<p>How's the weather in Pittsburgh? Would anyone know how it would compare to the weather in Philly?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Unpredictable! It will be hot and humid for the first few weeks of school. Definitely bring a fan if your dorm does not have airconditioning. Fall is a pleasant season with less humidity and not much rain - wear a hoodie. It can first become cold anywhere from October to December, although January through March are usually the cold, snowy months. Some years there is lots of snow, some years hardly any. You will probably appreciate having some water-resistant leather shoes instead of tennis shoes, because there is often lots of salt and slush on the sidewalks. Spring (April and early May) is way too short here, and often rainy. The spring term will be done at the end of April, so you only have to deal with summer if you stay for summer classes.</p>
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January through March are usually the cold, snowy months
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<p>This reminds me of when I visited Pitt with my oldest daughter during President's Day weekend, back in 2006: It was snowing intermittently and the "wind chill" temperature was in the single digits. Is this fairly typical for Pittsburgh at that time of year?</p>
<p>The weather is pretty similar in both cities, with the exception that Pittsburgh tends to be a little colder (it is in the mountains, after all).</p>
<p>Agree with lkf, unpredictable is the word. Philadelphia has the mitigating effect of the Atlantic Ocean, so in general is a few degrees warmer. Phila can get coastal snow storms measured in feet of snow, whereas Pgh gets snow more often, but perhaps not in huge amounts.</p>
<p>The biggest difference I've noticed: Pittsburgh has more cloudy days than Philadelphia during winter months. From Nov through March/April it's more commonly cloudy than sunny. On a more minor note, in Pgh you can have basically one giant cloud that bursts an inch or more of snow in less than an hour, then moves on. I've seen them even in April. Phila doesn't seem to have snow bursts like that.</p>
<p>I agree with 2331clk, the weather is Pittsburgh comes in short bursts.</p>