Lancaster in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Lancaster sees average daytime highs around 42°F and overnight lows near 28°F, with 9.6 in of precipitation over about 27 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 42°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Lancaster's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Lancaster's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 42°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 28°F
- Precipitation
- 9.6 in
- 27 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 mph
- Travel score
- 0.3
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Lancaster in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 42°F.
A typical winter day in Lancaster reaches about 42°F and drops to 28°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Lancaster
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 90 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Lancaster weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39° / 26° | 3.1 | 9.1 | 3.9 | 9.5 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 42° / 27° | 2.9 | 9 | 3.8 | 10.4 | 0.3 |
| Mar | 51° / 34° | 3.9 | 10.3 | 2.9 | 11.7 | 2.4 |
| Apr | 63° / 45° | 3.6 | 10.3 | 0.3 | 13 | 5.3 |
| May | 72° / 55° | 3.6 | 11.4 | 0 | 14.2 | 6.4 |
| Jun | 81° / 64° | 3.7 | 11.1 | 0 | 14.8 | 6.0 |
| Jul | 85° / 69° | 3.9 | 11.1 | 0 | 14.6 | 5.1 |
| Aug | 83° / 67° | 3.4 | 10.3 | 0 | 13.6 | 5.8 |
| Sep | 76° / 60° | 4.3 | 9.3 | 0 | 12.3 | 6.9 |
| Oct | 65° / 48° | 3.6 | 8.4 | 0.1 | 10.9 | 6.0 |
| Nov | 53° / 38° | 3.0 | 8.2 | 0.4 | 9.8 | 3.2 |
| Dec | 44° / 31° | 3.6 | 9.2 | 2.3 | 9.2 | 0.6 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Lancaster gets around 9.6 in of rain and snow over 27 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 8 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 min in early December to 11 hours by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.3 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Lancaster?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Lancaster.
What to pack for Lancaster in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Lancaster sees daytime highs around 42°F and nights near 28°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 27 days see rain.
UV index in Lancaster in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lancaster peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Low |
Air quality in Lancaster in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Lancaster 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Good |
| Feb | 12 | Good |
| Mar | 13 | Moderate |
| Apr | 13 | Moderate |
| May | 15 | Moderate |
| Jun | 16 | Moderate |
| Jul | 17 | Moderate |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 12 | Good |
| Oct | 9 | Good |
| Nov | 8 | Good |
| Dec | 9 | Good |
Where is Lancaster?
Lancaster sits at 40.0°N, 76.3°W, 361 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lebanon, 22 mi away.
Topography around Lancaster
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Lancaster.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lancaster has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 246 ft around an average of 348 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 725 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,991 ft.
The land around Lancaster is covered by trees (48%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 2 miles, cropland (33%), trees (31%) and grassland (26%) within 10 miles, and trees (55%) within 50 miles.
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
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 Lancaster (40.0379°, -76.3055°, elevation 361 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.