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Weather

Philadelphia Weather: Summer 2026 Was 3rd Warmest on Record

By: Erin Vale·Sep 9 · 7:56 PM
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A graphic featuring the words WEATHER ALERT in bold white capital letters over a dramatic, vibrant sunset background with bright orange, red, and deep blue clouds and a glowing sun on the horizon.

A graphic featuring the words WEATHER ALERT in bold white capital letters over a dramatic, vibrant sunset background with bright orange, red, and deep blue clouds and a glowing sun on the horizon.

Photo: Country Herald

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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Meteorological summer 2026 finished as Philadelphia's third-warmest on record, with an average temperature of 78.8 degrees and rainfall totals more than 5 inches above normal.

According to the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey, the final numbers cover meteorological summer, which includes June, July and August.

At Philadelphia International Airport, the average temperature was 2.5 degrees above the 1991-2020 normal of 76.3 degrees. The city's hottest temperature reached 103 degrees on July 2.

Rainfall was also unusually high. Philadelphia recorded 17.87 inches during the three-month period, compared with a normal of 12.71 inches. That represents a surplus of 5.16 inches. The city's largest single-day rainfall was 2.70 inches on July 9.

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Conditions varied considerably elsewhere across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

Allentown averaged 73.1 degrees, slightly below its normal of 73.4, while receiving only 10.86 inches of precipitation, a 3.40-inch deficit. Reading finished 0.8 degrees above normal but recorded a rainfall deficit of 4.52 inches.

Along the New Jersey coast, Atlantic City International Airport averaged 76.3 degrees, making it the fifth-warmest meteorological summer there. Temperatures soared to 106 degrees on July 4.

In Delaware, Georgetown averaged 77 degrees, 0.7 degrees above normal, and received 13.36 inches of precipitation.

The regional statistics highlight how summer conditions differed sharply across relatively short distances. While Philadelphia experienced both exceptional warmth and surplus rainfall, locations including Allentown and Reading ended the season considerably drier than their long-term averages.

Meteorological fall began Sept. 1 and continues through Nov. 30.

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