Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Shenandoah National Park United StatesIn Shenandoah National Park, the summers are warm and humid, the winters are very cold and snowy, and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 25°F to 87°F and is rarely below 11°F or above 94°F. Based on the tourism score, the best times of year to visit Shenandoah National Park for warm-weather activities are from early June to mid July and from mid July to late September. Average Temperature in Shenandoah National ParkThe hot season lasts for 3.6 months, from May 27 to September 15, with an average daily high temperature above 79°F. The hottest month of the year in Shenandoah National Park is July, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F. The cold season lasts for 3.2 months, from November 28 to March 2, with an average daily high temperature below 53°F. The coldest month of the year in Shenandoah National Park is January, with an average low of 26°F and high of 45°F.
The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day. CloudsIn Shenandoah National Park, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year. The clearer part of the year in Shenandoah National Park begins around July 10 and lasts for 4.0 months, ending around November 11. The clearest month of the year in Shenandoah National Park is September, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 65% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around November 11 and lasts for 8.0 months, ending around July 10. The cloudiest month of the year in Shenandoah National Park is December, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 50% of the time.
PrecipitationA wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Shenandoah National Park varies throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 4.5 months, from April 11 to August 28, with a greater than 30% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Shenandoah National Park is July, with an average of 12.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 7.5 months, from August 28 to April 11. The month with the fewest wet days in Shenandoah National Park is October, with an average of 6.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Shenandoah National Park is July, with an average of 12.2 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 41% on July 13.
RainfallTo show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Shenandoah National Park experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. Rain falls throughout the year in Shenandoah National Park. The month with the most rain in Shenandoah National Park is May, with an average rainfall of 3.5 inches. The month with the least rain in Shenandoah National Park is January, with an average rainfall of 1.9 inches.
SnowfallAs with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Shenandoah National Park experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly snowfall. The snowy period of the year lasts for 4.4 months, from November 15 to March 28, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Shenandoah National Park is February, with an average snowfall of 5.8 inches. The snowless period of the year lasts for 7.6 months, from March 28 to November 15. The least snow falls around July 18, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.
SunThe length of the day in Shenandoah National Park varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 29 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 14 hours, 51 minutes of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 5:49 AM on June 13, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 53 minutes later at 7:42 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 4:52 PM on December 6, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 49 minutes later at 8:42 PM on June 27. Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Shenandoah National Park during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3. The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation. MoonThe figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. HumidityWe base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night. Shenandoah National Park experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity. The muggier period of the year lasts for 4.0 months, from May 24 to September 23, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 16% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Shenandoah National Park is July, with 18.2 days that are muggy or worse. The month with the fewest muggy days in Shenandoah National Park is February, with 0.0 days that are muggy or worse.
WindThis section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages. The average hourly wind speed in Shenandoah National Park experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 6.1 months, from November 1 to May 4, with average wind speeds of more than 5.2 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Shenandoah National Park is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.4 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 5.9 months, from May 4 to November 1. The calmest month of the year in Shenandoah National Park is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 3.8 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction in Shenandoah National Park is from the west throughout the year. Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is in Shenandoah National Park throughout the year, we compute two travel scores. The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Shenandoah National Park for general outdoor tourist activities are from early June to mid July and from mid July to late September, with a peak score in the first week of September. Tourism Score in Shenandoah National ParkThe beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Shenandoah National Park for hot-weather activities is from late June to late August, with a peak score in the third week of July. Beach/Pool Score in Shenandoah National ParkMethodologyFor each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed. Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies. Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more. Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter. Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter. Growing SeasonDefinitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere). The growing season in Shenandoah National Park typically lasts for 6.2 months (189 days), from around April 13 to around October 19, rarely starting before March 27 or after May 2, and rarely ending before September 30 or after November 6. Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F. Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Shenandoah National Park should appear around March 12, only rarely appearing before February 21 or after March 31. Solar EnergyThis section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation. The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.8 months, from April 28 to August 21, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.0 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Shenandoah National Park is June, with an average of 6.9 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 3.1 months, from November 5 to February 8, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.1 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Shenandoah National Park is December, with an average of 2.2 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Shenandoah National Park are 38.492 deg latitude, -78.469 deg longitude, and 0 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Shenandoah National Park is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 0 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 0 feet. Within 10 miles is also essentially flat (0 feet). Within 50 miles is also essentially flat (0 feet). The area within 2 miles of Shenandoah National Park is covered by trees (100%), within 10 miles by trees (76%) and cropland (24%), and within 50 miles by trees (69%) and cropland (29%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather in Shenandoah National Park, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016. The details of the data sources used for this report can be found on the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport page. DisclaimerThe information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site. We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands. We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader. Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page. |