State College in Fall

In fall (September, October and November), State College sees average daytime highs around 61°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 10.7 in of precipitation over about 27 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs ease from about 78°F in early September to 44°F by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.

Fall is State College's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see State College's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
61°F
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
44°F
Precipitation
10.7 in
27 wet days
Avg wind
6 mph
Travel score
4.6
2nd-best season
Months
Sep · Oct · Nov

Temperature in State College in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 78°F in early September to 44°F by late November.

A typical fall day in State College reaches about 61°F and drops to 44°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.

20°40°60°80°SepOctNov

How fall really feels in State College

Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 29 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
29
wind chill below the day's low

The story in fall is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

State College weather by month

How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 20°3.09.96.29.40.0
Feb37° / 22°2.78.6510.40.0
Mar46° / 29°3.710.73.911.71.2
Apr59° / 40°3.812.10.913.14.2
May69° / 49°3.912.8014.25.9
Jun77° / 59°3.611.4014.96.4
Jul82° / 63°3.110.8014.66.3
Aug80° / 62°2.99.9013.66.5
Sep73° / 54°4.19.4012.36.8
Oct61° / 43°3.490.310.95.1
Nov49° / 34°3.28.81.49.71.9
Dec38° / 26°3.39.949.10.0

Cloud cover in Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitationSnow

State College gets around 10.7 in of rain and snow over 27 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%SepOctNov

Humidity in Fall

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Wind in Fall

Winds average 6 mph across fall.

0246810SepOctNov

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours in early September to 9 h 18 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMSepOctNov

Solar energy in Fall

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 3.1 kWh/m².

024SepOctNov
Planning a trip in fall

Is fall a good time to visit State College?

Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

4.6
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
2.1
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

fall is a reasonable time to visit State College for sightseeing.

What to pack for State College in Fall

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

In fall, State College sees daytime highs around 61°F and nights near 44°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 27 days see rain.

a warm layerlight clothesrain gear

UV index in State College in Fall

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across fall 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 State College peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in State College in Fall

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in State College is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1316 µg/m³Nov 117 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is State College?

State College sits at 40.8°N, 77.9°W, 1,165 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Altoona, 34 mi away.

Topography around State College

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around State College has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 364 ft around an average of 1,142 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,713 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,598 ft.

The land around State College is covered by trees (44%), grassland (26%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (72%) within 10 miles, and trees (82%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
364 ft
10 miles
1,713 ft
50 miles
2,598 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
Fall weather nearby: Altoona 34 mi · Carlisle 54 mi · Williamsport 55 mi · Chambersburg 60 mi · Harrisburg 63 mi · Johnstown 65 mi · Hagerstown 80 mi · Lebanon 82 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 State College (40.7934°, -77.86°, elevation 1,165 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.