One aspect that I forgot to mention in a previous post about the weather here in Roanoke is: Generally speaking it’s great, but it sure can be wacky!

Within just a week or so we have seen near 0 temperatures and bitter cold, and today the forecast has projected the temperatures to reach the upper 60s and maybe even 70.

Then, in a couple more days we are supposed to be back down to normal February temperatures of around the 30s and 40s.

I’m not complaining about the mild temps lately, or about the ups and downs that my thermostat has undergone due to the changes. This seems to be common for the area. I think it was around Christmas 2007 or early January last year when we reached the 60s for multiple days.

It doesn’t seem to work the other way around, though. I don’t recall a frost warning ever being issued for a day in July or August in Roanoke.

Having said that, it’s looking like we may get through the 2008-09 Winter without any real measurable amounts of snow or icy precipitation. There hasn’t been much to fall at my house in the City so far, probably not even an inch total for the whole season.

Of course, I’m reminded of a time in the 1990s when in March I believe it was that we received about 2 feet of snow. I missed school for at least a week if I remember correctly.

So, winter weather is far from out of the equation. In the meantime, enjoy the springtime temperatures!

A few weeks ago I received a comment from a reader who lives up North and is considering moving to Roanoke. They asked me to write about Roanoke and what I think about living here. What are some of the pluses and minuses of Roanoke? What to expect and what not to expect? And, overall talk a little about the quality of life here.

With the next few posts I’ll do my best to answer these questions from my perspective, and generally so that they can apply to all ages. These posts hardly aim to cover everything about Roanoke, and I encourage you to leave comments below and add your own perspective.

With this post I’m going to write a little about the weather in Roanoke.

Weather

Overall, the temperatures in Roanoke are rather mild and pleasant for each season respectively. Aside from a few days out of the year, we usually don’t freeze too much, or suffer from the heat too much either.

This is not to say Roanokers are immune from some a few unbearably hot August afternoons, nor some icy filled mornings in late January or February. But, by and large things are rather calm around here in the weather department.

If you have children they will be happy to know that when we get any (and I mean any, even a bit over a dusting) of snow on the roads then schools promptly close for the day.

Hardly measurable snow Roanoke received back in November, which quickly melted by mid morning.

After the cold months, and for several weeks starting in late Winter and through early Spring, I shut off the thermostat and open the windows for some natural (and much cheaper) temperature regulation.

During the warm months it’s a daily scene to view the green mountains in the distance as you drive around town.

Mill Mountain (home of the Mill Mountain Star) as seen from the Jefferson Street Bridge.

In upcoming posts, more on the basics of living in Roanoke including crime and cost of living.

Since the early 1990s, my dad has been purchasing Virginia Tech season football tickets for all the home games. When I was younger I remember going to several of the games throughout the year.

And back before the football program gained a more national notoriety, I even remember a season when I believe the team only won 2 games. We still went to the games. It goes without saying, but the stands weren’t exactly packed back then, and you weren’t as likely to see VT car magnets and window flags either. But that’s a whole other post.

In recent years, usually for 1 or 2 games out of the year, I’ll go with dad in lieu of his wife. The entire 2008 season was nearly over (just 2 games left) and we hadn’t made it to one of the games yet. But we weren’t about to break tradition.

So, this past Saturday we bundled up and headed to the game. And, all I gotta say is, it was dang cold!

Recent snow had yet to melt around parts of the Virginia Tech campus.

Heading to the stadium. Short sleeves were a bit out of style for this kind of game.

Kickoff was set for right around dusk, and I believe the temperatures around then had to be in the mid to upper 30s. By the time the sunlight retreated and the game was underway, I’d say that temperatures may have been flirting more with the 20s. I could see my breath the entire time. It was cold, and it only was going to get colder as the night went on.

Pregame festivities on the field.

Considering the frigid temperatures, I was surprised to see a decent crowd turnout for the game. I believe it was on TV on some ESPN station. And because of that, for some ticket holders, being able to recline back in the old easy chair at home was probably considered a bit more comfortable than a cramped and cold stadium.

Occasionally, I caught the smell of various liquid “spirits” that had been smuggled in to, if nothing else, help to numb one from the cold. I wondered why I didn’t think of that, but I’m not really much of a drinker anyways.

The home team makes their entrance on the field.

Before going, I think dad and I had both suggested that if the game was considered “over” by the 3rd quarter then we would go ahead and leave. But, as the 3rd quarter rolled around, the game was hardly over by any means. (The game itself wasn’t the most exciting one I’ve ever seen, and if you watched it or read the news then you know what I mean.)

Doing the Hokie Pokie before the start of the 4th quarter.

As the 4th quarter starts, VT is still only ahead 7-3, and my toes were starting to go numb from the cold. My face and cheeks felt like I had just left the dentist’s office after having a cavity filled. And, as tempting as the warm sanctuary of a running car heading home was, I had already decided to tough it out one way or the other.

The game really did go down to the final minute or so when the defense scored and pretty much clinched it. I had to take a photo of the scoreboard to prove we stayed to the end!

Scoreboard at the game's final.

And, as an extra and unexpected event after the game ended, they set off a series of fireworks that lasted for a few minutes. As I watched, I nearly forgot how cold I was.

A short fireworks show to end the game.

On the way home we listened to the post game reports on the radio, and I think it was said that this was the 2nd coldest home game since Beamer has been the coach. I would certainly believe it!

Overnight Roanoke received somewhere in the middle a few flurries and a measureable amount of of snow. Just enough to gently coat the grass areas, the roads in my neighborhood and when driving to work were clear.

Roanoke receives a trace of snow this morning (11-18-08).

It’s barely a trace, with the fallen leafs and grass having to strain a little to reach above the icy cold covering. I don’t recall from recent years Roanoke as having received any noticeable amount of snow this early in the season.

Is it a small sign of the kind of Winter that may be coming?

Once again, I’m reminded of a weekend back in September when here in Roanoke the temperatures outside were well into the 90s. And the entire city was host to the most crazy gas panic I’ve ever seen.

Hard to believe that weekend wasn’t really all that long ago.

But, things certainly have changed

Now that most of the leaves had fallen, the wind picked up a good bit this weekend and helped to scatter them about from yard to yard. There is a big tree in my back yard so I get alot of leaves from that. But, my back yard is also fenced in around most of the perimeter so a great many of the leaves stay on the lawn.

I suppose on the other hand the fence also acts as a partial shield against leaves from other areas, too.

I haven’t even started doing any outdoor Fall yardwork yet, have you? In addition to raking the aforementioned leaves, there is modest list of duties which primarily consist of tasks I put off during the Summer because it was too hot.

“It’s too hot outside to be moving that brush pile to the corner for the City to pick-up, or to be doing some minor landscaping for the front flower bed. I’ll wait until it cools off a bit in a few months,” I told myself back in July and August.

Now, I’m looking for a new execuse!

As for the gas prices, I paid $1.85 yesterday afternoon. The cheapness of gas didn’t really sink in until the handle clicked after a full tank, and I saw the total on the screen. The gas tank in my car still had about 1/4 left so it wasn’t completely empty to begin with, but I was still astonished when the pump stopped filling at around $15. Great stuff!

The cheaper the better of course, but for me the $1.75-2.50 range on gas is very much in my comfort zone. I can and do pay the price when it’s $3+ but there is just something about being able to fill-up a tank for around $20 or so that takes me back to the real good ole days.

It seems like all of the sudden last week Fall arrived in Roanoke. At my house, there are trees in the front and back yard, and they just last week provided a great sense of privacy. Now, in large part, those same trees are just a bunch of empty branches.

After the sun sets (which is basically around 5PM now), the wind of Fall whips through those branches and causes my old house to be a bit more drafty than I’d like.

But, that’s the season of Fall.

In driving around town recently for my usual commutes I snapped a couple photos that are of nearly the same scenes as a couple of previous posts, but now offer a slightly different perspective.

Scene 1

Traveling along Brandon Avenue towards Salem in early November:

Traveling along Brandon Avenue in early November 2008.

As compared with just about the same spot from 2 months ago in a previous post:

Traveling along Brandon Avenue in mid-September 2008.

Scene 2

The recent scene looking out from atop the bridge on Brandon Avenue (near the intersection with Colonial Avenue) :

The same scene back in early September from a previous post:

With all of the talk about “going green” the season seems to be causing just the opposite outside!

Mill Mountain provides some Fall colors recently.

Mill Mountain taken over by Fall colors (11/7/08).

And as for my yard, I don’t know what color this bush would be now, but I assure you it was as green as could be just a few weeks ago.

When I was growing up I remember being told this time of year as being one of the best times of the year to catch a cold or otherwise get sick. At least according to mom.

Especially a day like yesterday, when the temperature approaches the 70s and above and it seems warm enough to get by without a jacket. “This is Fall and those are just the times when you can open your body to sickness!” mom used to say.

Well, I broke the rules yesterday and went out in short-sleeves, and I’ll have to wait and see how my immune system fares. But, nonetheless, after the better part of Saturday was rather rain-soaked, the second half of the weekend in Roanoke was near optimal for various outdoor activities.

Yesterday, I had business to attend to that required travel up the mountain along Catawba Valley Road some 30 miles from Roanoke. I only wish I had remembered to bring my camera along for the journey, because the color changing of the leaves on the mountain in the distance was nothing short of remarkable.

The way each leaf was probably just slightly out of sync with the others in the transformation of color, but from a distance and looking on how it all seems to come together like nature’s own masaic masterpiece.

(Note to self: bring your camera next time and let the photos speak for themselves.)

Also along the way is a trailhead and parking lot for the Appalachian Trail. I don’t think I saw one open parking space out of the few dozen available.

Great day to just be outside or take a drive.

As I walked out to my car sitting in the driveway this morning I noticed something that I hadn’t seen for the better part of half a year.

A fine, thin layer of ice on the windshield. Now I knew I would be running 5-10 minutes later than I had planned because of this unexepected inconvenience.

This to me marks the unofficial first frost of the season in Roanoke. And also a sure sign that Fall is here to stay this time.

What a difference a month makes. Just a matter of a few weeks ago I was writing a  different tune (The Weekend of High Gas Prices and Hot Weather), and here we are now with temperatures falling, as well as those gas prices.

Both gas prices and the temperatures have basically been cut in half in some situations from what they were just a few weeks ago during that crazy weekend.

I have every reason to believe now that gas is essentially “on sale” at $2.79ish and there are lots of pumps open.