Erie is getting warmer...

Erie is ranked among the fastest-warming cities in the nation according to climate central. In recent decades, temperatures have increased between 1.6 and 4.06 degrees. As higher temperatures reduce winter ice coverage on the Great Lakes, more moisture is available to feed lake-effect snowstorms like the one that dumped more than 156 inches of snow on Erie from December 2017 through February 2018.

Learn More

The below chart shows current average temperature and precipitation trends for Erie Pennsylvania year-round.

Impacts of Rising Temperatures

Increased pests like mosquitos and ticks
Longer growing seasons
An increase in heat-related deaths and illnesses
Increased instances of harmful algal blooms
Reduced winter ice coverage leading to more lake effect snow
Ticks are active longer throughout the year, increasing instances of Lyme disease
More frequent late-winter warm-ups that can cause early budding in trees which are then at risk from frost
Changes in where species are occurring and the timing of their migrations
Fish affected by warmer temperatures are migrating northwards, impacting tourism and recreation
The number of days exceeding 90 degrees will increase from 10 annually to 40 annually
The early arrival of spring may increase the population of major crop pests and invasive weeds
Increased demand for energy cooling in the summer
A decline in winter sports like skiing and snow mobiling .

Erie’s Future Climate Projections

The data shown on this page represents long-term trends and projections for temperature in Erie County. View the different datasets by clicking each link below. The data is presented with historical data as well as future projections in both a higher and lower emission scenario. The information found on this page was taken from the Climate Explorer tool, which includes interactive maps and models that have capabilities beyond what is shown on this site. To view these interactive maps and graphs specifically for Erie County, click here.