How cold can it get in PA? (Allentown, Erie: live, stores)

[kmom]

We'll most likely arrive in Dec. How cold can it get in Allentown area? Are offices still operating? When do they close for Christmas?

Thanks a heap

[Deacon]

“Whether the weather be fine, Whether the weather be not, Whether the weather be cold, Whether the weather be hot, We'll weather the weather, Whatever the whether, Whether we like it or not”

[Summering]

Originally Posted by kmom

We'll most likely arrive in Dec. How cold can it get in Allentown area? Are offices still operating? When do they close for Christmas?

Thanks a heap

Hi, Well it can get real cold. December is usually about 32 degrees.........
It can go in the teens, or it can go higher on a good year. Have your winter coat ready. Most likely this year most offices will have half a day on friday and be closed until the day after Christmas. However, some may just let the workers go half a day on the 24th and be closed the 25th. Since it falls on Tuesday..........I think it will be a nice long, long weekend for most.
Depends on the company and what they want to do. Then another long weekend for New Years........

[cremebrulee]

Lately are winters have been mild, meaning, mostly above 32, and we have stretches, in Jan or Feb that are down right raw....below 32, but not nearly the bad winters we had years ago, like back in the 60's. We have one or two major snow storms if that, and sometimes icy days....but, for the most part, it is not to bad....

Now, that said, watch the weather this winter be awful

PA is a great diverse state, in that there is so much to do, you have the change of seasons to actually look forward to....there is so much in the way of the arts if you live near Philly, your close to NYC, 2-3 hours away from the Jersey Shore, in Cape May, you can hope aboard the Cape May Ferry (with your car) and be in Delaware in 60 minutes...beautiful ride...or you can go to the Poconos, or the most upper counties (Potter, Sullivan Counties) which are lush green forests (Lake Ontario in Upstate New York), very sparcely populated, or Western PA which is near Lake Erie...again, sparcely populated, it is indeed, a most beautiful and diverse state for entertainment.

[Dawne]

I remember times when the thermometer would dip below 0 but I don't remember that in any recent winters. One time about 12 years ago our thermometer (which went to 40 below 0) was pegged at the bottom.

Usually the coldest it gets is between 5 and 20.

[Icy Tea]

Autumn in SE Pa has been pretty mild lately with nice weather going up until Halloween, days in the 60 and 70s and no killing frost either. December was mild as was January mostly but February was brutally cold and this spring was late, March and April were cold. Allentown runs a few degrees cooler than in Berks and Montgomery County. If a big snow comes the media hypes it like crazy and people panic and clean the stores out of milk and bread. Then the next day we're dug out, roads are cleared and life is back to normal. It takes a 2 foot snow( rare) or a major ice storm( which is more rare) to seriously shut things down.

[Summering]

This winter was so mild. It didn't feel like winter at all.
Hardly any snow came before Christmas......a dusting.
I remember being out and about with just a light fleese jacket on.
The winter of 95' I never stopped shoveling........day after day.
Beautiful but a bit much..........
Yes, it can get down to the teens and zero.
But, that is for about two months. The skiing, snowboarding, sledding months.
January and February.
The four seasons are nice for most...........I am mostly a summer lover myself.

[kmom]

You see we come from the tropics, hot, sunny Singapore. Our coldest is just 30 degrees C and hottest (the norm) is 33 degrees C. So winter is gonna be cold for us and the kids.

But the info given are very helpful indeed. THANKS A MILLIONS!!!!