NORFOLK, Va. — It’s all downhill from here, and you can breathe a sigh of relief!
We have now passed the hottest part of the year, and our normal, or average, daily high temperature will continue to drop between now and mid-January! It almost feels cooler already, doesn’t it?
Looking at the 30-year climate normals, the hottest part of the year is roughly the two weeks between July 6 and July 22, when our normal high temperature is 90°. This past Tuesday was the first day since early in the month when our normal high temperature is back in the 80s.
And while it’s not time to break out the sweaters and coats just yet, it can still get pretty hot in late July and August. In fact, some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Hampton Roads occurred outside of that two-week period.
The all-time record high temperature for Norfolk is 105°, a temperature we have only hit three times since records began in 1874.
Those three dates? July 24 and 25 in 2010, and August 7 in 1918. One thing to note: the 2010 temperature readings were at Norfolk International Airport, while the 1918 temperature reading was taken at a site in downtown Norfolk. The official site was moved to the airport in 1940.
So, while our normal high temperature is ever-so-slowly going down, it can still get quite toasty in Hampton Roads, as the records show.
But don't worry. In just six short months, our normal high temperature will be 40 degrees colder, 50°, between January 13 and 24.
