The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 42
weather
BY THE
NUMBERS
The warmest day in Roanoke
history was Sunday, August 21,
1983, when the temperature
reached 105 degrees.
The consecutive 1918-19 and
1919-20 winters were the last
winters on record at Roanoke
without any accumulating
snow. (Well, .04 " in winter
'22-23.)
A white Christmas has only
occurred seven times in
Roanoke since 1912. The last
White Christmas in Roanoke
happened in 2020.
Twenty-four hurricanes
have been recorded in
Roanoke since 1930. The
largest hurricane was
Camille in 1969.
Most of the severe flooding
in Roanoke occurs along
13 major creeks and the
Roanoke River.
The flooding of November
1985 was the worst on record
of the Roanoke River and
many of the tributaries. Three
people died in that flood.
Roanoke gets an average of
42 inches of rain per year.
The U.S. average is 38 inches.
Roanoke averages 15
inches of snow per year. The
US average is 28.
On average, there are 211
sunny days per year in
Roanoke. The U.S. average
is 205.
Roanoke gets some kind of
precipitation, on average,
121 days per year.
(From various sources.)
THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT
From the 2023 Roanoke Climate Action Plan:
Climate change will increase the frequency and duration
of high temperatures. Extreme heat is the leading cause of
weather-related illnesses in the U.S. and causes more deaths
and health problems than all other natural disasters combined.
Heat waves don't have to shatter temperature records to be
dangerous. The period of time the heat wave lasts is equally
as important as how hot it gets.
Kevin Myatt: " This year was
talked about as the hottest
summer [in the history of the
world], but weather patterns
kept us out of it. "
people are at more risk
for heat illness, higher
energy bills. [Increased
temperatures will] hit the most
vulnerable the hardest. "
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) tells us clearly that " the urban
heat island effect is a real and serious problem ... in
Roanoke and will continue to worsen with the effects
of climate change. "
Lim is studying the urban heat island (UHI) effect,
one that will affect different cities differently. Roanoke is
definitely getting warmer (second warmest July on record
in 2023; first was 2012) and 90-degree days are no longer
outliers. The July 2023 average high in Tuscaloosa was 91.
In urban heat islands, cities are hotter than surrounding
rural areas, four to seven degrees hotter on average.
In Roanoke, within the city, there's a 10- to 15-degree
variant. With less development and more tree canopy
and vegetation, it's 10 degrees cooler than a train track,
the airport, I-581 and Williamson Road. They hold a lot
more heat and are called intraurban heat islands.
Southwest Virginia native and Lim's Tech colleague
Dr. Craig Ramseyer says, " I was just at a meeting of 127
institutions around the world [discussing] better communicating
of our science to the public. A big part is
thinking about local weather. For [this region], it gets
lost, the economic impact and the changes to the way
life works here. It's going to change. The most obvious
place to start is temperature. One of the reasons I moved
to Blacksburg is that at high elevations we are protected
somewhat. Ninety-degree days 50 years from now will
be commonplace. Roanoke already sees them. We will
continue to see shifts of the goal posts. The hottest days
in summer [will increase] 4-5-6 degrees. "
Lim notes that Roanoke is " trying to incorporate its
Climate Action Plan into the city plan, giving more teeth
to how we think about development. "
Leigh Anne Weitzenfeld, Roanoke's Sustainability
Outreach Coordinator, has put together that Action
Plan and says currently the Climate Action Plan is in
the process of aligning it with the City Plan 2040. It
42
january/february 2024
TheRoanoker.com
DAN SMITH
http://www.TheRoanoker.com
The Roanoker January/February 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker January/February 2024
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - Cover1
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - Cover2
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 3
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 4
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 5
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 6
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 7
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 8
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 9
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 10
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 11
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 12
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 13
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 14
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 15
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 16
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 17
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 18
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 19
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 20
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 21
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 22
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 23
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 24
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 25
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 26
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The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 42
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 43
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The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 66
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR1
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR2
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR3
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR4
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR5
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR6
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The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR10
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR11
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The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR19
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR20
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR21
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR22
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR23
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The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR25
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR26
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR27
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR28
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR29
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR30
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR31
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR32
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR33
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR34
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR35
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR36
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR37
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR38
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR39
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR40
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR41
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR42
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR43
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR44
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The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR46
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR47
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR48
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The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR50
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR51
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The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR53
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR54
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR55
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR56
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR57
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR58
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR59
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR60
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR61
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR62
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR63
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR64
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR65
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR66
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR67
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR68
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR69
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR70
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR71
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR72
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR73
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR74
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR75
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR76
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR77
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR78
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR79
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR80
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR81
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR82
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR83
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR84
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR85
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR86
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR87
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR88
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR89
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR90
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR91
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR92
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - Cover3
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - Cover4
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