ROANOKE TIMES  
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Sunday, August 11, 1996                TAG: 9608130013
SECTION: DISCOVER ROANOKE VALLEY  PAGE: 28   EDITION: METRO  

ROANOKE VALLEY CLIMATE

The Roanoke Valley has four distinct seasons typical of a temperate climate. Winter extremes are tempered, however, by the location of the valley. The Alleghenies and the Blue Ridge Mountains provide a natural barrier to the cold northern winds resulting in a milder winter than in the surrounding mountainous areas.

The growing season in the area averages 190 days. The last freezing temperature in spring usually occurs around mid-April and the first freeze in the fall is usually in late October.

The following climatological data are based on records and measurements taken since 1948 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at Roanoke Municipal Airport. There may have been other extremes such as the drought of the early 1930s.

LENGTH: Short :   29 lines
ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC:  graph - average temperature.  color
          chart - climatological data.
          
          please see microfilm for charts. 
KEYWORDS: MGR