#18 of 35 US cities · 2024
How pleasant is the weather in Philadelphia, PA?
In 2024, 50% of daytime hours in Philadelphia were enjoyable outdoors: 2,384 of 4,758 hours between 8 AM and 9 PM. That's #18 of 35 major US cities. September was the best month and December the worst.
- Enjoyable
- 50%
- Comfortable temp
- 54%
- Too cold
- 31%
- Too hot
- 15%
- Lost to rain
- 1.0%
- Lost to gusts
- 3.0%
Month by month
Share of each month's daytime hours (8 AM to 9 PM). Avg temp is the plain air temperature over those hours, not feels-like.
| Month | Enjoyable | Comfortable | Too cold | Too hot | Rain | Avg temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19% | 19% | 81% | 0% | 0.0% | 38°F |
| February | 33% | 33% | 67% | 0% | 0.0% | 43°F |
| March | 41% | 45% | 55% | 0% | 0.5% | 51°F |
| April | 60% | 70% | 27% | 3% | 0.8% | 60°F |
| May | 74% | 81% | 7% | 13% | 2.0% | 69°F |
| June | 52% | 60% | 0% | 40% | 1.3% | 81°F |
| July | 25% | 27% | 0% | 73% | 0.5% | 83°F |
| August | 55% | 59% | 0% | 41% | 3.7% | 79°F |
| September | 91% | 92% | 0% | 8% | 0.8% | 72°F |
| October | 85% | 88% | 11% | 1% | 0.0% | 64°F |
| November | 51% | 55% | 45% | 0% | 0.0% | 54°F |
| December | 16% | 20% | 80% | 0% | 2.5% | 40°F |
What limits outdoor time
Philadelphia loses hours at both ends of the year: November through March are often too cold, and July and August are often too hot.
Where you stand matters here. Of the comfortable hours, 19% were only comfortable in the sun and 28% only in the shade.
Weather escapes within driving distance
An hour's drive (about 45 miles) reaches places that average 7°F cooler in summer, but nowhere meaningfully warmer in winter. Stretch it to two hours (about 90 miles) and you can find places 11°F cooler in summer. Distances are straight-line; temperatures are PRISM 1991–2020 averages.
How Philadelphia, PA compares
- Atlanta, GA · #15 · 52%
- Washington, DC · #16 · 51%
- El Paso, TX · #17 · 51%
- Las Vegas, NV · #19 · 50%
- Jacksonville, FL · #20 · 50%
- Boston, MA · #21 · 49%
Questions
How many pleasant outdoor hours does Philadelphia, PA get?
2,384 hours in 2024, counting only 8 AM to 9 PM. That's 50% of daytime hours, about 183 days' worth of daytime, and ranks #18 of 35 major US cities.
What is the best month to be outside in Philadelphia, PA?
September, when 91% of daytime hours were enjoyable. October (85%) and May (74%) came next. December was the worst month, at 16%.
What makes outdoor time less pleasant in Philadelphia, PA?
Mostly temperature. 31% of daytime hours were too cold and 15% too hot. Rain took another 1.0%, and gusty wind 3.0%.
Scored with the default rule: 48–79°F feels-like in sun or shade, under 1 mm/h of rain, gusts under 27 mph, 8 AM to 9 PM. If you run hotter or colder than that, set your own range on the map. How the score works.