We’ve wrapped up another year, and were already well on our way in January. Let’s see how we stacked up against climatological averages during the month of December.
ALTOONA WAS COOL IN DECEMBER
December was a cool month with below average precipitation.
- Average High Temperature: In December, Altoona typically has an average high of 39.9°F. In 2025, the average high temperature was 36.7°F.
- Average Low Temperature: The average low during December 2025 was 20.6°F, compared to the climatological average of 26.2°F.
- Average Temperature: The overall average temperature in December 2025 was 28.6°F, which is well below the typical December average of 33.1°F.
So we had quite the cool month to end 2025!
- Precipitation: December’s typical precipitation average is 2.57”. In 2025, we recorded 1.40”, which is below where we should be.
- Snowfall: On average, December brings 7.5” of snow, but in 2025, we only had 5.3”.
Highlights:
- Warmest Day: 52°F on December 19th & 29th
- Coldest Temperature: 4°F on December 9th
- Wettest Day: December 26th, with 0.53” of precipitation.
- Most Snowfall in a Day: 2.6” on December 2nd.
STATE COLLEGE WAS COOLER AND DRIER IN DECEMBER
State College experienced a slightly cooler and much drier December than usual.
- Average High Temperature: Typically 38.4°F; in 2025, the average high was 36.8°F.
- Average Low Temperature: The average low temperature is 26.0°F. This December the average low temperature came in at 21.2°F.
- Average Temperature: December 2025’s overall average was 29.0°F, compared to the typical 32.2°F which is a decent difference.
- Precipitation: December usually brings 3.18” of precipitation. In 2025, we only recorded 1.87”.
- Snowfall: The average is 7.6”, but in December 2025, snowfall totaled 6.10”.
Highlights:
- Warmest Day: 55°F on December 19th.
- Coldest Temperature: 7°F on December 10th.
- Wettest Day: December 19th, with 0.69” of precipitation.
- Most Snowfall in a Day: 1.6” on December 3rd.
2025 was a slightly drier than average year with seasonable temperatures
2025 had some warm months, some unusually cold months, which made it end up quite seasonable in the end. We did have slightly lower than average precipitation, and I know we felt the drought conditions for much of the summer. Much of the state is still under abnormally to dry conditions, and lower precipitation amounts in December did not help us.
ALTOONA YEAR IN REVIEW
Yearly Precipitation Average: 36.65”. In 2025, we picked up 31.99”.
Yearly Average Temperature: Typically 51.0°F. In 2025, it was 50.85°F.
Highlights:
- Lowest Temperature: -11°F on January 22nd.
- Highest Temperatures: 93°F on June 23rd and 24th.
- Most Precipitation in a Day: 1.89” on May 13th.
- Hot Days: We had 6 days at or above 90°F, compared to an average of 11 such days.
- Cold Days: We had 3 days at or below 0 degrees.
STATE COLLEGE YEAR IN REVIEW
Yearly Precipitation Average: 41.53”. In 2025, we recorded 38.36”.
Yearly Average Temperature: Typically 50.13°F. In 2025, it was 50.82°F.
Highlights:
- Lowest Temperature: -3°F on January 23rd.
- Highest Temperatures: 94°F on June 25th.
- Most Precipitation in a Day: 1.49” on March 6th.
- Hot Days: 10 days above or at 90 degrees.
- Cold Days: 3 days at or below 0 degrees.
JANUARY LOOKS COLDER THAN AVERAGE WITH SEASONAL PRECIPITATION
According to NOAA, we should have seasonable amounts of precipitation for the month of January. On average, we pick up about 2.23” in Altoona and 2.92” of precipitation in Altoona.
NOAA is forecasting a colder month. Our average January temperature in Altoona is 28.4°F and 27.2°F for State College.
How do you think January will stack up?
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