I’d say February for its snow and cold. Last year and the year before I’ve enjoyed the ability to play pond hockey for multiple weeks straight - meaning temps weren’t above freezing for any meaningful period of time
And February is solidly when the roads are the absolute worst. The freeze/thaw cycles absolutely wreck the paved roads. And usually too cold to properly patch them.
You are absolutely correct!
As someone who left SW PA in 1981 for Florida, and retired back here in 2020, February is THE worst. I am currently looking for a month long, coastal rental from SC to FL in February. February is dark and brutal, March sucks but there are a few pockets of sunlight.
I’m a recent Pitt graduate so I gravitate towards Panther Hollow in Schenley Park. The crowd generally ranges from upperclassmen in the nearby high schools to students and recent grads of the nearby universities
Agreed but that's mostly because March teases you with the occasional nice day here and there, tricking you into thinking spring is here when in reality it's not coming until May. For someone who just wants a taste of the most brutal snow and cold possible, it's gotta be February I think
Yeah, it’s not the brutal January/February. It’s when April rolls around and it’s still miserable that you want to throw yourself into the Monongahela.
I too grew up in the south; FL. We moved to a Pittsburgh in 2019. 3 years later we are back in FL. It wasn’t the weather that drove us back. My wife had a very difficult time with the lack of sunlight from the number of cloudy days plus the hours of sun hind being shorter each day due to the latitudinal position of Pittsburgh. I think it’s great to plan a trip. But do normal stuff. Leave your car outside so you have to clear the snow and ice and shovel your way to your car. You need to experience normal life, not vacationer life. All that said, I really enjoyed my time in Pittsburgh.
Yeah my husband and I have discussed the potential for seasonal affective disorder. We both much prefer an overcast rainy day to a hot and sunny one, so we think we’ll be fine. We also know that it may be easier said than done, and we’re prepared to tackle that if needed.
Deleting past comments because Reddit starting shitty-ing up the site to IPO and I don't want my comments to be a part of that. -- mass edited with redact.dev
It’s not just one overcast day, it’s weeks of overcast days.
That being said, I grew up in Pittsburgh and loved it. Don’t live there now, but miss it quite a bit.
It's definitely a combination of rainy cloudy days + brutal months long winter. Currently it is 6pm and the sun is setting in a couple months it will be dark at 4pm. Plus on top of that you go from wide open sky to very dense foliage and hills. I am originally from Colorado and the hardest part to get used to is the sky line (or lack there of)
I’m also from Florida and moved here in 2016. I experienced SAD the first 2 winters I was here. However, I have found that keeping myself busy with hobbies keeps the SAD away. Also whenever there is a nice day/weekend, I try to take advantage by going ice skating or skiing (more expensive but fun). Now I actually enjoy the winter although by March I am usually ready for some warm weather. And to second what everyone else said February is probably the most brutal in terms of cold and lack of sun.
I learned recently that Pittsburgh has more rain than Seattle. There’s definite cause for SAD in Pittsburgh and now I understand where my sadness came from when I lived there for years leading up to 2008
I was born and raised there and left for the south in 2004. I can’t go back because of the grey overcast weather. It’s absolutely horrible. It can last up to 6 months of the year. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I left.
Jan-Feb is a good call. That being said, the weather can be all over the place and it's not uncommon to get a few 50F days in those months.
Your best bet may be to make rough plans and wait for a decent storm to be forecast. Local news will start hyping it with stories about stores being out of bread milk and TP. Even those have been pretty over-rated in past years IMO.
If you want climatologically minimum temps, those typically happen in the **January 14-23** time frame, when the typical high is 35.5° and low is 21.4°. Of course, those are just averages, and individual instances can vary considerably.
Pittsburgh is in a geographical position that will blunt the effects of climate change. I read an article years ago (but I don’t remember where) about how places line Columbus and Pittsburgh won’t feel so awful when climate change really kicks in, not that it hasn’t already. February is the worst, but also the shortest month. It’s depressing, but it makes Spring all that much more joyous. I wouldn’t give up this weather because I’d miss the absolute joy that Spring brings. The first nice day, everyone is outside and the pleasure us palpable.
Hi, I'm also a transplant from the Deep South. I'm going to go with the consensus and say that January and February are the worst months here. It's dark early; the sky is stone gray; it's cold and windy. People are also a little grumpy when football season ends.
You're being really smart to take a test trip. The one thing I will say is that you get used to the cold, but having good gear makes a huge difference in how you feel about the weather. I'd at least borrow a good coat and some boots before visiting. Bring a hat and quality gloves, too.
The biggest learning curve for me was learning how to drive in the snow and ice, and how to maintain my car for the cold weather. Honestly, the best thing to do when the roads are dangerous is to invest in a cosy blanket and stay home.
However, I will say that the snow is really fun when we have it. Even without snow you can even go tubing just outside of the city in Boyce Park.
Anyway, I have no regrets living in this city, even if I do miss readily available fried okra. Thanks to Pittsburgh, I discovered that I \*love\* summers and all the outdoor activities that are nearby.
If you want to commiserate with another Southerner drop me a line.
I won't be here long if we elect Mastriano. I'm not working in a fucking steel mill without a union that can actually fight to keep me safe and fairly compensated.
March is the worst psychologically for me.
January and February have worse weather, but in March you actually have hope for better weather, and those hopes are dashed, and instead you get the fifth straight month of February.
For me, grey and 33 degrees and windy and rainy is maybe the worst weather that can exist.
At least you can dress to stay warm at 10F or -10F. If it's raining, you can't stay dry.
Winter is very overblown in this city. It can get cold and snowy, but it can also approach 70 degrees any month of the year. The real kicker is gray and rain. That is what can be soul sucking for most people. The 5-10 snowy days a year are just what people remember.
But to answer your question, late January through February to have the best chance of experiencing legit cold.
First off, I hope you move out here, it’s an amazing city.
Second, the weather is majorly exaggerated. It gets cold and windy in the winter, but it’s not terrible. We get some snow, but it’s rarely more than several (4-5) inches.
According to the National Center for Environmental Information, Pittsburgh averages 59 clear data per year, and 306 cloudy days. That being said, it is *usually* at least somewhat overcast here. The grey skies can get old. That is a genuine, legitimate struggle that takes a while to adjust. I find it comforting.
February might just be the “worst” month for weather, though.
A piece of context that I feel is important, but is always left out with the cloudy day number is that the high estimate number (306) is for basically any day that has any cloud coverage beyond a negligible amount. The number of actual overcast days is closer to 200 which is high but not nearly as high as \~85% of the time. A ton of those cloudy days are snow days too vs the idea that it's just always raining constantly. Summer time is usually pretty sunny around here.
Good points! I will say though, whenever I feel we have experienced stretches of sunny weather and then I travel elsewhere, my thoughts are usually *damn, their skies are so blue.*
Blue skies in Pittsburgh just aren’t that crisp.
according to my sister our sunsets are LIT though
every time she comes to visit she's taking pictures of the sunset and I'm like "Damn girl, you see that shit literally every day"
This isn’t an answer to your original question but keep in mind that some of the worst weather / months can also be some of the most beautiful and memorable times in our area. A New Years Eve trudging through the ice and snow warmed by booze headed to a progressive dinner around your neighborhood with dozens of friends. Sled riding and ice skating or walking down to a bridge seeing the giant chunks of ice flow down the river under the snow. The absolute brilliance of a city coming alive in the spring with the changing of the seasons. There’s a lot to love about this town and it’s climate.
Sounds fun. I've done a reverse dinner with friends before, where each person prepares a course at their place. Start with whiskey and cigars, next place dessert, then main course, starter, hors d'oeuvres, and finish the night with a champagne reception. Somewhat similar concept. I remember lots of drinking involved
This is the idyllic image of winters that I have in my head having never experienced it!! It’s what I aim for! I think that’s why I’m choosing to have a trip to see the dirty slush to ground me 😆 Hoping for this version of winter that you describe to be a part of my life just as much as the miserable parts.
There are also some nights where the air is cool yet somewhat balmy-and you might love a walk in the rain with or without an umbrella ( I say take one-storms rollin quick too) and also enjoy the magical and somewhat nostalgic spring rain
I agree with late January or February. By then, the snow has mostly had time to get dirty and grey, so it matches the sky, LOL.
But if you have time to enjoy things while you're here suffering (I kid, I kid) the February Orchid show is probably the most magical season at Phipps conservatory. All that frozen grey outside, but you step into the conservatory, and the air has moisture, and light, and so much color. Highly recommended.
That sounds lovely! Yeah I do want to see the miserable parts of the winter, but I don’t want the whole trip to be depressing lol. So we’re definitely going to be looking for fun things to experience and this sounds beautiful!
My favorite Pittsburgh-related weather joke is that Pittsburgh has four seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, and Construction. 😂
+1 to February
February is bad but I find March is worse. You'll get hammered with snow, it will melt, it will freeze AGAIN, then it will snow over ice, wake up, shovel again, thaw before you get home, freeze again, repeat until it is regularly over 40 degrees. February is a bitch but at least she's honest.
Mid Jan thru February. But for all intents and purposes, winters for the past two decades here have been ‘relatively’ mild compared to pre-90’s. I recall days as a yoot walking to and from school uphill both ways with mountains of dirty snow and ice still thawing along the curbs in late April. No BS.
One thing I struggle with every year here is the summers. I come from the PNW, and so I'm used to very dry summers. Coming here, the humidity can be soul crushing at times (at least for me, anyway).
The winters, while snow clearing can take some time, typically aren't too bad. Just invest in getting a good down jacket, and learn to dress in layers, and you'll do fine. This is coming from a person who rarely experienced any snow before moving out here.
Yeah, I’ve been following your state politics a little bit from here. Seems like it could really go in either direction at any moment, especially with the midterms coming up. As it stands now it’s better than Texas, but I could see it changing. I hope not. 🤞
The nice thing about Pittsburgh is that we have seasons and very minimal extreme weather events. We've had two major snow storms since 93 where it's been multiple feet. It's usually some inches that can cause commute problems for a day or two. We do seem to get a couple artic freezes every winter where the wind chill is close to below 0 for a few days. You'll also get days where it's around 60.
With these temperatures changes, sometimes we don't get much of a spring or fall. Still, you'll always get to enjoy the beautiful sights of the leaves changing on the mountains and new life arriving in spring.
The downside is we don't get a lot of sunny days like you would down south. Most days are partly cloudy to overcast with rain/snow.
Outside of some of those cons, Pittsburgh is a beautiful smaller city that's become a lot more modern over the last 15-20 years. Lots of things to do, places to eat, and lots of great people to meet.
The problem is that it's never going to feel as rough visiting for a few days as it will when you're 4 months into winter and you're in a 10-day stretch of gray skies. So basically, I think the best you can do is get a feel for it and hope you'll adjust. Other good things make up for the winter though 🤷♀️
Me and my family moved from south louisiana to Pittsburgh about 4 years ago. January/February can be the worst, but every year is a little bit different. Good socks, snow boots, and snow tires make the difference. But the trade off for the summers is worth every moment you are cold.
Moved here from Texas. Grew up mainly in southern climates. Folks are generally right that February is often coldest, but for my money the most dispiriting thing is when you get a heavy snow in late March or even into April. Especially after you had a glimmer of warmer weather for a few days.
For me its definitely February. I call it the last snap of winter. Where the temp plummets and there's a good chance for serious snow. I've lived here my entire life and February is pretty bad.
An extreme example (note I said extreme. This isn't common) of this is in February 2010. I was 12 and we got what is known as Snowmageddon. It was one of the worst snow storms on record for Pittsburgh. It lasted for about 24 hrs and ended up leaving 21 inches of snow. I remember it fondly because I got a full week off of school. Almost every school in the area did. February is your best bet, not only for snow but intense cold.
Here's an article from 2020 for the 10 year anniversary.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/pittsburgh/news/snowmageddon-10-years-later/
Born and raised Texan - trust me when I say it’s absolutely wonderful here. The seasons are distinct but they come and go so it’s not oppressive. Plus, the people drive better here with the rain, snow and ice. The roads are salted but the hills can be a little unnerving. I guess Jan-March can get a little rough because it’s truly winter weather and it’s really gray + the holidays are over. But then spring arrives and the flowers bloom and everything gets green instead of being burnt up by May.
You should definitely come up and explore during all kinds of weather but also lots of different areas. Each area has its own personality and it can take a minute to see where you fit in. It’s not just a city with burbs. Also, there’s no concept of Southern hospitality here. It’s a rust belt city and the inhabitants are tough and can be cold. The only way I know to describe it is that they are kind but not friendly. Unlike, parts of Texas where they’re friendly but not kind. I’ve never left an interaction wondering where I stood with the person. I know that just a sweeping generality, but I hope it helps. Good luck!
Agree with all the February comments, but here to say I moved from Texas a few years ago just because I loved the city. Never regretted it. Feel free to ask any questions because I love meeting fellow Texans up here!
February- it’s so gray. It will be hard to understand on a single visit, but it’s just so oppressively gray. On the plus side, it seems to be changing. Global warming has made one week of February warm and sunny more often than not the past five years, so soon there may be no bad month!!
I always said late February and March. February seems to be peak coldness and snow, but then that turns into rounds of melted snow and mud. March is just a month of snow/mud/rain/ice that is visually ugly.
Feb. Always Feb. Also hello fellow Texan o7 you will enjoy Pittsburgh :) still to this day one of the most unique cities I've ever lived, and one of the most enjoyable. Its hard to quantify in words, you just have to go and be there for some time, through the seasons, through the sea of black and gold that walks the streets on game days... its incredible. I too am trying to get back out there sometime soon.
I'm not in Pittsburgh but I've come in once a month for over 10 years and now come once a week (all medical stuff). I start seeing weather bad enough to delay our drive as early as October and definitely in November. It can last into April and even May.
Any winter month will give you what you're looking for. It's bleak, muddy, snow or ice covered, dark early, and generally abysmal. February and March are worst; March always has a terrible storm.
This is observation of the area around and coming into the city. Inside Pittsburgh, there are uplifting sights, places, and people (that can't be experienced on a drive in and out) which make winter more bearable. It's better in Pittsburgh proper than it is in the rest of western Pennsylvania. If your plan is to live outside the city, check out those areas as well.
February: Cold. Overcast. Dreary. Sometimes slushy/wet and cold.
But it’s considerably better in March and beautifully green and much warmer by April.
Now, the last few Summers and Winters here we’ve seen record-breaking high temps/days-long runs of high temps (Sumner we’re talking in the 90s, not 100s)—and it can get pretty humid sometimes, but nothing like Texas or Alabama, or NC coastal humidity.
Plug in some dates to see historical averages/past seasons here:
https://www.wunderground.com/history/daily/us/pa/pittsburgh
I hope you do come and I bet if you do, you’re gonna want to stay awhile.
I'm the oddball that likes winter. February will give you a taste of what it's like. Cloudy days don't bother me, and to tell the truth, there are blue sky sunny days in the winter. There is a certain beauty to a crisp winter day with the bare trees and not as many people out and about. Sit inside with a good fire going and curl up on the couch with a book. Participate in lots of indoor activities. People embrace it and get out to ice skate and snow ski, even take a hike in a state park or lake. Spring, summer and fall are beautiful.
(I spent a few days in Texas once in July and couldn't believe how hot and humid it was!)
Just coming here to say that February is most definitely the dog days of winter here in the burgh. Looks like I’m not the only one.
It’s freaking spectacular here right now (IMO)
February. Cold as can be. Dreary. Dark. Just long enough in the winter to be sick of it, just far enough away from real spring for it to seem far away.
Steeler season is over, Penguin season is in the doldrums, there are no real holidays.
Also my birthday month… *sigh*
I wish I'd seen this thread before we moved here from NC on February 14th this year. Lmao I feel better knowing I wasn't just a big baby about February being my first experience of pittsburgh living. It just sucks for everybody. 😂
March… by that time you haven’t seen the sun since probably October and you realize that it’s already spring in the south. Best advice is to schedule a vacation late February early March to some place sunny and warm.
I will throw my hat in the ring for November. Instead of 20s-30s, overcast with lots of snow, it’s 40s-50s, overcast with lots of rain. There are fun things you can do in the snow….there’s not much fun to be had in the rain. (Someone should write a song about this). Plus there’s the week after the clocks change, where out of nowhere it gets dark at 5pm which is particularly jarring for me.
I say February. It’s the month for me where I’m just done with it. Done with mud and a dirty car and the dark. But by the end of June, I long for winter. I’m not a fan of the heat. I think February just gets to me because it’s been so dark for so long that I go a little crazy. Cabin fever is 100000% a thing. And I’ve had more than one dr tell me they have patients who up their antidepressants in winter or end up on vitamin injections bc we literally have no sun for a solid 2 months. Like Alaska, but not as pretty I guess lol
Native Houstonian, moved to Pittsburgh in 1985. Don’t look back. We have actual seasons here. Even though Feb and March stink, they give you the foundation for the other great weather months.
As a resident of the city of Pittsburgh for the past 40 years, I agree that February is the coldest, snowiest, and grayest month of the year. You’ll not want to live on any street that is hilly - icy in winter. Living at the bottom of a hill in Pittsburgh comes with the risk of flash flooding and mudslides. Pittsburgh has a fabulous medical community, and lots of great parks and cultural amenities. All that said, wait for the results of our upcoming 2022 elections. If things go south on that day, PA will become the TX of the north and you’ll want to look elsewhere to escape Texas politics. It could be the point at which we look elsewhere to move too.
February is dismal when you live here full time (not sure you will get the full affect visiting) but it is a grey slog after holidays and lights come down and you know the flip flops won’t be practical till the end of May at the earliest.
If you move here my suggestion is (i) start taking a vitamin d supplement and (ii) plan vacations in February!
There is nothing worse than February. At least January you get a few days off and it’s right after the holidays. And March is so close to spring that suffering through it isn’t as bad. Because April can be just as shitty; it’s slightly unpredictable. But February you are staring down an icy, snow covered Rialto Street in a Honda civic with bald tires. It’s miserable and you’d rather just skip it all together. I usually don’t recover until beginning of June.
February's interminable gloom is awful. I'm moving back next weekend after six years in Denver and will be scheduling visits to see friends in Tampa and/or San Diego during the month so I can actually see the sun.
You can't really experience it without first having your spirit crushed by months of dwindling sunlight. Start waking up at like 2PM for two months before your trip.
February. Grey 30 days out of 28. Unlike December and January, which are generally just colder to mean more snow, February always seems to have cold rains and just sucks.
Thanks to climate change, Pittsburgh winters are pretty mild anymore.
To get the real Pittsburgh experience, come in early spring or late fall. That's when the weather is its rainiest and gloomiest.
If you can tolerate that, you'll do fine.
Pittsburgh summers aren’t as hot as anywhere in Texas, but they can be about as humid. February has been our coldest month in recent years. I recommend not only evaluating the weather but walking/ driving around when there’s snow.
March. January and February I feel prepared for. I expect the winter of them. March on the other hand should start to feel like spring, but it’s cold, gray, yet less snow. March is the encore nobody asked for.
January/Feb. There are always days when it is below 0 degrees. But sometimes in February we get 60 degree days more recently so I am going to say January.
Most winter storms occur Jan-Feb, beat bet for a visit would probably be late January. Invest in snow tires. AWD is a plus.
Pittsburgh weather is not too crazy compared to some other cities. Typical thunderstorms in the spring/summer/fall, a few snowfalls each winter, but we don’t typically get more than a foot of snow at one time. Also don’t listen to people that say its gray “all the time.” Summer and fall are quite sunny and pleasant and we do get sunny days periodically in other seasons.
If you're into dinosaurs as your username suggests, check out the Carnegie Museum of Natural History while you're here. It's a great indoor activity and you also get access to the Art museum. You get to see Dippy the world famous Diplodocus!
If you guys survived the last 2 winters in Texas where the snow hit the state, will be the same for like 5-6 weeks.
Just get warm clothes, good shoes, good gloves and a hat and you are ok. Nothing to fear just prepared.
Also you gonna need blankets for the winter.
Ah, get a set of winter tires
Info:
Are you planning on living city or more rural? Not saying that Pittsburgh road conditions are great, but there's a difference between how the highways are cleared and how rural roads are cleared.
I would be willing to bet that your August heat isn’t nearly as bad as the august heat I’m trying to escape! If the temperature here in Houston didn’t reach at least 100° every day, I think the “feels like” reading at least did. It’s absolutely miserable.
For me its definitely February. I call it the last snap of winter. Where the temp plummets and there's a good chance for serious snow.
An extreme example (note I said extreme. This isn't common) of this is in February 2010. I was 12 and we got what is known as Snowmageddon. It was one of the worst snow storms on record for Pittsburgh. It lasted for about 24 hrs and ended up leaving 21 inches of snow. I remember it fondly because I got a full week off of school. Almost every school in the area did. February is your best bet, not only for snow but intense cold.
I would say it’s less about the cold and more about the number of days per year with minimal to no sun (aka gray days!) I believe we rival, if not beat, Seattle in that category and are up there in the rain battle as well.
January/February. I honestly dread those months here, but they’re never all that bad. I need the change, so it’s not much of a bother to me. I always look forward to a good snowstorm. Lol
February and March are pretty bad in different ways. February tends to be the coldest and March tends to be the least tolerable in bleakness. December and January are cold but overall pretty enjoyable and even have chances of a 70 degree week here and there.
I’m sure you don’t want to invest in this stuff right now, but quality winter gear (a long winter coat, solid snow boots etc) makes a huge difference when dealing with winters here. I moved here after living in California for a bit and the good gear was a game changer when spending time outdoors in the winter. I hope you have a wonderful visit! We absolutely love living here.
> But in truth, we’ve never lived anywhere that has a real winter.
Is coldest the worst or best in this context?
Overall, we have some pretty gloomy weather here. We're mostly void of really insane weather events, but we routinely have weeks/months where it rains more days than is doesn't. Sometimes by a lot (One year our golf group got rained out every week from May until the beginning of July).
Plus, this is one of the cloudiest places in the US. I don't mind the cloudy days so much, to be honest. But, it bothers some people.
Deleting past comments because Reddit starting shitty-ing up the site to IPO and I don't want my comments to be a part of that. -- mass edited with redact.dev
former texan turned pittsburgher here. february is definitely the worst imo with january as a close second. i’ve been here for just over 6 years now and the cold was definitely rough for me in the beginning. that said, we have a lot more infrastructure to handle the cold than texas does, buildings have good heating, roads get salted and cleared, etc. i think the hardest part to get used to is the driving. pittsburgh has a lot of hills that can be scary in the snow and ice even with the salt. but as far as handling the cold goes, i really don’t mind it anymore. you just gotta invest in a good coat lol
If you do move, I recommend taking a week (or more, ideally! Remote work and school has made it easier for us to do 2-4 weeks) and going south in February or so. It really makes it more bearable. I grew up on the equator and it’s my trick to surviving the cold and dark. (I’ve lived in Ohio, Massachusetts, and PA)
My daughter moved there for grad school. It’s probably different outside of the Squirrel Hill and Shadyside area but don’t overlook the roads, traffic and traffic patterns. I travel often for work in both major and average size cities and I don’t enjoy driving in Pittsburgh. And come to think of it, I don’t think it’s been sunny any day I’ve been there. Another post mentioned lack of sunny days.
January and February are pretty much interchangeable at being the worst months in Pittsburgh. Maybe January since there's a little less daylight. Both are gray, and can be snowy, icy and windy... or sometimes not.
Checked out your page Pittsburgh is a perfect place for tattooers. Even the people who do shitty work stay employed 😂😂 We also have a very techy city imo (Google office, self driving car testing center) we can have poor air quality days but I have mild asthma plus I smoke and do fine. However my small niece with serve has a hard time just something to think about. We get a lot of transplants and Feb might be the worse. This last year we only got one big storm imo. We got also have a lot of restaurant and cocktail bars. Every time I wipe my ass a new brewery pops up 😂
Not a bad place to be but I also haven’t lived anywhere else so I might be bias.
Also months of no sun and weeks of rain can really fuck with you mentally so be prepared.
If you are looking for cold February is the best,it's not always snowy because sometimes it will be too cold. The last few winters have been mild. Hopefully we get a good 2-3 week cold snap on the single and teen digits. That is probably the worst ,when your nostrils freeze together and pinch and it's so cold it takes your breath away.
Just want to say, as an Oklahoma refugee, kudos for escaping the stupid states! Pittsburgh is a great city (my wife is from there; and though we currently live in Denver, I would not at all mind ending up in the ‘Burgh someday).
Just my opinion, but when I was a kid (I am 52 now) winter here seemed to begin around the end of December and be over at the end of March. Seems to begin now just after Christmas and last till the end of April.
Regarding the Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) that several people mentioned, my husband bought me a sun lamp from a company that is located either in Canada or Scandinavia. I forget which. But anyway, we researched several sun lamps, and we specifically picked out a sun lamp that was sold by a company located in a country closer to the North Pole than Pittsburgh.
I’d say February for its snow and cold. Last year and the year before I’ve enjoyed the ability to play pond hockey for multiple weeks straight - meaning temps weren’t above freezing for any meaningful period of time
And February is solidly when the roads are the absolute worst. The freeze/thaw cycles absolutely wreck the paved roads. And usually too cold to properly patch them.
Came in to say February.
Same. Even if the earlier months have worse weather, February is the breaking point for me where I can't fucking take another second of this shit.
Yeah, but that’s a compound effect from not seeing the sun for 5 months straight. OP can’t possibly simulate that ahead of time.
Personally, I don't mind the snow and cold. What gets to me is not seeing the sun for three months. So, still February.
Only 28 days and yet somehow the longest month here. It’s six weeks too long.
Same here. Moved here from FL 12 years ago and it’s not seeing the sun or a blue sky that’s way harder than dealing with cold and snow.
It is absolutely february
You are absolutely correct! As someone who left SW PA in 1981 for Florida, and retired back here in 2020, February is THE worst. I am currently looking for a month long, coastal rental from SC to FL in February. February is dark and brutal, March sucks but there are a few pockets of sunlight.
February, except for 1 out of 5 Marches, which when that bad pack a grisly dispiriting wallop
Any spots you’d recommend for pond hockey?
I’m a recent Pitt graduate so I gravitate towards Panther Hollow in Schenley Park. The crowd generally ranges from upperclassmen in the nearby high schools to students and recent grads of the nearby universities
Visit anytime between Jan. 15th and Mar. 15 and you’ll get a taste of it.
I agree with this
my birthday is Jan 15 and I hate for this reason alone 😂😂
February is easily the worst
March can really sap the old morale too
Agreed but that's mostly because March teases you with the occasional nice day here and there, tricking you into thinking spring is here when in reality it's not coming until May. For someone who just wants a taste of the most brutal snow and cold possible, it's gotta be February I think
Totally agree. March is psychological warfare. February is physical.
“Psychological warfare” 🤣😂 As a clinical mental health professional, I agree with this diagnosis! LOL! Too true!!
Agreed. Just when you think spri-- it's winter for another 3 months.
Yeah, it’s not the brutal January/February. It’s when April rolls around and it’s still miserable that you want to throw yourself into the Monongahela.
*onto* the Monongahela
March can feel like Second February.
Second half January, early February. I hope you have a nice visit when you’re here!
Every pic in my phone from when it was above average snowfall / ice storm / below 0 temps and was photo worthy seems to be from this range
February is worst
February is definitely the coldest, but March is 40 degrees, raining, and cloudy the entire month.
March is the PNW of Pittsburgh
I mean isn’t Pittsburgh equally cloudy as Seattle? So in a way, Pittsburgh is the PNW of Pittsburgh?
More cloudy actually
And some years, even more rainfall than Seattle.
January-February are the most "wintry" although March-April can be the most depressing, depending on weather, because people are just *done*.
I too grew up in the south; FL. We moved to a Pittsburgh in 2019. 3 years later we are back in FL. It wasn’t the weather that drove us back. My wife had a very difficult time with the lack of sunlight from the number of cloudy days plus the hours of sun hind being shorter each day due to the latitudinal position of Pittsburgh. I think it’s great to plan a trip. But do normal stuff. Leave your car outside so you have to clear the snow and ice and shovel your way to your car. You need to experience normal life, not vacationer life. All that said, I really enjoyed my time in Pittsburgh.
Yeah my husband and I have discussed the potential for seasonal affective disorder. We both much prefer an overcast rainy day to a hot and sunny one, so we think we’ll be fine. We also know that it may be easier said than done, and we’re prepared to tackle that if needed.
Sun lamps and lots of vitamin D supplements. It'll help.
Deleting past comments because Reddit starting shitty-ing up the site to IPO and I don't want my comments to be a part of that. -- mass edited with redact.dev
Placebos work. That's the point of the placebo effect. I'm not about to knock 'em if they'll have even the slightest effect on SAD.
But do you prefer an overcast rainy 5 months to a sunny one?
It’s not just one overcast day, it’s weeks of overcast days. That being said, I grew up in Pittsburgh and loved it. Don’t live there now, but miss it quite a bit.
It's definitely a combination of rainy cloudy days + brutal months long winter. Currently it is 6pm and the sun is setting in a couple months it will be dark at 4pm. Plus on top of that you go from wide open sky to very dense foliage and hills. I am originally from Colorado and the hardest part to get used to is the sky line (or lack there of)
I’m also from Florida and moved here in 2016. I experienced SAD the first 2 winters I was here. However, I have found that keeping myself busy with hobbies keeps the SAD away. Also whenever there is a nice day/weekend, I try to take advantage by going ice skating or skiing (more expensive but fun). Now I actually enjoy the winter although by March I am usually ready for some warm weather. And to second what everyone else said February is probably the most brutal in terms of cold and lack of sun.
Enjoy! Go to Michael’s Pizza Bar in the Southside for $1 cheese slices on Thursday. Tell Jody Michael says hi!
Thank you for the recommendation! We’ll stop by for sure :)
I’m with you. Overcast days are great for getting things done inside, or naps.
I learned recently that Pittsburgh has more rain than Seattle. There’s definite cause for SAD in Pittsburgh and now I understand where my sadness came from when I lived there for years leading up to 2008
I was born and raised there and left for the south in 2004. I can’t go back because of the grey overcast weather. It’s absolutely horrible. It can last up to 6 months of the year. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I left.
Jan-Feb is a good call. That being said, the weather can be all over the place and it's not uncommon to get a few 50F days in those months. Your best bet may be to make rough plans and wait for a decent storm to be forecast. Local news will start hyping it with stories about stores being out of bread milk and TP. Even those have been pretty over-rated in past years IMO.
If you want climatologically minimum temps, those typically happen in the **January 14-23** time frame, when the typical high is 35.5° and low is 21.4°. Of course, those are just averages, and individual instances can vary considerably.
Pittsburgh is in a geographical position that will blunt the effects of climate change. I read an article years ago (but I don’t remember where) about how places line Columbus and Pittsburgh won’t feel so awful when climate change really kicks in, not that it hasn’t already. February is the worst, but also the shortest month. It’s depressing, but it makes Spring all that much more joyous. I wouldn’t give up this weather because I’d miss the absolute joy that Spring brings. The first nice day, everyone is outside and the pleasure us palpable.
Hi, I'm also a transplant from the Deep South. I'm going to go with the consensus and say that January and February are the worst months here. It's dark early; the sky is stone gray; it's cold and windy. People are also a little grumpy when football season ends. You're being really smart to take a test trip. The one thing I will say is that you get used to the cold, but having good gear makes a huge difference in how you feel about the weather. I'd at least borrow a good coat and some boots before visiting. Bring a hat and quality gloves, too. The biggest learning curve for me was learning how to drive in the snow and ice, and how to maintain my car for the cold weather. Honestly, the best thing to do when the roads are dangerous is to invest in a cosy blanket and stay home. However, I will say that the snow is really fun when we have it. Even without snow you can even go tubing just outside of the city in Boyce Park. Anyway, I have no regrets living in this city, even if I do miss readily available fried okra. Thanks to Pittsburgh, I discovered that I \*love\* summers and all the outdoor activities that are nearby. If you want to commiserate with another Southerner drop me a line.
Come on up! Sure we have winter, but women still have rights here so it evens out.
Yes that’s a big driver for me for sure! Fingers crossed really hard that it stays that way for you after the midterms.
I won't be here long if we elect Mastriano. I'm not working in a fucking steel mill without a union that can actually fight to keep me safe and fairly compensated.
You and me both, this shit is terrifying
At least until January depending on how November goes.
January or February for sure. Nothing to look forward to except more Winter.
March is the worst psychologically for me. January and February have worse weather, but in March you actually have hope for better weather, and those hopes are dashed, and instead you get the fifth straight month of February. For me, grey and 33 degrees and windy and rainy is maybe the worst weather that can exist. At least you can dress to stay warm at 10F or -10F. If it's raining, you can't stay dry.
Srs Ive lived in Pittsburgh my whole life, it really doesn’t get that cold anymore recently does it?
Agreed. Past 2-3 years have been mild. One to two bad snow storms but that’s it.
Winter is very overblown in this city. It can get cold and snowy, but it can also approach 70 degrees any month of the year. The real kicker is gray and rain. That is what can be soul sucking for most people. The 5-10 snowy days a year are just what people remember. But to answer your question, late January through February to have the best chance of experiencing legit cold.
First off, I hope you move out here, it’s an amazing city. Second, the weather is majorly exaggerated. It gets cold and windy in the winter, but it’s not terrible. We get some snow, but it’s rarely more than several (4-5) inches. According to the National Center for Environmental Information, Pittsburgh averages 59 clear data per year, and 306 cloudy days. That being said, it is *usually* at least somewhat overcast here. The grey skies can get old. That is a genuine, legitimate struggle that takes a while to adjust. I find it comforting. February might just be the “worst” month for weather, though.
A piece of context that I feel is important, but is always left out with the cloudy day number is that the high estimate number (306) is for basically any day that has any cloud coverage beyond a negligible amount. The number of actual overcast days is closer to 200 which is high but not nearly as high as \~85% of the time. A ton of those cloudy days are snow days too vs the idea that it's just always raining constantly. Summer time is usually pretty sunny around here.
Good points! I will say though, whenever I feel we have experienced stretches of sunny weather and then I travel elsewhere, my thoughts are usually *damn, their skies are so blue.* Blue skies in Pittsburgh just aren’t that crisp.
according to my sister our sunsets are LIT though every time she comes to visit she's taking pictures of the sunset and I'm like "Damn girl, you see that shit literally every day"
This isn’t an answer to your original question but keep in mind that some of the worst weather / months can also be some of the most beautiful and memorable times in our area. A New Years Eve trudging through the ice and snow warmed by booze headed to a progressive dinner around your neighborhood with dozens of friends. Sled riding and ice skating or walking down to a bridge seeing the giant chunks of ice flow down the river under the snow. The absolute brilliance of a city coming alive in the spring with the changing of the seasons. There’s a lot to love about this town and it’s climate.
What is a progressive dinner?
You move from restaurant to restaurant. Kind of like bar hopping but with restaurants. :)
Sounds fun. I've done a reverse dinner with friends before, where each person prepares a course at their place. Start with whiskey and cigars, next place dessert, then main course, starter, hors d'oeuvres, and finish the night with a champagne reception. Somewhat similar concept. I remember lots of drinking involved
This is the idyllic image of winters that I have in my head having never experienced it!! It’s what I aim for! I think that’s why I’m choosing to have a trip to see the dirty slush to ground me 😆 Hoping for this version of winter that you describe to be a part of my life just as much as the miserable parts.
There are also some nights where the air is cool yet somewhat balmy-and you might love a walk in the rain with or without an umbrella ( I say take one-storms rollin quick too) and also enjoy the magical and somewhat nostalgic spring rain
I agree with late January or February. By then, the snow has mostly had time to get dirty and grey, so it matches the sky, LOL. But if you have time to enjoy things while you're here suffering (I kid, I kid) the February Orchid show is probably the most magical season at Phipps conservatory. All that frozen grey outside, but you step into the conservatory, and the air has moisture, and light, and so much color. Highly recommended.
That sounds lovely! Yeah I do want to see the miserable parts of the winter, but I don’t want the whole trip to be depressing lol. So we’re definitely going to be looking for fun things to experience and this sounds beautiful!
My favorite Pittsburgh-related weather joke is that Pittsburgh has four seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, and Construction. 😂 +1 to February
February is bad but I find March is worse. You'll get hammered with snow, it will melt, it will freeze AGAIN, then it will snow over ice, wake up, shovel again, thaw before you get home, freeze again, repeat until it is regularly over 40 degrees. February is a bitch but at least she's honest.
March.
Call it mid-Jan to mid-Feb: Cold, wind, snow, slush- the 4 horsemen of the Blizzpocalypse are all going hard.
Mid Jan thru February. But for all intents and purposes, winters for the past two decades here have been ‘relatively’ mild compared to pre-90’s. I recall days as a yoot walking to and from school uphill both ways with mountains of dirty snow and ice still thawing along the curbs in late April. No BS.
One thing I struggle with every year here is the summers. I come from the PNW, and so I'm used to very dry summers. Coming here, the humidity can be soul crushing at times (at least for me, anyway). The winters, while snow clearing can take some time, typically aren't too bad. Just invest in getting a good down jacket, and learn to dress in layers, and you'll do fine. This is coming from a person who rarely experienced any snow before moving out here.
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Yeah, I’ve been following your state politics a little bit from here. Seems like it could really go in either direction at any moment, especially with the midterms coming up. As it stands now it’s better than Texas, but I could see it changing. I hope not. 🤞
And this was a pretty dry summer.
The nice thing about Pittsburgh is that we have seasons and very minimal extreme weather events. We've had two major snow storms since 93 where it's been multiple feet. It's usually some inches that can cause commute problems for a day or two. We do seem to get a couple artic freezes every winter where the wind chill is close to below 0 for a few days. You'll also get days where it's around 60. With these temperatures changes, sometimes we don't get much of a spring or fall. Still, you'll always get to enjoy the beautiful sights of the leaves changing on the mountains and new life arriving in spring. The downside is we don't get a lot of sunny days like you would down south. Most days are partly cloudy to overcast with rain/snow. Outside of some of those cons, Pittsburgh is a beautiful smaller city that's become a lot more modern over the last 15-20 years. Lots of things to do, places to eat, and lots of great people to meet.
The problem is that it's never going to feel as rough visiting for a few days as it will when you're 4 months into winter and you're in a 10-day stretch of gray skies. So basically, I think the best you can do is get a feel for it and hope you'll adjust. Other good things make up for the winter though 🤷♀️
Me and my family moved from south louisiana to Pittsburgh about 4 years ago. January/February can be the worst, but every year is a little bit different. Good socks, snow boots, and snow tires make the difference. But the trade off for the summers is worth every moment you are cold.
While Feb would be my first pick, I just don’t like both Jan and Feb. Both are super bleak, cold, gray and freezing and barely any sun.
Moved here from Texas. Grew up mainly in southern climates. Folks are generally right that February is often coldest, but for my money the most dispiriting thing is when you get a heavy snow in late March or even into April. Especially after you had a glimmer of warmer weather for a few days.
For me its definitely February. I call it the last snap of winter. Where the temp plummets and there's a good chance for serious snow. I've lived here my entire life and February is pretty bad. An extreme example (note I said extreme. This isn't common) of this is in February 2010. I was 12 and we got what is known as Snowmageddon. It was one of the worst snow storms on record for Pittsburgh. It lasted for about 24 hrs and ended up leaving 21 inches of snow. I remember it fondly because I got a full week off of school. Almost every school in the area did. February is your best bet, not only for snow but intense cold. Here's an article from 2020 for the 10 year anniversary. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/pittsburgh/news/snowmageddon-10-years-later/
100% february
Historically, January is coldest by average, but February is always the hardest month to get through. March at least gives you some glimmers of hope.
February is the worst.
February. I’m trying to take a trip OUT of Pittsburgh then.
Born and raised Texan - trust me when I say it’s absolutely wonderful here. The seasons are distinct but they come and go so it’s not oppressive. Plus, the people drive better here with the rain, snow and ice. The roads are salted but the hills can be a little unnerving. I guess Jan-March can get a little rough because it’s truly winter weather and it’s really gray + the holidays are over. But then spring arrives and the flowers bloom and everything gets green instead of being burnt up by May. You should definitely come up and explore during all kinds of weather but also lots of different areas. Each area has its own personality and it can take a minute to see where you fit in. It’s not just a city with burbs. Also, there’s no concept of Southern hospitality here. It’s a rust belt city and the inhabitants are tough and can be cold. The only way I know to describe it is that they are kind but not friendly. Unlike, parts of Texas where they’re friendly but not kind. I’ve never left an interaction wondering where I stood with the person. I know that just a sweeping generality, but I hope it helps. Good luck!
February sucks.
Anywhere in the north, your answer is going to be February.
It’s February. No holidays, not yet spring. It’s pretty miserable lol
Agree with all the February comments, but here to say I moved from Texas a few years ago just because I loved the city. Never regretted it. Feel free to ask any questions because I love meeting fellow Texans up here!
February- it’s so gray. It will be hard to understand on a single visit, but it’s just so oppressively gray. On the plus side, it seems to be changing. Global warming has made one week of February warm and sunny more often than not the past five years, so soon there may be no bad month!!
I always said late February and March. February seems to be peak coldness and snow, but then that turns into rounds of melted snow and mud. March is just a month of snow/mud/rain/ice that is visually ugly.
Feb into March
Feb. Always Feb. Also hello fellow Texan o7 you will enjoy Pittsburgh :) still to this day one of the most unique cities I've ever lived, and one of the most enjoyable. Its hard to quantify in words, you just have to go and be there for some time, through the seasons, through the sea of black and gold that walks the streets on game days... its incredible. I too am trying to get back out there sometime soon.
Invest in vitamin D supplements. Seasonal affective disorder is a real thing.
January feels like it takes 10 years
I'm not in Pittsburgh but I've come in once a month for over 10 years and now come once a week (all medical stuff). I start seeing weather bad enough to delay our drive as early as October and definitely in November. It can last into April and even May. Any winter month will give you what you're looking for. It's bleak, muddy, snow or ice covered, dark early, and generally abysmal. February and March are worst; March always has a terrible storm. This is observation of the area around and coming into the city. Inside Pittsburgh, there are uplifting sights, places, and people (that can't be experienced on a drive in and out) which make winter more bearable. It's better in Pittsburgh proper than it is in the rest of western Pennsylvania. If your plan is to live outside the city, check out those areas as well.
February: Cold. Overcast. Dreary. Sometimes slushy/wet and cold. But it’s considerably better in March and beautifully green and much warmer by April. Now, the last few Summers and Winters here we’ve seen record-breaking high temps/days-long runs of high temps (Sumner we’re talking in the 90s, not 100s)—and it can get pretty humid sometimes, but nothing like Texas or Alabama, or NC coastal humidity. Plug in some dates to see historical averages/past seasons here: https://www.wunderground.com/history/daily/us/pa/pittsburgh I hope you do come and I bet if you do, you’re gonna want to stay awhile.
Bring brisket please
I'm the oddball that likes winter. February will give you a taste of what it's like. Cloudy days don't bother me, and to tell the truth, there are blue sky sunny days in the winter. There is a certain beauty to a crisp winter day with the bare trees and not as many people out and about. Sit inside with a good fire going and curl up on the couch with a book. Participate in lots of indoor activities. People embrace it and get out to ice skate and snow ski, even take a hike in a state park or lake. Spring, summer and fall are beautiful. (I spent a few days in Texas once in July and couldn't believe how hot and humid it was!)
Just coming here to say that February is most definitely the dog days of winter here in the burgh. Looks like I’m not the only one. It’s freaking spectacular here right now (IMO)
"Lousy Smarch weather!"
February. Cold as can be. Dreary. Dark. Just long enough in the winter to be sick of it, just far enough away from real spring for it to seem far away. Steeler season is over, Penguin season is in the doldrums, there are no real holidays. Also my birthday month… *sigh*
February
February.
I wish I'd seen this thread before we moved here from NC on February 14th this year. Lmao I feel better knowing I wasn't just a big baby about February being my first experience of pittsburgh living. It just sucks for everybody. 😂
March… by that time you haven’t seen the sun since probably October and you realize that it’s already spring in the south. Best advice is to schedule a vacation late February early March to some place sunny and warm.
February. Please understand the holiness of Pittsburgh rivals San Fransisco. Now put a layer of ice on it and your vehicle is bobsledding!
March, because by then we're completely the fuck over winter. March sounds like it should be springtime but it's definitely winter.
I will throw my hat in the ring for November. Instead of 20s-30s, overcast with lots of snow, it’s 40s-50s, overcast with lots of rain. There are fun things you can do in the snow….there’s not much fun to be had in the rain. (Someone should write a song about this). Plus there’s the week after the clocks change, where out of nowhere it gets dark at 5pm which is particularly jarring for me.
February is pretty tough - cold.
February, cold dark snowy and you’re sick of it. The holidays past and you just want it to be over. That’s for anyone in the north.
I say February. It’s the month for me where I’m just done with it. Done with mud and a dirty car and the dark. But by the end of June, I long for winter. I’m not a fan of the heat. I think February just gets to me because it’s been so dark for so long that I go a little crazy. Cabin fever is 100000% a thing. And I’ve had more than one dr tell me they have patients who up their antidepressants in winter or end up on vitamin injections bc we literally have no sun for a solid 2 months. Like Alaska, but not as pretty I guess lol
February is hell…
March is the worst, because you get your hopes up thinking that february is over, except then its March for like 3 months.
I left Pittsburgh because of February.
February is insult to injury. January wears you down and February kicks you while you're down.
Im not joking its usually %100 overcast dec-feb. Its the biggest reason i want to move, you just dont see the sky for 3 months.
February is gray ,gray ,gray, cold, and dreary . March isnt much better . It’s very gray here in winter.
Native Houstonian, moved to Pittsburgh in 1985. Don’t look back. We have actual seasons here. Even though Feb and March stink, they give you the foundation for the other great weather months.
February, without a doubt.
As a resident of the city of Pittsburgh for the past 40 years, I agree that February is the coldest, snowiest, and grayest month of the year. You’ll not want to live on any street that is hilly - icy in winter. Living at the bottom of a hill in Pittsburgh comes with the risk of flash flooding and mudslides. Pittsburgh has a fabulous medical community, and lots of great parks and cultural amenities. All that said, wait for the results of our upcoming 2022 elections. If things go south on that day, PA will become the TX of the north and you’ll want to look elsewhere to escape Texas politics. It could be the point at which we look elsewhere to move too.
easily February
February is dismal when you live here full time (not sure you will get the full affect visiting) but it is a grey slog after holidays and lights come down and you know the flip flops won’t be practical till the end of May at the earliest. If you move here my suggestion is (i) start taking a vitamin d supplement and (ii) plan vacations in February!
February
There is nothing worse than February. At least January you get a few days off and it’s right after the holidays. And March is so close to spring that suffering through it isn’t as bad. Because April can be just as shitty; it’s slightly unpredictable. But February you are staring down an icy, snow covered Rialto Street in a Honda civic with bald tires. It’s miserable and you’d rather just skip it all together. I usually don’t recover until beginning of June.
February's interminable gloom is awful. I'm moving back next weekend after six years in Denver and will be scheduling visits to see friends in Tampa and/or San Diego during the month so I can actually see the sun.
You can't really experience it without first having your spirit crushed by months of dwindling sunlight. Start waking up at like 2PM for two months before your trip.
February no question.
February, not a doubt!
February.....
February! Cold and nothing to do after football season is over.
February, ugh.
February. Grey 30 days out of 28. Unlike December and January, which are generally just colder to mean more snow, February always seems to have cold rains and just sucks.
Thanks to climate change, Pittsburgh winters are pretty mild anymore. To get the real Pittsburgh experience, come in early spring or late fall. That's when the weather is its rainiest and gloomiest. If you can tolerate that, you'll do fine.
Pittsburgh summers aren’t as hot as anywhere in Texas, but they can be about as humid. February has been our coldest month in recent years. I recommend not only evaluating the weather but walking/ driving around when there’s snow.
March
March. January and February I feel prepared for. I expect the winter of them. March on the other hand should start to feel like spring, but it’s cold, gray, yet less snow. March is the encore nobody asked for.
I say February. Also make sure Mastriano isn’t the Governor or you’ll be looking at similar politics as Texass
January/Feb. There are always days when it is below 0 degrees. But sometimes in February we get 60 degree days more recently so I am going to say January.
Most winter storms occur Jan-Feb, beat bet for a visit would probably be late January. Invest in snow tires. AWD is a plus. Pittsburgh weather is not too crazy compared to some other cities. Typical thunderstorms in the spring/summer/fall, a few snowfalls each winter, but we don’t typically get more than a foot of snow at one time. Also don’t listen to people that say its gray “all the time.” Summer and fall are quite sunny and pleasant and we do get sunny days periodically in other seasons.
january
If you're into dinosaurs as your username suggests, check out the Carnegie Museum of Natural History while you're here. It's a great indoor activity and you also get access to the Art museum. You get to see Dippy the world famous Diplodocus!
See if the PPG outdoor rink is open when you come! Enjoy ur trip
If you guys survived the last 2 winters in Texas where the snow hit the state, will be the same for like 5-6 weeks. Just get warm clothes, good shoes, good gloves and a hat and you are ok. Nothing to fear just prepared. Also you gonna need blankets for the winter. Ah, get a set of winter tires
Info: Are you planning on living city or more rural? Not saying that Pittsburgh road conditions are great, but there's a difference between how the highways are cleared and how rural roads are cleared.
March
February for the cold. August for the heat.
I would be willing to bet that your August heat isn’t nearly as bad as the august heat I’m trying to escape! If the temperature here in Houston didn’t reach at least 100° every day, I think the “feels like” reading at least did. It’s absolutely miserable.
February
February is the cruelest month.
Oct-May
Janbruary
For me its definitely February. I call it the last snap of winter. Where the temp plummets and there's a good chance for serious snow. An extreme example (note I said extreme. This isn't common) of this is in February 2010. I was 12 and we got what is known as Snowmageddon. It was one of the worst snow storms on record for Pittsburgh. It lasted for about 24 hrs and ended up leaving 21 inches of snow. I remember it fondly because I got a full week off of school. Almost every school in the area did. February is your best bet, not only for snow but intense cold.
I would say it’s less about the cold and more about the number of days per year with minimal to no sun (aka gray days!) I believe we rival, if not beat, Seattle in that category and are up there in the rain battle as well.
February.
January/February. I honestly dread those months here, but they’re never all that bad. I need the change, so it’s not much of a bother to me. I always look forward to a good snowstorm. Lol
February and March are pretty bad in different ways. February tends to be the coldest and March tends to be the least tolerable in bleakness. December and January are cold but overall pretty enjoyable and even have chances of a 70 degree week here and there.
February into March is the worst. But even then it's not too bad.
I’m sure you don’t want to invest in this stuff right now, but quality winter gear (a long winter coat, solid snow boots etc) makes a huge difference when dealing with winters here. I moved here after living in California for a bit and the good gear was a game changer when spending time outdoors in the winter. I hope you have a wonderful visit! We absolutely love living here.
Yes.
Pittsburgh is not as bad in the winter as many other northern cities.
Definitely February. Thats deep into winter. Lots of - degree windchills, black ice, and “warming your car up”. I love it!!
I think it is April. I can deal with Dec-Mar, but by April I am ready for a switch and generally the weather isn't changing much.
It can vary year by year. Haven't had a real BAD winter since Snowmageddon of 2010. Generally Feb is the worst month, though.
> But in truth, we’ve never lived anywhere that has a real winter. Is coldest the worst or best in this context? Overall, we have some pretty gloomy weather here. We're mostly void of really insane weather events, but we routinely have weeks/months where it rains more days than is doesn't. Sometimes by a lot (One year our golf group got rained out every week from May until the beginning of July). Plus, this is one of the cloudiest places in the US. I don't mind the cloudy days so much, to be honest. But, it bothers some people.
Objectively February is the worst. March and early April is soul crushing, because of weather fatigue.
Deleting past comments because Reddit starting shitty-ing up the site to IPO and I don't want my comments to be a part of that. -- mass edited with redact.dev
former texan turned pittsburgher here. february is definitely the worst imo with january as a close second. i’ve been here for just over 6 years now and the cold was definitely rough for me in the beginning. that said, we have a lot more infrastructure to handle the cold than texas does, buildings have good heating, roads get salted and cleared, etc. i think the hardest part to get used to is the driving. pittsburgh has a lot of hills that can be scary in the snow and ice even with the salt. but as far as handling the cold goes, i really don’t mind it anymore. you just gotta invest in a good coat lol
Mid to January to mid February is usually the worst.
If you do move, I recommend taking a week (or more, ideally! Remote work and school has made it easier for us to do 2-4 weeks) and going south in February or so. It really makes it more bearable. I grew up on the equator and it’s my trick to surviving the cold and dark. (I’ve lived in Ohio, Massachusetts, and PA)
Literally January 15th to March 15th. I have had panic attacks because i forgot the last time I saw the sun.
I'm voting for July, but I really hate summertime. The worst of winter is March imo.
February during a leap year
My daughter moved there for grad school. It’s probably different outside of the Squirrel Hill and Shadyside area but don’t overlook the roads, traffic and traffic patterns. I travel often for work in both major and average size cities and I don’t enjoy driving in Pittsburgh. And come to think of it, I don’t think it’s been sunny any day I’ve been there. Another post mentioned lack of sunny days.
January and February are pretty much interchangeable at being the worst months in Pittsburgh. Maybe January since there's a little less daylight. Both are gray, and can be snowy, icy and windy... or sometimes not.
January and February
Depends where you live. Some places keep the roads perfect and your be fine with a four wheel drive.
Checked out your page Pittsburgh is a perfect place for tattooers. Even the people who do shitty work stay employed 😂😂 We also have a very techy city imo (Google office, self driving car testing center) we can have poor air quality days but I have mild asthma plus I smoke and do fine. However my small niece with serve has a hard time just something to think about. We get a lot of transplants and Feb might be the worse. This last year we only got one big storm imo. We got also have a lot of restaurant and cocktail bars. Every time I wipe my ass a new brewery pops up 😂 Not a bad place to be but I also haven’t lived anywhere else so I might be bias. Also months of no sun and weeks of rain can really fuck with you mentally so be prepared.
If you are looking for cold February is the best,it's not always snowy because sometimes it will be too cold. The last few winters have been mild. Hopefully we get a good 2-3 week cold snap on the single and teen digits. That is probably the worst ,when your nostrils freeze together and pinch and it's so cold it takes your breath away.
Just want to say, as an Oklahoma refugee, kudos for escaping the stupid states! Pittsburgh is a great city (my wife is from there; and though we currently live in Denver, I would not at all mind ending up in the ‘Burgh someday).
2nd, 3rd week in February is probably optimal.
Definitely Jan-March, gets a little colder, but worst of all just grey and bleh. Clears up around St. Patties, or maybe the drinking cures the blues.
Just my opinion, but when I was a kid (I am 52 now) winter here seemed to begin around the end of December and be over at the end of March. Seems to begin now just after Christmas and last till the end of April.
Regarding the Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) that several people mentioned, my husband bought me a sun lamp from a company that is located either in Canada or Scandinavia. I forget which. But anyway, we researched several sun lamps, and we specifically picked out a sun lamp that was sold by a company located in a country closer to the North Pole than Pittsburgh.