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Climate and Average Weather Year Round at Harrisburg International Airport Pennsylvania, United States

At Harrisburg International Airport, the summers are warm and humid, the winters are very cold and snowy, and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 24°F to 86°F and is rarely below 11°F or above 93°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Harrisburg International Airport for warm-weather activities is from mid June to late September.

Climate at Harrisburg International Airport

very coldcoldcoolwarmhotwarmcoolcoldJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow66%66%44%44%clearovercastprecipitation: 3.7 inprecipitation: 3.7 in2.4 in2.4 inmuggy: 54%muggy: 54%0%0%drydrytourism score: 6.8tourism score: 6.80.10.1
Harrisburg International Airport weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The hot season lasts for 3.6 months, from May 27 to September 15, with an average daily high temperature above 76°F. The hottest month of the year at Harrisburg International Airport is July, with an average high of 85°F and low of 68°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.2 months, from November 30 to March 5, with an average daily high temperature below 47°F. The coldest month of the year at Harrisburg International Airport is January, with an average low of 25°F and high of 38°F.

Average High and Low Temperature at Harrisburg International Airport

Average High and Low Temperature at Harrisburg International AirporthotcoldcoldJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FJan 3037°FJan 3037°FJul 2086°FJul 2086°F24°F24°F69°F69°FMay 2776°FMay 2776°FSep 1576°FSep 1576°FNov 3047°FNov 3047°FMar 547°FMar 547°F58°F58°F60°F60°F34°F34°F31°F31°FNowNow
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.
AverageJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High 38°F41°F51°F63°F73°F81°F85°F83°F75°F64°F52°F42°F
Temp. 30°F33°F41°F52°F63°F72°F76°F74°F67°F55°F45°F35°F
Low 25°F27°F34°F44°F54°F64°F68°F66°F59°F47°F38°F30°F

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature at Harrisburg International Airport

Average Hourly Temperature at Harrisburg International AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMNowNowfreezingfreezingvery coldvery coldcoldcoldcoolcoolcomfortablewarmfreezing
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Krasnodar, Russia (5,337 miles away); Urus-Martan, Russia (5,655 miles); and Uijeongbu-si, South Korea (6,852 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Harrisburg International Airport (view comparison).

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At Harrisburg International Airport, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year at Harrisburg International Airport begins around June 20 and lasts for 4.7 months, ending around November 9.

The clearest month of the year at Harrisburg International Airport is September, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 65% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 9 and lasts for 7.3 months, ending around June 20.

The cloudiest month of the year at Harrisburg International Airport is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 55% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories at Harrisburg International Airport

Cloud Cover Categories at Harrisburg International AirportclearercloudiercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Sep 366%Sep 366%Jan 1244%Jan 1244%Jun 2055%Jun 2055%Nov 955%Nov 955%NowNowclearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercast
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.
FractionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Cloudier 55%54%51%50%49%46%40%36%35%38%47%53%
Clearer 45%46%49%50%51%54%60%64%65%62%53%47%

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days at Harrisburg International Airport varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 4.9 months, from March 30 to August 26, with a greater than 30% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days at Harrisburg International Airport is June, with an average of 11.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 7.1 months, from August 26 to March 30. The month with the fewest wet days at Harrisburg International Airport is January, with an average of 6.7 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone at Harrisburg International Airport is June, with an average of 11.2 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 38% on June 9.

Daily Chance of Precipitation at Harrisburg International Airport

Daily Chance of Precipitation at Harrisburg International AirportwetdrydryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Jun 938%Jun 938%Jan 1421%Jan 1421%Mar 3030%Mar 3030%Aug 2630%Aug 2630%NowNowrainsnow
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).
Days ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rain 3.4d3.7d6.7d9.0d10.9d11.2d11.5d10.1d8.4d7.3d6.5d5.2d
Mixed 1.7d1.7d1.1d0.2d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.5d1.4d
Snow 1.6d1.2d0.4d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.2d0.8d
Any 6.7d6.6d8.3d9.2d10.9d11.2d11.5d10.1d8.4d7.4d7.2d7.4d

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Harrisburg International Airport experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year at Harrisburg International Airport. The month with the most rain at Harrisburg International Airport is September, with an average rainfall of 3.6 inches.

The month with the least rain at Harrisburg International Airport is January, with an average rainfall of 1.7 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall at Harrisburg International Airport

Average Monthly Rainfall at Harrisburg International AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in2 in2 in4 in4 in6 in6 in8 in8 in10 in10 inSep 263.7 inSep 263.7 inFeb 71.6 inFeb 71.6 inJun 53.5 inJun 53.5 inAug 153.2 inAug 153.2 inNov 263.1 inNov 263.1 inNowNow
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rainfall 1.7″1.7″2.6″3.3″3.4″3.5″3.3″3.2″3.6″3.4″3.1″2.5″

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Harrisburg International Airport experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 4.7 months, from November 13 to April 3, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow at Harrisburg International Airport is January, with an average snowfall of 7.7 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 7.3 months, from April 3 to November 13. The least snow falls around July 19, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

Average Monthly Snowfall at Harrisburg International Airport

Average Monthly Snowfall at Harrisburg International AirportsnowsnowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in5 in5 in10 in10 in15 in15 in20 in20 inJan 288.4 inJan 288.4 inJul 190.0 inJul 190.0 inNov 131.0 inNov 131.0 inApr 31.0 inApr 31.0 in
The average snowfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average rainfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Snowfall 7.7″7.6″3.1″0.2″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″1.2″5.0″

The length of the day at Harrisburg International Airport varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 18 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 15 hours, 2 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight at Harrisburg International Airport

Hours of Daylight and Twilight at Harrisburg International AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hr12 hr, 7 minMar 1912 hr, 7 minMar 1915 hr, 2 minJun 2015 hr, 2 minJun 2012 hr, 11 minSep 2212 hr, 11 minSep 229 hr, 18 minDec 219 hr, 18 minDec 21nightnightdayNowNow
The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.
Hours ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight 9.7h10.7h12.0h13.3h14.4h15.0h14.7h13.7h12.4h11.1h9.9h9.4h

The earliest sunrise is at 5:36 AM on June 14, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 1 minute later at 7:38 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 4:41 PM on December 7, and the latest sunset is 4 hours, 0 minutes later at 8:40 PM on June 27.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed at Harrisburg International Airport during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time at Harrisburg International Airport

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time at Harrisburg International AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMJun 145:36 AMJun 145:36 AM8:40 PMJun 278:40 PMJun 27Dec 74:41 PMDec 74:41 PM7:38 AMNov 27:38 AMNov 2Mar 10DSTMar 10DSTDSTNov 3DSTNov 3daynightnightnightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray. The transitions to and from daylight saving time are indicated by the 'DST' labels.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth at Harrisburg International Airport

Solar Elevation and Azimuth at Harrisburg International AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AM00010101010202020303030404040505060607000010101020202020303040405050602673NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases at Harrisburg International Airport

The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Harrisburg International Airport experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.9 months, from May 27 to September 23, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 13% of the time. The month with the most muggy days at Harrisburg International Airport is July, with 15.6 days that are muggy or worse.

The least muggy day of the year is February 15, when muggy conditions are essentially unheard of.

Humidity Comfort Levels at Harrisburg International Airport

Humidity Comfort Levels at Harrisburg International AirportmuggyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Feb 150%Feb 150%Aug 154%Aug 154%May 2713%May 2713%Sep 2313%Sep 2313%NowNowoppressiveoppressivemuggymuggydrydryhumidhumidcomfortablecomfortable
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Muggy days 0.0d0.0d0.0d0.1d2.2d9.1d15.6d13.4d5.8d0.9d0.0d0.0d

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed at Harrisburg International Airport experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 5.7 months, from November 11 to May 2, with average wind speeds of more than 6.1 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year at Harrisburg International Airport is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 7.6 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 6.3 months, from May 2 to November 11. The calmest month of the year at Harrisburg International Airport is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 4.5 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed at Harrisburg International Airport

Average Wind Speed at Harrisburg International AirportwindywindyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph0 mph2 mph2 mph4 mph4 mph6 mph6 mph8 mph8 mph10 mph10 mph12 mph12 mphFeb 267.8 mphFeb 267.8 mphAug 124.4 mphAug 124.4 mphNov 116.1 mphNov 116.1 mphMay 26.1 mphMay 26.1 mphNowNow
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wind Speed (mph) 7.37.67.66.85.64.94.64.55.05.66.26.7

The predominant average hourly wind direction at Harrisburg International Airport varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 2.9 weeks, from May 8 to May 28 and for 2.4 months, from July 25 to October 7, with a peak percentage of 35% on August 15. The wind is most often from the west for 1.9 months, from May 28 to July 25 and for 7.0 months, from October 7 to May 8, with a peak percentage of 38% on July 6.

Wind Direction at Harrisburg International Airport

Wind Direction at Harrisburg International AirportWSWSWJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NowNowwestsouthnortheast
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Harrisburg International Airport is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 3.5 months, from June 18 to October 1, with an average temperature above 67°F. The month of the year at Harrisburg International Airport with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 74°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.6 months, from December 19 to April 6, with an average temperature below 46°F. The month of the year at Harrisburg International Airport with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 39°F.

Average Water Temperature at Harrisburg International Airport

Average Water Temperature at Harrisburg International AirportwarmcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°FAug 1174°FAug 1174°F39°FFeb 1339°FFeb 13Jun 1867°FJun 1867°FOct 167°FOct 167°FDec 1946°FDec 1946°FApr 646°FApr 646°FNowNow
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
WaterJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Temperature 41°F39°F42°F48°F56°F66°F73°F74°F71°F63°F55°F47°F

To characterize how pleasant the weather is at Harrisburg International Airport throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Harrisburg International Airport for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid June to late September, with a peak score in the last week of August.

Tourism Score at Harrisburg International Airport

Tourism Score at Harrisburg International Airportbest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810106.86.80.10.1NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationtourism score
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Harrisburg International Airport for hot-weather activities is from late June to late August, with a peak score in the third week of July.

Beach/Pool Score at Harrisburg International Airport

Beach/Pool Score at Harrisburg International Airportbest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810106.16.10.00.0NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationbeach/pool score
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season at Harrisburg International Airport typically lasts for 7.0 months (213 days), from around April 4 to around November 3, rarely starting before March 19 or after April 19, and rarely ending before October 17 or after November 19.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season at Harrisburg International Airport

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season at Harrisburg International Airportgrowing seasonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%50%Apr 450%Apr 450%Nov 350%Nov 390%Apr 1990%Apr 1990%Oct 1790%Oct 1710%Mar 1910%Mar 1910%Nov 1910%Nov 190%Dec 180%Dec 18Jul 14100%Jul 14100%freezingvery coldcoolcomfortablewarmhotcoldfrigid
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms at Harrisburg International Airport should appear around April 7, only rarely appearing before March 21 or after April 21.

Growing Degree Days at Harrisburg International Airport

Growing Degree Days at Harrisburg International AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F500°F500°F1,000°F1,000°F1,500°F1,500°F2,000°F2,000°F2,500°F2,500°F3,000°F3,000°F3,500°F3,500°FApr 788°FApr 788°FJun 13900°FJun 13900°FJul 201,800°FJul 201,800°FDec 313,602°FDec 313,602°F
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.8 months, from April 29 to August 22, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.9 kWh. The brightest month of the year at Harrisburg International Airport is June, with an average of 6.8 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.2 months, from November 4 to February 10, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.8 kWh. The darkest month of the year at Harrisburg International Airport is December, with an average of 1.8 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy at Harrisburg International Airport

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy at Harrisburg International AirportbrightdarkdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWh9 kWh9 kWhJun 276.9 kWhJun 276.9 kWhDec 221.8 kWhDec 221.8 kWhApr 295.9 kWhApr 295.9 kWhAug 225.9 kWhAug 225.9 kWhNov 42.8 kWhNov 42.8 kWhFeb 102.8 kWhFeb 102.8 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Solar Energy (kWh) 2.13.04.25.46.36.86.76.05.03.62.41.8

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Harrisburg International Airport are 40.193 deg latitude, -76.763 deg longitude, and 299 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Harrisburg International Airport contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 702 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 365 feet. Within 10 miles contains significant variations in elevation (971 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (2,260 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Harrisburg International Airport is covered by artificial surfaces (42%), water (29%), cropland (16%), and trees (13%), within 10 miles by artificial surfaces (33%) and cropland (31%), and within 50 miles by cropland (49%) and trees (41%).

This report illustrates the typical weather at Harrisburg International Airport, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

Harrisburg International Airport has a weather station that reported reliably enough during the analysis period that we have included it in our network. When available, historical temperature and dew point measurements are taken directly from this weather station. These records are obtained from NOAA's Integrated Surface Hourly data set, falling back on ICAO METAR records as required.

In the case of missing or erroneous measurements from this station, we fall back on records from nearby stations, adjusted according to typical seasonal and diurnal intra-station differences. For a given day of the year and hour of the day, the fallback station is selected to minimize the prediction error over the years for which there are measurements for both stations.

The stations on which we may fall back include but are not limited to Capital City Airport, York Airport, Muir Army Air Field / Indiantown, Lancaster Airport, Penn Valley Airport, Carroll County Regional Airport/Jack B Poage Field, Site R, and Reading Municipal Airport.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page.