Big Meadows, Virginia climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Big Meadows's normal year runs from 19°F January nights to 75°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.6°C, January lows of −7°C, July highs of 24°C.
- NOAA stationBig Meadows
- Station IDUSC00440720
- Location38.52°N 78.44°W
- Elevation3,540 ft (1,079 m)
On October 8, the normal high in Big Meadows is 61°F and the normal low 44°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Big Meadows.
- Jan 36° 19°
- Feb 38° 22°
- Mar 44° 27°
- Apr 57° 37°
- May 64° 46°
- Jun 70° 54°
- Jul 75° 59°
- Aug 73° 58°
- Sep 69° 52°
- Oct 58° 42°
- Nov 48° 32°
- Dec 40° 24°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Big Meadows each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 75°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 19°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36°F | 19°F | 27.3°F | – | <1 | 27 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 38°F | 22°F | 29.7°F | – | <1 | 24 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 44°F | 27°F | 35.1°F | – | <1 | 22 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 57°F | 37°F | 46.9°F | – | <1 | 11 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 64°F | 46°F | 55.3°F | – | <1 | 3 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 70°F | 54°F | 62.3°F | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 75°F | 59°F | 67.1°F | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 73°F | 58°F | 65.1°F | – | <1 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 69°F | 52°F | 60.5°F | – | <1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 58°F | 42°F | 49.8°F | – | <1 | 8 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 48°F | 32°F | 39.8°F | – | <1 | 17 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 40°F | 24°F | 31.5°F | – | <1 | 24 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 56°F | 39°F | 47.5°F | – | <1 | 136 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C | −7°C | −2.6°C |
| February | 3°C | −6°C | −1.3°C |
| March | 6°C | −3°C | 1.7°C |
| April | 14°C | 3°C | 8.3°C |
| May | 18°C | 8°C | 12.9°C |
| June | 21°C | 12°C | 16.8°C |
| July | 24°C | 15°C | 19.5°C |
| August | 23°C | 14°C | 18.4°C |
| September | 21°C | 11°C | 15.8°C |
| October | 14°C | 5°C | 9.9°C |
| November | 9°C | 0°C | 4.3°C |
| December | 4°C | −5°C | −0.3°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Luray (11 miles away), gets 19 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00440720; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Big Meadows?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00440720.
When is the last frost at Big Meadows?
In Big Meadows, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 1 in half of years and after May 19 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 19 in half of years and before October 3 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- May 11 year in 10 after May 19; 9 in 10 after April 16
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 191 year in 10 before October 3; 9 in 10 before November 2
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 169 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 190 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 21 in half of springs and before October 30 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Big Meadows in zone 6b in ZIP code 22743, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Virginia · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00440720; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Big Meadows?
In a normal year in Big Meadows, a 90°F day is rare and 136 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 136a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 38high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1935) is 95°F, on July 24, 1991; the lowest is −21°F, on January 18, 1982.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1979, with 73.94 in; the snowiest season is 1963–64, with 74.8 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00440720; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00440720. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Big Meadows?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Big Meadows, 4.1 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (78%) and January the cloudiest (69%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 69% | 2.2 |
| February | 70% | 3.0 |
| March | 70% | 4.0 |
| April | 72% | 5.0 |
| May | 71% | 5.5 |
| June | 77% | 6.2 |
| July | 78% | 6.0 |
| August | 78% | 5.3 |
| September | 75% | 4.4 |
| October | 74% | 3.4 |
| November | 75% | 2.5 |
| December | 70% | 1.9 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Big Meadows record?
A normal year at Big Meadows brings 6,580 heating degree days, 22% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 240 cooling degree days, 74% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,121 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,167 | 0 |
| February | 987 | 0 |
| March | 927 | 0 |
| April | 548 | 3 |
| May | 312 | 12 |
| June | 124 | 43 |
| July | 33 | 96 |
| August | 57 | 60 |
| September | 159 | 24 |
| October | 475 | 2 |
| November | 754 | 0 |
| December | 1,038 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,580 | 240 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00440720. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does Big Meadows's climate compare?
Big Meadows is warmer than 0 of the 81 places with their own NOAA record in Virginia. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 47.5°F is warmer than 30%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Big Meadows share this climate record?
3 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Elkton, VA3,073 people · 12 mi SW
- Shenandoah, VA2,467 people · 10 mi W
- Stanley, VA1,696 people · 5 mi NW
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Big Meadows's climate
What is the coldest month at Big Meadows?
January, with a normal high of 36°F and a normal low of 19°F. The warmest is July (75°F by day, 59°F at night).
Does it snow at Big Meadows?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Luray (11 miles away), records 19 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Big Meadows in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Big Meadows in zone 6b in ZIP code 22743, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Big Meadows?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 1; in one year in ten it comes after May 19. Waiting until May 19 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Virginia climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Luray, VA11 miles from this station, 54.0°F a year
- Sperryville, VA14 miles from this station, 54.2°F a year
- Boston (4 mi SE), VA18 miles from this station, 54.2°F a year
- Edinburg, VA21 miles from this station, 52.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made