Photo: DwayneP at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0For weather, Radford is about as ordinary as U.S. towns get
January nights here settle around 25°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 60°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 61% of U.S. towns. For walks and days out, the stretch from April to June and August to October brings highs of 67–83°.
A year in Radford at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Radford’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Radford’s place in Virginia beside it.
What a year in Radford feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 174 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Radford 3 N, VA, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Radford’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. 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 16 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Pulaski 2 E, VA, is heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 41 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 123 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Radford
88% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Radford 3 N, VA.
Living with Radford’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
174 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 26 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, August, September and October. 7.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Radford from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (62%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Radford and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Radford in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Radford’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radford, VA | 25° | 84° | 41" | 16" |
| Martins Ferry, OH | 22° | 84° | 42" | 15" |
| Wheeling, WV | 22° | 84° | 42" | 15" |
| South Farmingdale, NY | 24° | 85° | 44" | 19" |
| Clairton, PA | 22° | 84° | 41" | 21" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Radford averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 70% 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 Radford compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Radford’s place among Virginia’s.
Radford weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Radford’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Pulaski 2 E, VA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 25° | 3.1" | 4.7" | 9 | 5 | 27° – 42° |
| February | 48° | 27° | 2.7" | 4.6" | 9 | 5 | 28° – 45° |
| March | 56° | 33° | 3.5" | 2.3" | 10 | 2 | 38° – 54° |
| April | 67° | 41° | 3.7" | 0.6" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 58° |
| May | 74° | 49° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 56° – 67° |
| June | 81° | 57° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| July | 84° | 61° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| August | 83° | 60° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| September | 77° | 54° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 71° |
| October | 67° | 42° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| November | 57° | 33° | 2.8" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 39° – 50° |
| December | 47° | 27° | 3.1" | 3.5" | 9 | 4 | 28° – 48° |
| Year | 65° | 42° | 41.3" | 15.8" | 123 | 16 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 28° to 48°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Radford’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 Radford’s center.
- Snow: Pulaski 2 E, VA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Radford 3 N, VA, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Radford’s climate
What is the weather like in Radford?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 61% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 57% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Radford in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 119 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Radford get?
About 16 inches in a normal winter at Pulaski 2 E, VA, heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 16 days a year.
How hot does it get in Radford?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 61°. About 11 days a year reach 90° (Radford 3 N, VA).
When is the first and last frost in Radford?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 174 frost-free days, at Radford 3 N, VA.
What growing zone is Radford in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Radford?
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 Radford getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 70% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Radford.
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.