AccuWeather Winter Forecast: See What's Predicted For Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH, PA — State College-based AccuWeather issued its 2024-25 winter forecast Monday, and there is good news and bad news for Pittsburgh.

The good news is that there likely will be less snow this year than the historical average between 1991 and 2020. The bad news, if you don't like the white stuff: There probably will more snow than the below-average amount that fell last winter.

In Pittsburgh, the average winter snowfall between 1991-2020 was 44.1 inches, with just 16.3 inches falling in 2023-24. AccuWeather says the Steel City should expect an increase to 28-36 inches this year.

December is expected to bring brief blasts of cold air that will trigger lake-effect snow. This is the opposite of last December when little lake effect was seen in the typical areas, including Pennsylvania.

Overall, though, temperatures are predicted to be as much as three degrees above normal for Pittsburgh and the majority of Pennsylvania, thus lowering a household's heating demands - and heating bills as well.

But beware: February could usher in the polar vortex and bring a blast of bitterly cold air across the eastern United States. AccuWeather stressed, however, that the polar vortex is not a certainty.

Meteorological winter begins Dec. 1.

See the entire AccuWeather winter forecast here.