Its record cold is just as far below a normal winter night — the dots mark how rare each extreme really is.

In plain terms

In a normal year, State College's warmest days reach the low 80s°F and its coldest nights drop to the low 20s°F. But across the record it has gone as high as 102°F and as low as −18°F. A single day has delivered over 5 inches of rain or close to 27 inches of snow. Those are the outer edges worth knowing if you are moving here, planning a trip, or thinking about a house.

Methodology & sources

Temperature & precipitation — the official 1991–2020 climate normals from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals, measured at State College (NOAA GHCN station USC00368449), inside the city.

How we build these numbers →

← State College city detail