Roanoke, VA Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Annual temperature and rainfall from NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 normals →; comfort score computed by PlainClimate
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Roanoke's primary NOAA station, ROANOKE 8 N.
The climate verdict for Roanoke
Water is the standout signal in Roanoke, Virginia: 45.7 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 56°F. It scores 78/100 for climate comfort (good), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 72% of them.
- 56°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 78/100
- comfort score, above 72% of station-mapped location scores
- 45.7"
- annual precipitation · 11" snow
- 200 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Roanoke: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00447278 · Roanoke, VA 56°F mean · 45.7" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-MID · COMF-TOP · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 56°F
- RANK-UPPER #4,254
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Milton Freewater
- PRCP-MID 45.7"
- SWING-MID 40°F
- COMF-TOP 78/100
- LOAD-HEAT 4,432 HDD
- STN-1 USC00447278
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Milton Freewater, OR (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every VA station list.
- Roanoke (this station) 56°F
- Hot Williamsburg, KY 56°F
- Near Milton Freewater, OR 56°F
- Near Mt Airy, NC 56°F
- Near Chatham, VA 56°F
Climate Living Index · Roanoke
Roanoke: 64/100 · grade C
Roanoke publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Roanoke, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 78/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 109 calendar days | 71/100 · B |
| Frost-free season | 200 days/year | 64/100 · C |
| Precipitation balance | 45.7 in · 10.7 from 35 in | 62/100 · C |
| Annual temperature balance | 55.5°F · 12.0° from 67.5°F | 61/100 · C |
| Snowfall burden | 11.4 inches/year | 61/100 · C |
Roanoke · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Roanoke is a temperate Köppen climate: Cfa
Coldest-month mean 35.5°F and warmest-month mean 75.1°F place this station in temperate, no dry season, hot summer climates (Cfa). Class Cfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: temperate, specifically temperate, no dry season, hot summer.
- Köppen code
- Cfa
- Group
- Temperate
- Warmest month
- 75.1°F
- Coldest month
- 35.5°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Roanoke sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Roanoke's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 62nd percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 30% wettest
- Roanoke's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 34th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Roanoke compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Roanoke's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
78 Top 28% score exceeds 72% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). This entry sits in this band.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46°F (8°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 3.3" | 2.8" | 24.4 | 0.0 |
| February | 49°F (10°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 2.7" | 4.8" | 20.8 | 0.0 |
| March | 58°F (14°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 3.8" | 1.0" | 14.5 | 0.0 |
| April | 68°F (20°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 4.0" | 0.1" | 2.4 | 0.2 |
| May | 76°F (24°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 4.4" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 0.7 |
| June | 82°F (28°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 5.2" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 4.7 |
| July | 86°F (30°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 75°F (24°C) | 4.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 10.5 |
| August | 85°F (29°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 74°F (23°C) | 3.8" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 7.7 |
| September | 79°F (26°C) | 56°F (14°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 4.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 3.6 |
| October | 69°F (20°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 3.2" | 0.0" | 1.7 | 0.2 |
| November | 58°F (14°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 3.0" | 0.0" | 12.4 | 0.0 |
| December | 49°F (9°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 3.3" | 2.7" | 21.2 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 86°F around July 17, short of 90°F on every date, while 109 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 24°F near January 17.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 12, then returns to freezing around November 25, covering 109 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is May 24, when 46% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is November 7 at 27%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 129 wet dates a year.
The widest day
April 19 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 26°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Roanoke.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 2.8"
9.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.8"
9.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.0"
10.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
11.9 days with precipitation
13.8 days with precipitation
12.9 days with precipitation
11.7 days with precipitation
12.3 days with precipitation
9.7 days with precipitation
9.3 days with precipitation
8.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.7"
10.3 days with precipitation
Roanoke spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 30% of the annual total and December through February 20%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Roanoke has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 39.6°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: June averages 5.2" and February 2.7". The three wettest months together take 31% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
When it rains in Roanoke, it arrives in quantity
45.7" of precipitation falls across only about 129 wet days here, averaging 0.36 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 129 a year, 35% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.36 inches
- Most wet days
- May, about 14
- Fewest wet days
- November, about 8
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Snow reaches Roanoke, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 11.4 inches of snow a year here, most likely in February. That is a real but marginal amount: enough that snow is part of the local record, not enough to define the winter.
A figure in this range usually reflects a handful of events that melt quickly rather than a season of accumulation; about 5 days a year record any measurable snow at all.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. An average across thirty years can smooth away a single heavy winter, so a small annual figure does not mean a significant snowfall is impossible.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 28
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 11
50% probability date
Growing Season
200 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
4,432
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,014
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside VA closest to Roanoke on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (56°F here).
- Allardt, TN 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Castle Valley, UT 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Hayesville, NC 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Hillsboro, IL 56°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (45.7" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Atoka, OK 45.7" · 0.0" off
- Surrency, GA 45.7" · 0.0" off
- Millbrook, NY 45.8" · 0.0" off
- Marshfield, MO 45.6" · 0.1" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Roanoke's climate pattern fits together
heating led · wet · mid swing
Roanoke's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 4,432 annual heating degree days against 1,014 for cooling. Its 39.6°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Roanoke's frost-free season lasts about 200 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Roanoke's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 39.6°F. The annual average is 56°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Alongside its heating load, Roanoke carries 45.7 inches of precipitation in a normal year, inside PlainClimate's wet range. Annual snowfall totals 11.4 inches. That distinction matters because a wet annual total can arrive as rain, snow, or a mixture at different times.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Roanoke's primary station, so the winter figures are a thirty-year average and not a floor: a single hard season can run well below them. Treat each band as a descriptive range for Roanoke, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Roanoke's climate
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Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Roanoke's primary station: ROANOKE 8 N (USC00447278). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 5168000). Match rule for Roanoke: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Roanoke comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.