NORFOLK, Va. — It goes without saying that Independence Day, falling on July 4th, is the hottest holiday here in Hampton Roads! And since we have been keeping records, Norfolk has seen some extremes.
Temperature records for Norfolk go back to 1874, while precipitation records date back to 1871. The observation site has moved a few times but has been at Norfolk International Airport, then Norfolk Municipal Airport, since 1940.
Digging through the climatology, here's a look at how other Independence Days have played out here in Hampton Roads.
The hottest Independence Day was 98° in 1997. Our normal, or average, high temperature this time of year is 89°, so we were 9° above normal. Other days in July have record highs over 100°, but July 4th is one of the lower records for the month.
The coldest Independence Day was back in 1982, when temperatures dropped to 59°, well below our normal, or average, low temperature this time of year, 72°.
Finally, the wettest Independence Day goes back to July 4, 1981. That day, thunderstorms gave us 2.73" of rain. How does that compare to the average? If you add up and average things out over the last 30 years, we typically see just over a tenth of an inch of rain.
What about this year, 2024? After several days of pleasant weather with blow-normal temperatures and lower humidity, it looks like it's going to be a hot day with high temperatures in the lower to middle 90s and a very low risk of a shower or thunderstorm in the evening.