Scorching Hot Summers?

[VRE332]

I usually have my air conditioner running from April - November if that helps.

[mississippimagnolia]

I have heard people complain about the heat up here too. I just laugh.

It's all relative. I'm from Mississippi. Even the hottest days in Northern Virginia don't compare to summer in the deep south.

[iamlegend69]

Originally Posted by VRE332

I usually have my air conditioner running from April - November if that helps.

And a major contribution to that extended span is probably due to pollen issues in this area.

It's amazing to see how in some major cities, like the boroughs of NY and in LA, that there's so little foliage and green spaces...which probably result in fewer issues WRT pollen.

[terrence81]

Considering how cold it gets here in the winter I was hoping for cool summer breezes and mild days. That is not the case. I'd say that VA gets almost if just as hot as the south. The major difference is that its not constant. There are some days that are in the 90s and some that are just in the 80s. Whereas down home in GA summer is constantly hot day in day out.

I always got summer fatigue by August. I just get to where I can't stand the monotony of every single day being 90 something degrees. When will summer end? No summer fatigue here. VA def has a summer but it doesn't overstay its welcome and keeps the conversation interesting with moderating temperatures. But that's the thing that I love and hate about the mid-Atlantic the weather is constantly changing.

[iamlegend69]

Originally Posted by terrence81

Considering how cold it gets here in the winter I was hoping for cool summer breezes and mild days. That is not the case. I'd say that VA gets almost if just as hot as the south. The major difference is that its not constant. There are some days that are in the 90s and some that are just in the 80s. Whereas down home in GA summer is constantly hot day in day out.

I always got summer fatigue by August. I just get to where I can't stand the monotony of every single day being 90 something degrees. When will summer end? No summer fatigue here. VA def has a summer but it doesn't overstay its welcome and keeps the conversation interesting with moderating temperatures. But that's the thing that I love and hate about the mid-Atlantic the weather is constantly changing.

For most white collar professionals who work for a living though, those weekdays during the hot summer are lost in an office building with cool air conditioning.

[terrence81]

Originally Posted by iamlegend69

For most white collar professionals who work for a living though, those weekdays during the hot summer are lost in an office building with cool air conditioning.

Huh? What's that supposed to mean? I am well aware of the wonders of air conditioning. The OP is from Florida so I'm sure there is all around awareness of air conditioning. That wasn't my point.

[SteelCityRising]

Just be aware that in the year that I've lived in Northern Virginia the weather here has proven itself to be anything but predictable. In early-February we had two back-to-back snow storms that left 40" of snow on the ground in many areas. Just two months later in early-April we were in the low-to-mid-90s in a mini-heat wave. I moved here last May, and last summer was NOT what I'd consider to be "scorching hot" by any means. It was rather wet and cool (I can tolerate the 80s). One thing I HATE about living here is the wind. Maybe it's just because Reston sits on a plateau of sorts, but it's windy here nearly everyday!

[Fern435]

Last spring was very rainy, followed by rather mild temperatures during the summer. There were only a handful of days that were sweltering.

Summer of 2005, however, was unbearably hot and humid. The summer of the Asian tiger mosquitoes.

[ChristineVA]

We can have some very hot days here (high humidity, 90s, etc.) but I wouldn't say that they are sustained.

Last summer I took a trip to Orlando--the first time I had ever been in the summer. NEVER.AGAIN.

Our summers are nothing compared to that. I had one week of unrelenting, brutal, heat and humidity. The humidity was so bad that when I walked outside I felt like I hit some wall of steam. It even aggravated my son's asthma and he had to use his rescue inhaler for much of the trip.

No doubt it truly is humid here too..but not like Florida.

[ACWhite]

One thing that hasn't been said is that the springs and autumns are generally very pleasant here, compared to many parts of the midwest and possibly compared to FL. There are lots of sunny days with low humidity (though I agree with others who have pointed out how unpredictable/variable the weather can be in all seasons, and how windy it can be). I just think that these two seasons somewhat offset how extreme the other two seasons can be.

It may be cooler in the summer than what many people in FL are used to, but it is by no means cool. Yahoo weather also reports the averages (someone else suggested Google as well).