Wheeling in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Wheeling sees average daytime highs around 40°F and overnight lows near 26°F, with 10.1 in of precipitation over about 33 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 40°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Wheeling's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Wheeling's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
40°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
26°F
Precipitation
10.1 in
33 wet days
Avg wind
8 mph
Travel score
0.1
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Wheeling in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 40°F.

A typical winter day in Wheeling reaches about 40°F and drops to 26°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.

20°40°60°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Wheeling

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.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
90
13 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Wheeling 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan38° / 24°3.611.56.59.50.0
Feb41° / 26°3.110.45.110.40.2
Mar50° / 33°4.312.43.211.72.2
Apr62° / 43°4.313.30.6134.8
May71° / 53°4.814014.25.9
Jun79° / 61°4.513.6014.86.0
Jul82° / 65°4.413.7014.65.6
Aug81° / 64°3.411.2013.66.3
Sep75° / 57°3.69.1012.37.0
Oct63° / 46°3.310.20.210.95.5
Nov51° / 36°3.39.81.39.82.5
Dec42° / 29°3.510.73.99.20.2

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Wheeling gets around 10.1 in of rain and snow over 33 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 8 mph across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

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.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.0 kWh/m².

01234DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Is winter a good time to visit Wheeling?

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.

0.1
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Wheeling.

What to pack for Wheeling in Winter

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

In winter, Wheeling sees daytime highs around 40°F and nights near 26°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 33 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Wheeling in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 Wheeling peaks around June 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 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 21UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Wheeling in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Wheeling is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1218 µg/m³Nov 167 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May15Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Wheeling?

Wheeling sits at 40.1°N, 80.7°W, 666 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Steubenville, 22 mi away.

Topography around Wheeling

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Wheeling has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 663 ft around an average of 863 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 846 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,099 ft.

The land around Wheeling is covered by trees (64%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 2 miles, trees (73%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and trees (79%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
663 ft
10 miles
846 ft
50 miles
1,099 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Winter weather nearby: Steubenville 22 mi · Weirton 25 mi · Weirton Heights 25 mi · Upper Saint Clair 39 mi · Bethel Park 40 mi · Mount Lebanon 41 mi · Baldwin 43 mi · Pittsburgh 46 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 Wheeling (40.064°, -80.7209°, elevation 666 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.