Harrisburg weather in August

In August, Harrisburg sees average daytime highs of 83°F and overnight lows near 66°F, with 3.1 in of rain across 9.6 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 85°F in the first days to 82°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in August, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 12 min at the start of August to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Harrisburg's 3rd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Harrisburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
83°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
66°
11th coldest
Rainfall
3.1 in
9.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:23 AM – 7:00 PM
Cloud cover
58%
3rd clearest
Wind
5 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Harrisburg is capital city of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and seat of Dauphin County.

Density
1,633/km²
people per km²
Founded
1719

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 85°F in the first days to 82°F by the end.

A typical August day in Harrisburg reaches about 83°F in the afternoon and slips back to 66°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 76°F and 91°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 2°F cooler than July and about 7°F warmer than September.

50°60°70°80°90°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18568
28568
38567
48567
58567
68467
78467
88467
98467
108467
118467
128467
138367
148366
158366
168366
178366
188366
198366
208366
218365
228365
238265
248265
258265
268265
278265
288264
298264
308264
318164

How August really feels in Harrisburg

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

August sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Harrisburg weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan38° / 25°3.394.59.50.0
Feb41° / 26°2.88.94.210.40.2
Mar50° / 33°3.810.63.211.72.3
Apr63° / 44°3.610.60.3135.2
May72° / 53°3.512014.26.3
Jun81° / 63°3.411014.86.1
Jul85° / 68°3.610.3014.65.2
Aug83° / 66°3.19.6013.65.9
Sep76° / 59°4.39012.36.9
Oct64° / 47°3.58.30.110.95.9
Nov53° / 37°3.18.20.79.83.0
Dec43° / 30°3.59.22.99.20.4

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
35149
45149
55149
65050
75050
85050
95050
105050
115050
125050
135050
145050
155149
165149
175248
185248
195347
205347
215347
225446
235446
245347
255446
265446
275347
285446
295446
305446
315446

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Harrisburg gets around 3.1 in of rain over 9.6 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 31% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
332
432
532
632
733
833
933
1034
1134
1234
1334
1434
1534
1634
1733
1833
1932
2032
2131
2230
2330
2429
2528
2628
2728
2827
2927
3027
3127

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the muggy band about 30% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 37% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
11118283211
21218273210
31219273210
41219263210
51319263210
61319263210
71320253210
81320253210
91320253210
101320253210
11132125329
12132125329
13132125329
14132126328
15132226318
16132226318
17132227317
18132327307
19132327306
20132328306
21142328296
22142428295
23152428285
24162427285
25162527275
26172526265
27182525265
28192625255
29202624246
30212624246
31222623236

Wind in August

Winds average 5 mph in August, the calmest month.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min at the start of August to 13 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 72 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:09 AM to 5:38 AM, and sunset from 7:18 PM to 6:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.25:097:18
214.15:107:17
314.15:117:16
414.15:127:15
514.05:137:14
614.05:147:13
714.05:157:12
813.95:157:10
913.95:167:09
1013.85:177:08
1113.85:187:07
1213.85:197:05
1313.75:207:04
1413.75:217:03
1513.65:227:01
1613.65:237:00
1713.65:246:58
1813.55:256:57
1913.55:266:56
2013.45:276:54
2113.45:286:53
2213.45:296:51
2313.35:306:50
2413.35:316:48
2513.25:326:47
2613.25:336:45
2713.25:346:43
2813.15:356:42
2913.15:366:40
3013.05:376:39
3113.05:386:37

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.26 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.73 kWh/m² to a high of 6.06 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 5.26 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Harrisburg

In seasonPeak

In August, Harrisburg sits inside its atlantic hurricane season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Harrisburg sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Harrisburg?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.9
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Harrisburg for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Harrisburg in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Harrisburg sees daytime highs around 83°F and nights near 66°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Harrisburg in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Harrisburg peaks around June 22 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 22UV 8Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Harrisburg in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Harrisburg is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1316 µg/m³Nov 118 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Harrisburg?

Harrisburg sits at 40.3°N, 76.9°W, 331 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Carlisle, 17 mi away.

Topography around Harrisburg

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Harrisburg.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Harrisburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 335 ft around an average of 367 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,260 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,300 ft.

The land around Harrisburg is covered by artificial surfaces (39%), trees (32%) and water (21%) within 2 miles, trees (59%) within 10 miles, and trees (58%) and cropland (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
335 ft
10 miles
1,260 ft
50 miles
2,300 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Carlisle 17 mi · York 23 mi · Lebanon 25 mi · Hanover 33 mi · Lancaster 35 mi · Chambersburg 47 mi · Westminster 48 mi · Reading 50 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Harrisburg (40.2737°, -76.8844°, elevation 331 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).