Weather in Virginia (Virginia Beach, Roanoke, Blacksburg: house, travel, illegal)

[chinocal]

Whenever we've been in Virginia it has been in the summer so I know about the hot, sticky part of the year. My question is what about the other seasons? I talked to someone recently who said it's either hot/sticky or cold/rainy. I can't imagine that's completely accurate. Can someone tell me a bit about the seasons there?

[ashbrn4]

The whole state pretty much has four seasons. The mountains tend to get more snow. The southeastern areas get less snow. It's otherwise pretty much like the eastern seaboard and the whole summer is not hot and humid nor is the fall and spring cold/rainy. Talk about generalizations, geez!

[chinocal]

Originally Posted by ashbrn4

The whole state pretty much has four seasons. The mountains tend to get more snow. The southeastern areas get less snow. It's otherwise pretty much like the eastern seaboard and the whole summer is not hot and humid nor is the fall and spring cold/rainy. Talk about generalizations, geez!

I'm going to sound a little ignorant here in that I don't know exactly what the four seasons entail on the east coast. In Southern Cal., we're warm until November (sometimes until Christmas), then it's cold from January through March. It may rain sporadically from February through June but nothing major. That's why I asked. I wasn't trying to generalize. I was just repeating what someone who grew up back in that area said. I was really just trying to weed out what I considered must be an exaggeration.

[novaman]

I'm not sure which part of Virginia you are asking about, but here in Northern Virginia... Summers are generally hot and humid, but you do get some relief as the weather can change regularly. This summer we've actually had some stretches where the weather was similar to soCal in terms of more comfortable humidity.
The Fall is spectacular here. It gets cool and crisp, and the scenery is great.
Winters are actually not too bad. We can get our share of snow, but overall its pretty mild, especially when you compare it to northern cities
Spring is gorgeous, but feels too short. It seems we always go from winter to summer pretty quick.
If you've lived you whole life in soCal, you will need to get used to a few things, like rain (yes it rains in Virginia), seasonal allergies (from pollen), and mosquitos in the summer (wear bug spray)

[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

[chinocal]

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

Wow! That was exactly what I needed! And pictures too - very thoughtful. We're considering central Virginia and plan to look for homes around the end of summer. You've really painted a great picture. Thanks so much!

[chinocal]

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

Sean - Yes, thank you so much. That does help me. :-)

[chinocal]

Originally Posted by novaman

I'm not sure which part of Virginia you are asking about, but here in Northern Virginia... Summers are generally hot and humid, but you do get some relief as the weather can change regularly. This summer we've actually had some stretches where the weather was similar to soCal in terms of more comfortable humidity.
The Fall is spectacular here. It gets cool and crisp, and the scenery is great.
Winters are actually not too bad. We can get our share of snow, but overall its pretty mild, especially when you compare it to northern cities
Spring is gorgeous, but feels too short. It seems we always go from winter to summer pretty quick.
If you've lived you whole life in soCal, you will need to get used to a few things, like rain (yes it rains in Virginia), seasonal allergies (from pollen), and mosquitos in the summer (wear bug spray)

We're thinking about central Virginia. You've really provided great insight. I appreciate it. :-)

[novaman]

So why the move from soCal to Va? Most people try to do the opposite.

[chinocal]

Originally Posted by novaman

So why the move from soCal to Va? Most people try to do the opposite.

Well, I'm a little on the fence which is one of the reasons for my participating in this forum. Why do people want to move so much out this way (so cal)? Yes, the weather is nice, but everything is so brown & dry. I don't want to get into politics but we have a pretty major illegal alien problem here and house prices are finally improving a bit but are still so crazy.

It's so beautiful in Virginia, it's so rich in history, etc. It seems a better place to raise children. But, since you already live there, can you tell me what kinds of negatives make people want to move to the west coast? I'd appreciate brutal honesty. :-)