Lancaster in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Lancaster sees average daytime highs around 59°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 9.5 in of precipitation over about 22 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 59°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Lancaster's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Lancaster's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 59°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 40°F
- Precipitation
- 9.5 in
- 22 wet days
- Avg wind
- 9 mph
- Travel score
- 4.9
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Lancaster in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 59°F.
A typical winter day in Lancaster reaches about 59°F and drops to 40°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, 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 0 that feel at or below 32°F.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
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 | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57° / 39° | 2.8 | 7.1 | 10.1 | 4.4 |
| Feb | 61° / 42° | 3.1 | 7.7 | 10.8 | 5.3 |
| Mar | 68° / 49° | 3.9 | 9.2 | 11.8 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 76° / 56° | 4.3 | 8.7 | 12.8 | 7.1 |
| May | 83° / 65° | 4.8 | 10.9 | 13.7 | 5.8 |
| Jun | 90° / 73° | 3.2 | 8.5 | 14.1 | 4.0 |
| Jul | 94° / 76° | 1.7 | 6.3 | 13.9 | 3.0 |
| Aug | 94° / 76° | 2.1 | 5.5 | 13.2 | 3.0 |
| Sep | 88° / 69° | 2.5 | 6 | 12.2 | 5.0 |
| Oct | 78° / 58° | 4.1 | 7.8 | 11.2 | 7.2 |
| Nov | 67° / 48° | 3.3 | 7.2 | 10.3 | 6.8 |
| Dec | 58° / 40° | 3.6 | 7 | 9.9 | 4.9 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Lancaster gets around 9.5 in of rain and snow over 22 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 9 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 hours in early December to 11 h 12 min 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 3.0 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 reasonable time to visit Lancaster for sightseeing.
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 59°F and nights near 40°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 22 days see rain.
UV index in Lancaster in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 4 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | High |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 9 | Very high |
| May | 10 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Extreme |
| Jul | 10 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Extreme |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 5 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
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 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (October, 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) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Good |
| Feb | 9 | Good |
| Mar | 11 | Good |
| Apr | 11 | Good |
| May | 15 | Moderate |
| Jun | 17 | Moderate |
| Jul | 19 | Moderate |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 12 | Good |
| Oct | 8 | Good |
| Nov | 8 | Good |
| Dec | 8 | Good |
Where is Lancaster?
Lancaster sits at 32.6°N, 96.8°W, 522 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is DeSoto, 5.6 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 167 ft around an average of 531 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 472 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 801 ft.
The land around Lancaster is covered by trees (36%), grassland (24%) and cropland (21%) within 2 miles, trees (33%) and grassland (32%) within 10 miles, and grassland (47%) and trees (24%) 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 (32.5921°, -96.7561°, elevation 522 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.