When to paint a house exterior in Wilkes-Barre, PA
When to paint in Wilkes-Barre, PA
A short season: book early and expect weather delays. The painting window is July to August, with 2 good months a year. The best month is August, at about 16 painting days. Book a painter by May.
If you want the house done in July to August, call for quotes in May or earlier; a job pushed past August is likely to wait until next year. For a deck, the months with enough staining days to spare are May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.
- under 1Jan
- under 1Feb
- under 1Mar
- 2Apr
- 7May
- 11Jun
- 12Jul
- 16Aug
- 11Sep
- 4Oct
- 1Nov
- under 1Dec
Month by month
| Month | Painting days | Staining days | With low-temp paint | Avg low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | under 1 | under 1 | 1 | 21° / 39°F |
| February | under 1 | under 1 | 1 | 22° / 44°F |
| March | under 1 | under 1 | 3 | 29° / 51°F |
| April | 2 | 1 | 9 | 39° / 65°F |
| May | 7 | 5 | 15 | 49° / 75°F |
| June | 11 | 7 | 15 | 56° / 82°F |
| July | 12 | 7 | 12 | 63° / 87°F |
| August | 16 | 10 | 16 | 62° / 85°F |
| September | 11 | 9 | 17 | 55° / 79°F |
| October | 4 | 4 | 14 | 45° / 67°F |
| November | 1 | 1 | 7 | 33° / 54°F |
| December | under 1 | under 1 | 2 | 27° / 44°F |
Deck stain does best in August. Low-temperature paint adds about 47 days a year here.
Towns near Wilkes-Barre compared
Every one of the 6 closest places lands within three days of Wilkes-Barre's 65 a year, so the season here is the regional season. Kingston, Nanticoke, Scranton, Dunmore, Hazleton, Berwick are read from the same station as Wilkes-Barre, so their numbers match; the real difference is the distance from that station.
| Place | From Wilkes-Barre | Painting days a year | Window | Station |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston, PA | 1 mi northwest | 65 | July to August | same station |
| Nanticoke, PA | 7 mi southwest | 65 | July to August | same station |
| Scranton, PA | 15 mi northeast | 65 | July to August | same station |
| Dunmore, PA | 18 mi northeast | 65 | July to August | same station |
| Hazleton, PA | 21 mi south | 65 | July to August | same station |
| Berwick, PA | 24 mi southwest | 65 | July to August | same station |
How Wilkes-Barre ranks in PA
Of 68 PA places with 10,000 people or more, Wilkes-Barre (population 44,661, 11th largest) ranks 34th for painting days, right at the state median of 65. The longest season in the state is Indiana, 109 days, 177 miles west. The shortest is St. Marys at 39. Switching to low-temperature paint here is worth 47 extra days, more than most of the summer months on their own.
Where these numbers come from
Daily records from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (9.8 miles away), 2015 to 2024, NOAA Global Summary of the Day. A month is good at 12+ painting days and possible at 6+.