Virginia Climate – June 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Richmond, and Newport News
This month in numbers
Virginia experienced its 16th warmest June on record, with an average temperature of 22.61°C, an anomaly of +1.3°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. The maximum temperature for June was 29.22°C, ranking as the 11th highest on record. Looking at the broader spring season, April–June 2026 saw an average temperature of 18.63°C, ranking as the 7th warmest such period in 77 years. Maximum temperatures for April–June were particularly notable, reaching 25.65°C, which ranks as the 2nd highest on record for this three-month span. Globally, June 2026 was the 3rd warmest June on record for land temperatures, and the April–June period ranked as the 2nd warmest globally.
What changed
Virginia's consistently warm temperatures this spring and early summer stand in contrast to a significant lack of precipitation. The April–June period recorded only 71.46 mm of precipitation, an anomaly of -21.4 mm, ranking as the 69th driest such period on record. This dry trend has led to widespread drought conditions across the state. In June, Virginia was 126th out of 234 regions for its 1-month temperature anomaly, and 71st out of 234 for its 3-month anomaly, indicating it was warmer than many other regions but not among the absolute warmest globally. Within the NOAA Southeast US climate region, Virginia's 1-month anomaly was 0.26°C warmer than the group average, placing it as the 3rd warmest in the group.
What’s driving change?
The persistent dry conditions are a major factor in Virginia's elevated temperatures, contributing to . The state has been experiencing a historic drought, with precipitation totals approximately eight inches below average across much of the Commonwealth, marking the driest period since 1941. This severe drought has led to an unusual concentration of wildfire events, with five wildfires occurring between late June and mid-July, representing 100% of the annual total for Virginia. Additionally, two drought events and one flood event were logged for Virginia over the past 12 months, with the recent occurrences representing 100% of their respective annual totals, highlighting an unusual concentration of these events. More information on these events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker. The ongoing drought has also raised concerns about summer wildfire risk.
Looking ahead
Extended forecast models suggest that a strong El Niño will develop in the coming months, which could influence Virginia's weather patterns through autumn and winter.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Climate Map – USA
Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance — US states & climate regions (tavg, pcp). Anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) or 1991–2020 (rainfall). See methodology.
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – Virginia
Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Virginia – Monthly Temperature – All Years
Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Records – Virginia
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm / cold seasonsKöppen Cfa · TemperateHow spring and autumn have shifted in Virginia. Spring is defined as the date monthly temperatures first rise above the long-term annual mean (12.5°C, from 1950–1979); autumn is the date they fall back below it. Temperature swings 22.3°C peak-to-peak across the year - a classic four-seasons rhythm.
Baseline vs recent monthly temperature climatology. Biggest warming: Feb (+3.3°C).
Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Rainfall & Precipitation
Rainfall & Rain Days – Totals
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Virginia
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Virginia changing?
Virginia is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Virginia come from?
Climate data for Virginia comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Virginia climate data cover?
The Virginia climate profile covers Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Richmond and surrounding areas. Virginia climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the Virginia climate update refreshed?
The Virginia climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.