There will be snow but it might not always feel like winter in the new year in Northeast Pennsylvania.
Meteorologists anticipate temperatures to be slightly above average for January into March, with precipitation on par with the season but more snowfall than last year.
Brian Tentinger, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Binghamton, New York, office, predicts a mild winter for the region, including Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, with the coldest periods being in late January and early to mid-February.
The average temperatures, according to climate data collected at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, are in the mid-30s in January during the day, dipping into the 20s at night. Average temperatures rise into the upper 30s and low 40s in February and March during the day, with the low 30s at night. From January through March, rain is expected to average between 6 and 7 inches, with snowfall between 30 and 32 inches, he said.
December’s temperatures have been 5 to 8 degrees below normal, with snowfall amounts being above average, AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said. He expects that will change next month.
“As we progress into the month of January, we do expect more in the way of moderation of temperatures closer to near average or slightly above average through the whole month of January for Northeast Pennsylvania,” Buckingham said, adding there will be above-average precipitation.
He said AccuWeather is watching for changes in the polar vortex that could could bring colder air to the region.
St. Peter’s Cathedral is reflected in a puddle on the sidewalk on Wyoming Ave. in Scranton Monday, December 29, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
A pedestrian crosses N. Washington Ave. in Scranton Monday, December 29, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
A truck drives through a puddle on Wyoming Ave. in downtown Scranton Monday, December 29, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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St. Peter’s Cathedral is reflected in a puddle on the sidewalk on Wyoming Ave. in Scranton Monday, December 29, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
“If that does happen to line up in the central or eastern United States, which is what we’re favoring at this point in time, that would mean temperatures being below average for the month of February, and that could be accompanied by above-average precipitation,” Buckingham said.
John Banghoff, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s State College forecast office, which covers Schuylkill County, anticipates there will be between 15 and 20 inches of snow from Jan. 1 through the end of February. As with Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, he anticipates above-normal temperatures, with the average being around 40 degrees during the day and 25 degrees at night the first part of the year, pushing up to 45 degrees at the beginning of March.
The mild winter weather temperatures and snowfall expected are both higher than last year. Tentinger said 8 inches of snow fell during the first part of 2024, with little snowfall after late February and between 6 and 7 inches of rain.
“It was pretty quiet,” he said.
Buckingham said the region averaged 16.8 inches of snow between December 2024 and February 2025; so far this December, 13.7 inches has fallen. He said the snowfall the region has experienced so far is approaching last year’s seasonal totals.
Tentinger and Banghoff said temperatures were average last year, with a few days in January dipping below zero. He expects temperatures now and in early 2026 to stay mainly in the 20s and 30s.
“It was pretty well near average for the rest of January and February,” Banghoff said. “I’d anticipate that … it could be a little bit warmer overall for January and February than we were last winter.”