Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFor weather, Blue Ridge is about as ordinary as U.S. towns get
January nights here settle around 26°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 59°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 67% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from April to June and August to October, with highs of 67–83°.
A year in Blue Ridge at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Blue Ridge’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Blue Ridge’s place in Virginia beside it.
What a year in Blue Ridge feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 210 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 3 and the first by November 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Roanoke Rgnl Airport, 9 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Blue Ridge’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 6°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 11 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Roanoke 8 N, VA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 129 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Blue Ridge
74% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Roanoke Rgnl Airport.
Living with Blue Ridge’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
210 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 3 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, August, September and October. 2.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Blue Ridge from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (80%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Blue Ridge and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Blue Ridge yet.
Climates most like Blue Ridge’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge, VA | 26° | 85° | 45" | 11" |
| Asheville, NC | 27° | 85° | 46" | 12" |
| Forked River, NJ | 26° | 85° | 46" | 10" |
| Jonesborough, TN | 28° | 86° | 47" | 9.2" |
| Vienna, WV | 23° | 85° | 44" | 11" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Blue Ridge averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.7°).
A smaller shift than in 84% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Blue Ridge compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Blue Ridge’s place among Virginia’s.
Blue Ridge weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Blue Ridge’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Roanoke 8 N, VA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 26° | 3.4" | 2.8" | 9 | 3 | 28° – 42° |
| February | 48° | 29° | 2.9" | 4.8" | 9 | 4 | 29° – 46° |
| March | 57° | 35° | 3.8" | 1.0" | 11 | 1 | 39° – 55° |
| April | 67° | 44° | 3.7" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| May | 75° | 53° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 58° – 70° |
| June | 81° | 60° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 64° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 71° – 78° |
| August | 83° | 64° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| September | 77° | 57° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| October | 67° | 46° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 61° |
| November | 56° | 36° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 40° – 52° |
| December | 47° | 29° | 3.6" | 2.7" | 10 | 2 | 29° – 47° |
| Year | 66° | 45° | 45.0" | 11.4" | 129 | 9 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 29° to 47°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Blue Ridge’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Blue Ridge’s center.
- Snow: Roanoke 8 N, VA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Roanoke Rgnl Airport, 9 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Blue Ridge’s climate
What is the weather like in Blue Ridge?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 11 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 67% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Blue Ridge in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 77 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 28°.
How much snow does Blue Ridge get?
About 11 inches in a normal winter at Roanoke 8 N, VA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 9 days a year.
How hot does it get in Blue Ridge?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 64°. About 30 days a year reach 90° (Roanoke Rgnl Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Blue Ridge?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 3 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 210 frost-free days, at Roanoke Rgnl Airport.
What growing zone is Blue Ridge in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Blue Ridge?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Blue Ridge getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 84% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Blue Ridge.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.