Climate of Virginia
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, is considered mild compared to other areas of the United States. Most of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
east of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
,the southern part of the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
, and the Roanoke Valley
Roanoke Valley
The Roanoke Valley in southwest Virginia is an area adjacent to and including the Roanoke River between the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Appalachian Plateau to the west...
, has a humid subtropical climate
Humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...
(Koppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Cfa). In the mountainous areas west of the Blue Ridge, the climate becomes humid continental
Humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters....
(Koppen Dfa) and maritime temperate
Oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
(Koppen Cfb). Severe weather, in the form of tornadoes, tropical cyclones, and winter storms, impacts the state on a regular basis.
Climate zones
Many variations occur because of the state's significant relief. Elevations in Virginia vary from sea level to Mount RogersMount Rogers
Mount Rogers is the highest natural point in the state of Virginia, USA, with a summit elevation of above mean sea level. It lies in Grayson County and Smyth County, Virginia, about WSW of Troutdale, Virginia, within the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and Jefferson National Forest.The...
at 5,729 ft (1,746 m) above sea level, with major gradations occurring at the edges of the Atlantic Ocean, the end of the Piedmont
Piedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
, and the Blue Ridge and Allegheny
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
chains of the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
. The moderating influence of the ocean from the east, powered by the Gulf Stream
Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates at the tip of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean...
, also creates the potential for hurricanes
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. Cold air masses arrive over the mountains, especially in winter, which can lead to significant snowfalls when coastal storms known as noreasters move up the Atlantic coast. Much of central and southern Virginia however has not had over one foot of snow in a single storm since the Blizzard of December 26th, 2004.
The interaction of these elements with the state's topography create micro-climates in the Shenandoah Valley, the mountainous southwest, and the coastal plains that are slightly but noticeably distinct from each other.
Temperatures
The highest recorded temperature is 110 °F (43.3 °C) at Balcony Falls on July 15, 1954 and the lowest recorded temperature is -30 F at Mountain Lake on January 22, 1985.| Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Virginia Cities | |||||||||||||
| City | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lynchburg | Hi | 44 °F (6.7 °C) | 47 °F (8.3 °C) | 56 °F (13.3 °C) | 68 °F (20 °C) | 76 °F (24.4 °C) | 82 °F (27.8 °C) | 86 °F (30 °C) | 85 °F (29.4 °C) | 78 °F (25.6 °C) | 68 °F (20 °C) | 58 °F (14.4 °C) | 44 °F (6.7 °C) |
| Lo | 28 °F (-2.2 °C) | 29 °F (-1.7 °C) | 38 °F (3.3 °C) | 43 °F (6.1 °C) | 51 °F (10.6 °C) | 60 °F (15.6 °C) | 64 °F (17.8 °C) | 62 °F (16.7 °C) | 56 °F (13.3 °C) | 44 °F (6.7 °C) | 39 °F (3.9 °C) | 28 °F (-2.2 °C) | |
| Virginia Beach | Hi | 51 °F (10.6 °C) | 55 °F (12.8 °C) | 60 °F (15.6 °C) | 68 °F (20 °C) | 75 °F (23.9 °C) | 83 °F (28.3 °C) | 87 °F (30.6 °C) | 86 °F (30 °C) | 81 °F (27.2 °C) | 72 °F (22.2 °C) | 63 °F (17.2 °C) | 52 °F (11.1 °C) |
| Lo | 32 °F (0 °C) | 35 °F (1.7 °C) | 42 °F (5.6 °C) | 50 °F (10 °C) | 56 °F (13.3 °C) | 65 °F (18.3 °C) | 70 °F (21.1 °C) | 69 °F (20.6 °C) | 65 °F (18.3 °C) | 54 °F (12.2 °C) | 44 °F (6.7 °C) | 37 °F (2.8 °C) | |
| Richmond | Hi | 46 °F (7.8 °C) | 50 °F (10 °C) | 60 °F (15.6 °C) | 69 °F (20.6 °C) | 76 °F (24.4 °C) | 84 °F (28.9 °C) | 88 °F (31.1 °C) | 86 °F (30 °C) | 80 °F (26.7 °C) | 69 °F (20.6 °C) | 62 °F (16.7 °C) | 49 °F (9.4 °C) |
| Lo | 27 °F (-2.8 °C) | 31 °F (-.6 °C) | 41 °F (5 °C) | 45 °F (7.2 °C) | 55 °F (12.8 °C) | 63 °F (17.2 °C) | 68 °F (20 °C) | 67 °F (19.4 °C) | 60 °F (15.6 °C) | 47 °F (8.3 °C) | 40 °F (4.4 °C) | 30 °F (-1.1 °C) | |
| Roanoke | Hi | 45 °F (7.2 °C) | 49 °F (9.4 °C) | 59 °F (15 °C) | 68 °F (20 °C) | 76 °F (24.4 °C) | 83 °F (28.3 °C) | 88 °F (31.1 °C) | 86 °F (30 °C) | 79 °F (26.1 °C) | 69 °F (20.6 °C) | 58 °F (14.4 °C) | 46 °F (7.8 °C) |
| Lo | 26 °F (-3.3 °C) | 29 °F (-1.7 °C) | 39 °F (3.9 °C) | 44 °F (6.7 °C) | 52 °F (11.1 °C) | 60 °F (15.6 °C) | 65 °F (18.3 °C) | 63 °F (17.2 °C) | 57 °F (13.9 °C) | 45 °F (7.2 °C) | 37 °F (2.8 °C) | 28 °F (-2.2 °C) | |
Severe weather
Severe weather
Severe weather phenomena are weather conditions that are hazardous to human life and property.- Examples Include :Severe weather can occur under a variety of situations, but three characteristics are generally needed: a temperature or moisture boundary, moisture, and , instability in the...
is a concern in Virginia. Hurricanes make the coastal area of Virginia vulnerable. It is rare for a major hurricane to threaten the Virginia coast as hurricanes this far north tend to weaken due to cooler coast waters and increasingly westerly winds aloft. Heavy rain from tropical cyclones remains a concern, however. Hurricane Isabel
Hurricane Isabel
Hurricane Isabel was the costliest and deadliest hurricane in the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. The ninth named storm, fifth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the season, Isabel formed near the Cape Verde Islands from a tropical wave on September 6 in the tropical Atlantic Ocean...
in 2003 brought much destruction from wind and rain, killing 10 directly and doing nearly two billion dollars in damage. Hurricane Gaston in 2004 inundated Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
after moving ashore South Carolina. Virginia is often struck with the remnants of systems which hit along the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
coastline, which also bring torrential rain to the state. Hurricane Camille
Hurricane Camille
Hurricane Camille was the third and strongest tropical cyclone and second hurricane during the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season. The second of three catastrophic Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the United States during the 20th century , which it did near the mouth of the Mississippi River...
was an extreme example, bringing 27 inches (685.8 mm) of rainfall to portions of Nelson county in a matter of hours. Thunderstorms are an occasional concern with the state averaging anywhere from 30-50 days of thunderstorm activity annually, with the highest area of occurrence going towards the west.
Virginia averages seven tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
es annually, though most are F2 and lower on the Fujita scale
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
. However in 2004, Virginia had eighty-five in one year. Eastern Virginia has a lower rate of tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
es, and the state averages around 2 tornadoes per year.
See also
- Environment of VirginiaEnvironment of VirginiaThe natural environment of Virginia encompasses the physical geography and biology of the U.S. state of Virginia. Virginia has a total area of , including of water, making it the 35th-largest state by area...
- List of wettest known tropical cyclones in Virginia
- United States tropical cyclone rainfall climatologyUnited States tropical cyclone rainfall climatologyThe United States tropical cyclone rainfall climatology concerns the amount of precipitation, primarily in the form of rain, which occurs during tropical cyclones and their extratropical cyclone remnants across the United States...