West Virginia Weather: Mountain Seasons Done Right
What are West Virginia storms like (snow, rain, ice)? The summers are typically sweaty and humid with cooler temps in the evenings, but watch out for summer floods. Beware of black ice in the winter, with stronger snowstorms landing in Randolph county and Pocahontas county. Here's what else is going on around West Virginia that will impact the time you spend outside.
Hannah, Our Local Expert Guiding Your Move
Hannah is a born and raised West Virginian who briefly tested life across state lines before realizing the pull of the hills is undefeated. She has lived in both northern and south central West Virginia, moved more times than she can count during college, and knows Charleston well enough to give directions using landmarks instead of street names. She writes fiction, spins yarn into sweaters, drinks Charleston coffee like its a personality trait, and somehow keeps four pets fed. Editing West Virginia guides comes naturally when you know the people shine... even when the sun does not.
Read moreWritten with local insight from Snappy Scout relocation experts
What's the Weather Really Like in West Virginia?
The forecast, the fashion, and the fine print locals wish someone had told them sooner.
Summer temps be like
porch swing sauna (muggy in river valleys, pleasant and more breezy on high ridges)
Winter lows are
flannel-mandatory, with the most frigid weather in higher-elevation counties like Tucker County, home to Canaan Valley
The humidity feels like
a damp wool sweater on a clothesline
Unique weather patterns
fog that sits in the holler till noon, upslope snow on the Alleghenies, pop up storms drench one ridge and skip the next, hurricane leftovers wandering up the valleys, occasional derecho storms
Local weather fashion tip
it's always good to have layers year-round, and keep an ice scraper in your car when it starts to get cold
Bugs be like
stink bugs on windows, river mosquitoes galore, ticks that won't quit
You're stuck indoors again today because
the snow melted fast then re-froze the roads overnight
Green thumb enthusiasts love
heirloom tomatoes, runner beans, Eastern Panhandle apples, spring ramp and morel hunts, pawpaw picking in autumn
Your friend with allergies is always saying
spring trees own my soul, but ragweed collects the rent
My Favorite Thing About Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall in West Virginia
Each summer, the color of west Virginia comes alive. There's a haziness to the trees and flowers, and driving down the Interstate, you can see rows of mountain ridges against the horizon. It's a special, natural beauty unlike anything you'll find elsewhere.
— Hannah Wyatt
West Virginia Local Expert
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Compare cities, check the routes, or head back to the full West Virginia guide for the bigger picture.