Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Scotland Pennsylvania, United States

In Scotland, 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 85°F and is rarely below 11°F or above 93°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Scotland for warm-weather activities is from early June to late September.

The hot season lasts for 3.6 months, from May 28 to September 16, with an average daily high temperature above 76°F. The hottest month of the year in Scotland is July, with an average high of 85°F and low of 67°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.1 months, from December 1 to March 5, with an average daily high temperature below 47°F. The coldest month of the year in Scotland is January, with an average low of 25°F and high of 38°F.

In Scotland, 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 in Scotland begins around June 15 and lasts for 4.9 months, ending around November 10.

The clearest month of the year in Scotland is September, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 64% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 10 and lasts for 7.1 months, ending around June 15.

The cloudiest month of the year in Scotland is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 56% of the time.

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

The wetter season lasts 5.0 months, from March 29 to August 27, with a greater than 29% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Scotland is June, with an average of 11.0 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 7.0 months, from August 27 to March 29. The month with the fewest wet days in Scotland is January, with an average of 6.5 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 in Scotland is June, with an average of 11.0 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 38% on May 29.

Rainfall

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. Scotland experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Scotland. The month with the most rain in Scotland is May, with an average rainfall of 3.5 inches.

The month with the least rain in Scotland is January, with an average rainfall of 1.5 inches.

Snowfall

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

The snowy period of the year lasts for 4.6 months, from November 15 to April 2, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Scotland is February, with an average snowfall of 7.9 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 7.4 months, from April 2 to November 15. The least snow falls around July 26, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Scotland varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2023, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 20 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 15 hours, 1 minute of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:41 AM on June 14, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 2 minutes later at 7:42 AM on November 4. The earliest sunset is at 4:44 PM on December 7, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 58 minutes later at 8:43 PM on June 28.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Scotland during 2023, starting in the spring on March 12, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 5.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2023. 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.

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.

Scotland experiences significant seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.7 months, from May 31 to September 21, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 12% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Scotland is July, with 13.6 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Scotland is January, with 0.0 days that are muggy or worse.

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 in Scotland experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 5.7 months, from November 12 to May 3, with average wind speeds of more than 6.0 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Scotland 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 3 to November 12. The calmest month of the year in Scotland is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 4.4 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Scotland varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 2.0 months, from August 4 to October 5, with a peak percentage of 35% on September 7. The wind is most often from the west for 10.0 months, from October 5 to August 4, with a peak percentage of 46% on January 1.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Scotland 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 Scotland for general outdoor tourist activities is from early June to late September, with a peak score in the first week of September.

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 Scotland for hot-weather activities is from late June to late August, with a peak score in the third week of July.

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 in Scotland typically lasts for 6.8 months (207 days), from around April 8 to around November 2, rarely starting before March 23 or after April 24, and rarely ending before October 15 or after November 18.

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 in Scotland should appear around April 2, only rarely appearing before March 17 or after April 17.

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 3.7 months, from May 1 to August 24, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.9 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Scotland is June, with an average of 6.8 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.2 months, from November 5 to February 10, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.8 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Scotland is December, with an average of 1.9 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Scotland are 39.969 deg latitude, -77.587 deg longitude, and 686 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Scotland contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 249 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 723 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (1,591 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (2,415 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Scotland is covered by cropland (92%), within 10 miles by cropland (62%) and trees (33%), and within 50 miles by trees (52%) and cropland (42%).