Weather in Virginia (Leesburg, Blue Ridge, Madison: live in, fence, moving)

[novaman]

Originally Posted by chinocal

When I was there last I did notice a lot of new construction. It made me sad to see them cutting into all those beautiful trees in the name of progress. Living in a concrete jungle myself, I really do long to be in a place rich in natural plant life. Still, you're blessed to still have an awful lot of untouched open space. Never having had seasons, you really do paint a good picture of what to expect. It sounds lovely. It's interesting to note the people you have known that moved west all moved back? Was it just homesick or did they say why? Just curious.

Don't worry. The building boom here in no way resembles the concrete jungle I saw in socal. I think what helps in even a highly developed area like Nova is the fact that the banks of trees make a nice thick buffer of foliage.Creating the look of more nature present than perhaps there really is.

[ashbrn4]

A booming economy is to blame for all the construction. Housing prices have fallen some, but are still higher than other areas. This area has high employment rates, high income and lots of construction. It's all part of the same territory. I think those that go to CA and return do it for the reasons you've mentioned, seasons and traffic. I personally love winter, but I know plenty who love hot weather, until it gets here, then they want less humidity. I hate thunderstorms, especially severe ones. The last two summers haven't been that severe, but we've had summers where every few days we're under tornado or t-storm warnings. I hate that kind of weather. The main thing to remember, is NOWHERE is perfect. Very few people are happy with what they have.

[Fairfax Mom]

Now is a good time to come here - home prices have fallen dramtically - it is a buyers market.

I just moved from NJ and the summers are hot and muggy just like NJ - the Spring and Fall are spectacular! The winters are mild and the only problem is dangerous ice storms - driving on ice is more dangerous than snow. I had to laugh - the tiniest bit of snow and they close all the schools!

[chinocal]

Originally Posted by ashbrn4

A booming economy is to blame for all the construction. Housing prices have fallen some, but are still higher than other areas. This area has high employment rates, high income and lots of construction. It's all part of the same territory. I think those that go to CA and return do it for the reasons you've mentioned, seasons and traffic. I personally love winter, but I know plenty who love hot weather, until it gets here, then they want less humidity. I hate thunderstorms, especially severe ones. The last two summers haven't been that severe, but we've had summers where every few days we're under tornado or t-storm warnings. I hate that kind of weather. The main thing to remember, is NOWHERE is perfect. Very few people are happy with what they have.

It's very exciting to hear how well Virginia's economy is doing. That's such a major plus. What I noticed in VA compared to here is that the homes are so much better spaced. Here, if you sneeze, your neighbor says "God bless you". The houses are sooooo close together unless you can really afford an expensive home with a large lot. The cheaper homes with small lots are still around $600,000 and up. You can find homes in the $400K range but then you're seriously sacraficing neighborhood quality. It's a shame. I think the weather isn't ideal anywhere but I think the beauty you gain from more moisture is worth whatever discomfort it might bring. Tornados are far beyond my realm of experience so that will be interesting. Nowhere is perfect, but with the exception of Kauai in the Hawaiin Islands, I haven't been anywhere that's taken my breath away like your home state. :-)

[chinocal]

Originally Posted by Fairfax Mom

Now is a good time to come here - home prices have fallen dramtically - it is a buyers market.

I just moved from NJ and the summers are hot and muggy just like NJ - the Spring and Fall are spectacular! The winters are mild and the only problem is dangerous ice storms - driving on ice is more dangerous than snow. I had to laugh - the tiniest bit of snow and they close all the schools!

Are the winters that much worse in NJ? I didn't realize. What exactly is an ice storm? I hear about them on the news, but are they just talking about hail? Here I am, sounding ignorant again, but I seriously don't know. We get hail here but we don't get much frozen ice on the ground except in the mountains. Is there a difference between an "ice storm" and just regular hail?

[ashbrn4]

Ice storms are mainly when rain (or sometimes very wet snow) falls and freezes as it hits which basically puts a coat of ice on everything in winter. On trees, powerlines, roads, etc which causes power outages and accidents. Snow is easier to drive on. Hail is from thunderstorms in the summer and happens when storms churn up ice pellets that form in the coldest section of the clouds and keeps adding ice layers to them until they fall. So, totally different.

[fearless1]

I think we have a great balance of seasons, not too many extremes for long periods. It is the best weather of anywhere that I have lived before.

[novaman]

Originally Posted by fearless1

I think we have a great balance of seasons, not too many extremes for long periods. It is the best weather of anywhere that I have lived before.

except right now it is so humid and hot...it makes it miserable to set foot outside.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by seanpecor

Here in Boones Mill, VA, in Franklin County, in the Roanoke metro area, you have exactly four seasons and each tends to be +/- 3 months long. Spring begins in March, where because of the consistent rainfall and warming temperatures, flowering trees and early Spring flowers from perennials put on quite a show. It's really quite shocking.



Summer begins to set in June, when you begin to have days that climb into the low 80s and then into the low 90s. Rain generally remains consistent, with afternoon thunderstorms that break up partly to mostly sunny days. It's not nearly as sunny as it is in SoCal, but there are much more partly to mostly sunny days than cloudy ones. Evenings it will generally cool into the high 60s or low 70s:



Autumn begins to set in during September, where the average high is 75F and the average low is 56F. Even though it is cooling, you'll still enjoy comfortably warm days and the lush landscape is quite beautiful:



And by November 1st, with average highs in the lower 60s, and average lows in the upper 30s, Autumn colors are in full swing.





Winter begins to set in during December and lasts through February. It will definitely feel like Winter for someone from SoCal, but on the upside, it rarely remains below 32F (freezing) as a high during the day. Once in a while, we'll get a good snow and marvel in the beauty of it all:



But then the next day, the snow is melted:



In Franklin County, we're just on the East/South side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. As such, we're a wee warmer than Roanoke city. If you went further West into Virginia (Blacksburg, Floyd, Wise), it would be notably cooler than Franklin County. East and North towards Northern Virginia, it's a wee coolor during the summer. In the very South and East section of Virginia near Virginia Beach, it's notably warmer than Franklin County.

Virginia is quite ideal for those interested in four balanced seasons. By the time you're getting sick of the season you're in, the next season is at hand. As you travel further south, in my opinion there is more of an imbalance favoring summer, while the further you travel North, there is an imbalance favoring winter.

I hope this helps.

Sean

Those are some amazing pictures. The landscape sort of has that New England look to it without the extremes of the seasons. The fences, though, give off that southern flavor!

[seanpecor]

Originally Posted by novaman

except right now it is so humid and hot...it makes it miserable to set foot outside.

I'm loving this hot weather, but I spend 8am to 12pm outside on my farm and I'm acclimated. I didn't move down from Vermont to freeze my butt off As long as I keep drinking water I'm quite comfortable, and I was really grunting this morning, earth moving and transplanting boxwoods. The cooler weather will be back soon enough

Sean