RVA Climate
Tracking long-term temperature trends, regional climate normals, and shifting weather patterns across the Richmond, Virginia metropolitan area and Central Virginia.
Last updated Nov 7, 2026
Key Climate Numbers
+2.9°F
Avg Temp Rise
since 1970
+3.6°F
Warmer Nights
summer mins
+28 days
Longer Frost-Free Season
since 1970
+14%
Hourly Rain Intensity
since 1970
A Longer Growing Season
In the Richmond metro, historical records show earlier last-frost dates in spring and later first-frost dates in fall. The result is a growing season 28 days longer — 221 days (Apr 1–Nov 8) versus 193 days (Apr 15–Oct 25) — good news for gardeners, but it also shifts pest cycles, pollen seasons, and agricultural water demand.
Last Spring Frost
Moving ~2 weeks earlier
First Fall Frost
Moving ~2 weeks later
Zone Reclassification
USDA Plant Hardiness
The Trends, Charted
Frost-Free Season Length (days)
Average days between last & first frost
Days ≥ 90°F per Year — days per year, by decade
Decadal average of days reaching 90°F or hotter
Summer Overnight Minimums (°F)
Decadal average of June–Aug daily lows
Heavy Rain Events per Decade
Days with ≥ 2 inches in 24 hours
Summer Avg High — Downtown vs. Counties
Typical July afternoon highs (°F)
City core Surrounding counties
Climate Records & Normals for Central Virginia
- Greatest 24-hour snowfall: 21.6 in — January 1940
- Normals source: NOAA/NCEI 1991–2020 Climate Normals — Richmond International Airport (KRIC)
Trend figures shown here are drawn from NOAA/NCEI and NOAA ACIS station data for Richmond International Airport (KRIC), Climate Central's Richmond analysis, the Fifth National Climate Assessment, USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, and the 2017 Richmond heat-mapping study and are intended to communicate the direction and relative magnitude of local change. Exact values vary by station, time period, and methodology. The current-year panel and all 2020s chart points are computed live from official KRIC daily records via the NOAA Regional Climate Centers' ACIS system.
Year in Review
Richmond's weather year, by the numbers
The year-to-date weather story for Richmond, Virginia — records, totals, and extremes computed from official KRIC airport climate records.
Live KRIC records — arriving in Phase 2
On the current site this panel is computed live from KRIC daily records (hottest and coldest days, 90°+ day counts, precipitation totals, frost dates, the wettest month, and the year's biggest rain days). It joins this page with the live-data build; the static trend story above is complete now.
- Hottest day
- Coldest day
- Days at 90°F+
- Total precipitation
- Heavy rain days (2″+)
- Warmest overnight low
- Frost-free days
- Wettest month
- Monthly rainfall vs. multi-year average
- Biggest rain days
Want the longer story?
These yearly recaps sit inside a decades-long picture of Richmond's shifting climate — warmer nights, longer growing seasons, and heavier downpours.
All figures computed from official KRIC (Richmond International Airport) daily climate records via the NOAA Regional Climate Centers' ACIS system. The current year is year-to-date and will change as the year progresses.