Counties in Virginia with the fastest-rising temperatures in the last 100 years
Counties in Virginia with the fastest-rising temperatures in the last 100 years
Hitting 116 degrees F in normally temperate Portland, Oregon. 105 degrees in Reno in September, just as summer is meant to be waning. And in California's Death Valley National Park, temperatures hit almost 130 degrees in the aptly named Furnace Creek, marking a world record for the hottest September day in history.
2021 and 2022 saw some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded, as across the country extreme heat waves wreaked havoc on communities accustomed to more moderate weather. For many regions, the consequences were grave: in the 2021 Western heatwave, hundreds lost their lives, largely due to a lack of air conditioning, and wildfires ravaged the area.
Map of the past year's temperatures compared to the 100-year average
While not every county in the nation has experienced such extreme heat, climate change has dramatically changed the heat landscape in nearly every state. Coastal regions and the Southern U.S. are particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures, and are also frequently targets of extreme weather events like hurricanes and tornadoes.
Just as all states are not impacted equally by rising temperatures, regions within states have also seen widely different temperature changes over the last decades. Factors such as proximity to urban areas, bodies of water, and mountains can dramatically change the climate of a region. Stacker cited data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Center for Environmental Information to identify the counties in Virginia with the greatest departure from average temperatures during the period December 2021 to November 2022 compared to the 1901-2000 average. Average temperature over the past year served as a tiebreaker. Additional data on recent average high and low temperatures for each county is also included.
#50. Bedford County
- #6 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 46.2 F (2.1 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 69.1 F (2.7 F above century average)
#49. Caroline County
- #11 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 46.8 F (2.6 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 69.9 F (2.2 F above century average)
#48. Powhatan County
- #6 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 47.1 F (2.2 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 70.7 F (2.5 F above century average)
#47. Dinwiddie County
- #9 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 48 F (1.8 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 71.6 F (2.9 F above century average)
#46. Mathews County
- #9 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 50.5 F (2.3 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 70 F (2.4 F above century average)
#45. Greensville County
- #7 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 48.8 F (2.6 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 72.1 F (2.3 F above century average)
#44. Sussex County
- #7 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 48.6 F (2 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 72.4 F (2.9 F above century average)
#43. James City County
- #8 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 50.3 F (2.2 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 71 F (2.5 F above century average)
#42. Southampton County
- #6 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 48.9 F (2.2 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 72.5 F (2.5 F above century average)
#41. Surry County
- #7 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 50 F (2 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 71.8 F (2.9 F above century average)
#40. Isle of Wight County
- #7 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 50.2 F (2 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 72.1 F (2.8 F above century average)
#39. Madison County
- #11 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 44.2 F (2.6 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 66.6 F (2.5 F above century average)
#38. Arlington County
- #12 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 47.6 F (2.5 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 67.4 F (2.5 F above century average)
#37. Appomattox County
- #6 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 47.1 F (2.9 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 68.5 F (2.1 F above century average)
#36. Buckingham County
- #7 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 47.3 F (3 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 69.2 F (2.1 F above century average)
#35. Cumberland County
- #8 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 47.2 F (2.7 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 70.2 F (2.3 F above century average)
#34. Amelia County
- #8 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 47.6 F (2.3 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 70.7 F (2.6 F above century average)
#33. Brunswick County
- #7 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 48.3 F (2.6 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 71.4 F (2.4 F above century average)
#32. Northampton County
- #9 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 51.2 F (2.2 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 69.2 F (2.8 F above century average)
#31. Emporia City
- #7 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 48.9 F (2.7 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 72.3 F (2.3 F above century average)
#30. Williamsburg City
- #7 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 50 F (2.3 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 71.5 F (2.8 F above century average)
#29. York County
- #8 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 51 F (2.3 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 71 F (2.7 F above century average)
#28. Chesapeake City
- #7 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 50.8 F (2.3 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 71.8 F (2.7 F above century average)
#27. Poquoson City
- #8 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 52 F (2.2 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 70.9 F (2.8 F above century average)
#26. Newport News City
- #8 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 51.6 F (2.2 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 71.4 F (2.9 F above century average)
#25. Hampton City
- #7 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 52 F (2.1 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 71.2 F (2.8 F above century average)
#24. Portsmouth City
- #8 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 52.8 F (2.2 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 71.2 F (2.9 F above century average)
#23. Staunton City
- #6 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 43.5 F (1.9 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 67.4 F (3.2 F above century average)
#22. Fairfax City
- #11 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 47 F (2.6 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 66.8 F (2.7 F above century average)
#21. Alexandria City
- #11 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 48.1 F (2.7 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 68.1 F (2.6 F above century average)
#20. Fluvanna County
- #7 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 46.8 F (2.8 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 69.7 F (2.3 F above century average)
#19. Nottoway County
- #8 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 47.8 F (2.5 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 70.6 F (2.7 F above century average)
#18. Virginia Beach City
- #8 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 52.5 F (2.3 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 70.4 F (2.8 F above century average)
#17. Norfolk City
- #8 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 52.8 F (2.2 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 70.9 F (2.9 F above century average)
#16. Waynesboro City
- #6 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 44.6 F (2.3 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 67 F (3.1 F above century average)
#15. Charlottesville City
- #9 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 46.6 F (2.7 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 69.1 F (2.7 F above century average)
#14. Greene County
- #8 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 44.9 F (2.8 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 66.9 F (2.8 F above century average)
#13. Loudoun County
- #10 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 45.8 F (3 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 66.2 F (2.6 F above century average)
#12. Fauquier County
- #10 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 45.4 F (2.9 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 67.1 F (2.7 F above century average)
#11. Fairfax County
- #11 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 47.2 F (2.8 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 67.4 F (2.7 F above century average)
#10. Albemarle County
- #7 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 46.3 F (2.8 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 68.5 F (2.7 F above century average)
#9. Campbell County
- #5 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 46.8 F (2.5 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 69.4 F (3.1 F above century average)
#8. Accomack County
- #8 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 50.3 F (2.5 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 68.5 F (3.2 F above century average)
#7. Manassas Park City
- #10 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 47.1 F (3.1 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 67.9 F (3 F above century average)
#6. King George County
- #8 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 48.4 F (3.2 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 69.4 F (2.7 F above century average)
#5. Manassas City
- #9 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 47 F (3.2 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 68.1 F (3.1 F above century average)
#4. Prince William County
- #8 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 47.4 F (3.4 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 68.2 F (3.1 F above century average)
#3. Fredericksburg City
- #6 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 47 F (3.5 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 69.3 F (2.9 F above century average)
#2. Lynchburg City
- #3 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 47 F (3 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 70 F (3.6 F above century average)
#1. Stafford County
- #6 warmest year since 1895
- Recent average low: 47.8 F (3.8 F above century average)
- Recent average high: 69.1 F (3.2 F above century average)