Jump to content
Main menu
Main menu
move to sidebar
hide
Navigation
Main page
Recent changes
Random page
Help about MediaWiki
Special pages
Niidae Wiki
Search
Search
Appearance
Create account
Log in
Personal tools
Create account
Log in
Pages for logged out editors
learn more
Contributions
Talk
Editing
Roanoke, Virginia
(section)
Page
Discussion
English
Read
Edit
View history
Tools
Tools
move to sidebar
hide
Actions
Read
Edit
View history
General
What links here
Related changes
Page information
Appearance
move to sidebar
hide
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
===Climate=== Though located along the Blue Ridge Mountains at elevations exceeding {{cvt|900|ft|-1}}, Roanoke lies in the [[humid subtropical climate]] zone ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cfa''), with four distinct, but generally mild, seasons.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 22, 2022 |title=Roanoke, Virginia |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/cities/roanoke-virginia.html |access-date=June 26, 2023 |website=WorldAtlas |language=en-US |archive-date=June 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230626153934/https://www.worldatlas.com/cities/roanoke-virginia.html |url-status=live}}</ref> It is located in USDA [[hardiness zone]] 7b, with the suburbs falling in zone 7a.<ref>{{cite web |title=USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map |author=United States Department of Agriculture |publisher=[[United States National Arboretum]] |url=http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hzm-ne1.html |access-date=February 19, 2015 |author-link=United States Department of Agriculture |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303152208/http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hzm-ne1.html |archive-date=March 3, 2015}}</ref> Extremes in temperature have ranged from {{convert|105|°F}} (as recently as August 21, 1983) down to {{convert|−12|°F|0}} on December 30, 1917. However, neither {{convert|100|°F|0}} nor {{convert|0|°F|0}} are reached in most years; the most recent occurrence of each is July 20, 2020, and February 20, 2015, respectively.<ref name="NOAA">{{cite web |url=https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=rnk |title=NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date=July 1, 2021 |archive-date=July 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722235732/http://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=rnk |url-status=live}}</ref> More typically, the area records an average of 6.1 days where the temperature stays at or below freezing and 30.5 days with {{convert|90|°F|0}}+ highs annually.<ref name="NOAA" /><ref name="NCEI" /> The monthly mean temperature ranges from {{convert|37.9|°F|1}} in January to {{convert|77.8|°F|1}} in July.<ref name="NOAA" /><ref name="NCEI" /> Based on the 1991−2020 period, the city averages {{convert|14.8|in|cm|0}} of snow per winter.<ref name="NCEI" /> Roanoke experienced a mild snow drought in the 2000s, which ended in December 2009 when {{convert|17|in|cm}} of snow fell on Roanoke in a [[December 2009 North American blizzard|single storm]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Ballisty |first=Tim |url=http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/winter-storm-aiming-for-mid-atlantic_2009-12-17 |title=Snow Totals Adding Up from Blizzard 2009 |website=weather.com |date=January 14, 2013 |access-date=June 12, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611210750/http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/winter-storm-aiming-for-mid-atlantic_2009-12-17 |archive-date=June 11, 2013}}</ref> Winter snowfall has ranged from trace amounts in 1918–19 and 1919–20 to {{convert|62.7|in|cm|0}} in 1959–60;<ref name="NOAA" /> unofficially, the largest single storm dumped approximately three feet (0.9 m) from December 16−18, 1890.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.roanoke.com/weather/columns_and_blogs/columns/weather_journal/snowstorm-one-of-biggest-events-in-roanoke-s-weather-history/article_afc97fd9-7dd2-55c3-8811-6378c3953087.html |title=1890 snowstorm one of biggest events in Roanoke's weather history |newspaper=www.roanoke.com |access-date=January 24, 2017 |archive-date=November 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126054050/https://roanoke.com/weather/columns_and_blogs/columns/weather_journal/snowstorm-one-of-biggest-events-in-roanoke-s-weather-history/article_afc97fd9-7dd2-55c3-8811-6378c3953087.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Historically, flooding has been the primary weather-related hazard faced by Roanoke.<ref name=Myatt1>{{cite news |last=Myatt |first=Kevin |date=September 24, 2014 |title=Last big Roanoke flood was decade ago |work=The Roanoke Times |page=3B}}</ref> Heavy rains, most frequently from the remnants of a [[hurricane]], drain from surrounding areas to the narrow Roanoke Valley.<ref name=Myatt2>{{cite news |last=Myatt |first=Kevin |date=May 23, 2020 |title=It rained a long time, but not all that hard |work=The Roanoke Times |page=3A}}</ref> The most recent significant flood was in the fall of 2018, when the remains of [[Hurricane Michael]] dumped over five inches of rain on the area in the span of only a few hours.<ref name=Myatt3>{{cite news |last=Myatt |first=Kevin |date=October 14, 2020 |title=Wettest year to date likely won't uproot 2018 |work=The Roanoke Times |page=2B}}</ref><ref name=Myatt4>{{cite news |last=Myatt |first=Kevin |date=January 2, 2019 |title=Soggy year sets high-water mark |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> The [[1985 Election Day floods|most severe flooding]] in the city's history occurred on November 4, 1985, when heavy storms from [[Hurricane Juan (1985)|Hurricane Juan]] stalled over the area.<ref name=Myatt5>{{Cite news |last=Myatt |first=Kevin |date=August 14, 2014 |title=What was the worst hurricane to affect Southwest Virginia? |work=The Roanoke Times |page= |url=https://roanoke.com/weather/what-was-the-worst-hurricane-to-affect-southwest-virginia/article_bd8fff72-233c-11e4-9414-0017a43b2370.html |access-date=January 30, 2024}}</ref> Ten people drowned in the Roanoke Valley and others were saved by rescue personnel.<ref name=Beagle1>{{cite news |last=Beagle |first=Ben |date=November 5, 1995 |title=When the waters killed - The flood of '85 lives on in the memories of those who survived |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1G}}</ref> That incident prompted a major flood reduction effort completed in 2012 by the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]], which has limited the damage caused by subsequent storms.<ref name=Chittum4>{{cite news |last=Chittum |first=Matt |date=September 13, 2018 |title=Rains to test flood reduction plan |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> {{Weather box | location = [[Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport]], Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1912–present) | single line = Y | Jan record high F = 81 | Feb record high F = 84 | Mar record high F = 90 | Apr record high F = 95 | May record high F = 99 | Jun record high F = 104 | Jul record high F = 105 | Aug record high F = 105 | Sep record high F = 103 | Oct record high F = 99 | Nov record high F = 83 | Dec record high F = 80 | year record high F = 105 | Jan avg record high F = 67.2 | Feb avg record high F = 70.3 | Mar avg record high F = 78.5 | Apr avg record high F = 85.7 | May avg record high F = 89.5 | Jun avg record high F = 93.6 | Jul avg record high F = 95.8 | Aug avg record high F = 94.5 | Sep avg record high F = 91.2 | Oct avg record high F = 84.6 | Nov avg record high F = 76.0 | Dec avg record high F = 68.3 | year avg record high F = 96.9 | Jan high F = 47.1 | Feb high F = 50.8 | Mar high F = 59.0 | Apr high F = 69.7 | May high F = 77.2 | Jun high F = 84.4 | Jul high F = 88.1 | Aug high F = 86.5 | Sep high F = 80.0 | Oct high F = 70.1 | Nov high F = 59.0 | Dec high F = 50.0 | year high F = 68.5 | Jan mean F = 37.9 | Feb mean F = 40.8 | Mar mean F = 48.3 | Apr mean F = 58.0 | May mean F = 66.1 | Jun mean F = 73.8 | Jul mean F = 77.8 | Aug mean F = 76.2 | Sep mean F = 69.6 | Oct mean F = 58.9 | Nov mean F = 48.4 | Dec mean F = 40.9 | year mean F = 58.1 | Jan low F = 28.7 | Feb low F = 30.8 | Mar low F = 37.6 | Apr low F = 46.3 | May low F = 55.0 | Jun low F = 63.2 | Jul low F = 67.4 | Aug low F = 66.0 | Sep low F = 59.1 | Oct low F = 47.8 | Nov low F = 37.7 | Dec low F = 31.8 | year low F = 47.6 | Jan avg record low F = 11.0 | Feb avg record low F = 15.8 | Mar avg record low F = 21.3 | Apr avg record low F = 31.5 | May avg record low F = 40.3 | Jun avg record low F = 51.7 | Jul avg record low F = 57.6 | Aug avg record low F = 55.6 | Sep avg record low F = 45.1 | Oct avg record low F = 32.0 | Nov avg record low F = 23.4 | Dec avg record low F = 16.9 | year avg record low F = 9.0 | Jan record low F = −11 | Feb record low F = −1 | Mar record low F = 9 | Apr record low F = 15 | May record low F = 30 | Jun record low F = 36 | Jul record low F = 47 | Aug record low F = 42 | Sep record low F = 32 | Oct record low F = 22 | Nov record low F = 8 | Dec record low F = −12 | year record low F = -12 | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation inch = 3.17 | Feb precipitation inch = 2.89 | Mar precipitation inch = 3.51 | Apr precipitation inch = 3.49 | May precipitation inch = 4.31 | Jun precipitation inch = 4.66 | Jul precipitation inch = 4.28 | Aug precipitation inch = 3.37 | Sep precipitation inch = 4.06 | Oct precipitation inch = 2.96 | Nov precipitation inch = 3.04 | Dec precipitation inch = 3.08 | year precipitation inch = 42.82 | Jan snow inch = 4.3 | Feb snow inch = 4.8 | Mar snow inch = 2.3 | Apr snow inch = 0.1 | May snow inch = 0.0 | Jun snow inch = 0.0 | Jul snow inch = 0.0 | Aug snow inch = 0.0 | Sep snow inch = 0.0 | Oct snow inch = 0.0 | Nov snow inch = 0.1 | Dec snow inch = 3.2 | year snow inch = 14.8 | unit precipitation days = 0.01 in | Jan precipitation days = 9.5 | Feb precipitation days = 9.5 | Mar precipitation days = 11.1 | Apr precipitation days = 10.7 | May precipitation days = 12.4 | Jun precipitation days = 12.2 | Jul precipitation days = 11.7 | Aug precipitation days = 9.7 | Sep precipitation days = 9.0 | Oct precipitation days = 7.7 | Nov precipitation days = 7.8 | Dec precipitation days = 9.2 | year precipitation days = 120.5 | unit snow days = 0.1 in | Jan snow days = 2.0 | Feb snow days = 2.2 | Mar snow days = 1.4 | Apr snow days = 0.1 | May snow days = 0.0 | Jun snow days = 0.0 | Jul snow days = 0.0 | Aug snow days = 0.0 | Sep snow days = 0.0 | Oct snow days = 0.0 | Nov snow days = 0.1 | Dec snow days = 1.3 | year snow days = 7.1 | source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name = NOAA/><ref name = NCEI>{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00013741&format=pdf |title=Station: Roanoke RGNL AP, VA |work=U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020) |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=July 1, 2021 |archive-date=November 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122213802/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00013741&format=pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> }}
Summary:
Please note that all contributions to Niidae Wiki may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here.
You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see
Encyclopedia:Copyrights
for details).
Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Search
Search
Editing
Roanoke, Virginia
(section)
Add topic