Richmond, Virginia Weather
Thunder quiets the land. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Richmond weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 10:15 AM EDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Overcast12%—85°71°—
- TuesdaySep 22Overcast80%0.52″73°67°-12°
- WednesdaySep 23Drizzle80%0.07″67°61°-6°
- ThursdaySep 24Overcast36%—66°59°-1°
- FridaySep 25Overcast——71°52°+5°
- SaturdaySep 26Clear——75°54°+4°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——78°56°+3°
Air quality now AQI 45 · Good
AQI 45 (Good), driven by Ozone. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). Ozone at AQI 34 now. With UV 3.3 peaking around 1 PM under partly cloudy skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 10.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 34 now. With UV 3.3 peaking around 1 PM under partly cloudy skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 10.
- Present
- AQI 34
- UV peak
- 3.3 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- partly cloudy
- Projected peak
- AQI 10
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 5.8 µg/m³ (AQI 32) with a 1.00 fine-to-coarse ratio and 6 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 1.00
- Wind
- light
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:35 PM
- Moonset
- 1:37 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder quiets the land
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Richmond at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 78°F (high 85°F, low 71°F), 8°F above the 70°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: April 3 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 14 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — Richmond
- Mon85°71°12%
- Tue73°67°80%
- Wed67°61°80%
- Thu66°59°36%
- Fri71°52°8%
- Sat75°54°8%
- Sun78°56°7%
- Mon81°60°3%
- Tue81°61°11%
- Wed83°62°19%
- Thu84°66°17%
- Fri82°62°20%
- Sat82°63°24%
- Sun78°66°19%
- Mon73°57°23%
- Tue65°50°17%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Richmond
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Richmond — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Fall planting + final harvests
As of September 21, the season's first frost (typically November 4) is approaching. Pick what frost-tender plants still carry before the next cold front. This city's planting calendar for September: plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Richmond
SPC includes Richmond in the general thunderstorm area today — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3NONENo severe risk
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Richmond
Richmond sits in Richmond County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 45m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 34m — a swing of +5h 11m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Virginia Beach, the state’s largest city, lies about 96 miles to the SE. The nearest town Richmond tracks is Urbanna, roughly 50 miles to the E.
Air quality in Richmond
Air quality in Richmond’s county has held roughly steady since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2024 (median AQI 36). See the full air-quality history for Richmond.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| June | beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| August | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| September | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| November | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
Richmond's warmest month is July (~79°F mean) and its coldest is January (~36°F). Rainfall peaks in August (4.8 inches) and bottoms out in October (2.6 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip |
|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 3.7″ |
| February | 40° | 3.0″ |
| March | 48° | 3.7″ |
| April | 58° | 3.6″ |
| May | 66° | 3.3″ |
| June | 74° | 3.9″ |
| July | 79° | 3.9″ |
| August | 78° | 4.8″ |
| September | 72° | 3.7″ |
| October | 61° | 2.6″ |
| November | 49° | 3.6″ |
| December | 40° | 3.9″ |
Regional context
Similar climates Manchester, VA, Bon Air, VA, Montrose, VA
Richmond swings from 36°F in January to 79°F in July (43°F) per modelled 1991-2020 normals (EC_Earth3P_HR model via Open-Meteo); precipitation in Richmond runs about 43.5 inches.
Rainfall in Richmond splits evenly between the seasons: August tops out at 4.8 inches, and October logs 2.6 inches — neither half of Richmond's year dominates. It is a balanced pattern Richmond shares with places like Manchester, VA, Bon Air, VA and Montrose, VA.
Around April 3, Richmond sheds its freezing nights — peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes go into Richmond's beds. Richmond's heat-lovers — tomatoes, peppers, squash — hold off until Richmond's frost risk clears, 10-14 days on. By November 4, frost is back in Richmond — protect or harvest anything tender. That date is a median: Richmond freezes sooner in half of years.
Similar climates: Manchester, VA, Bon Air, VA, Montrose, VA, Lakeside, VA, East Highland Park, VA.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Richmond?
- In Richmond, expect the last spring frost near April 3; Richmond's first autumn frost comes around November 4.
- What is the rainy season in Richmond?
- Richmond sees its heaviest rain in August (around 4.8 inches), part of roughly 43 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in Richmond?
- Richmond peaks in July, when the mean runs near 79°F.
- What is the coldest month in Richmond?
- January is Richmond's coldest month, averaging about 36°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Richmond?
- In Richmond, sow peas and hardy greens around April 3; Richmond's tomatoes and peppers wait two weeks more.
- What hardiness zone is Richmond?
- Since January in Richmond averages 36°F, Richmond's USDA zone follows that floor — confirm it by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Richmond?
- Richmond's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Richmond?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Richmond in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Richmond?
- Current conditions for Richmond and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Richmond forecast updated?
- The Richmond forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Richmond?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Richmond are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Richmond?
- The next few days in Richmond's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Richmond sits at 37.5°N; its climate zone is humid subtropical (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Richmond
- 23173
- 23218
- 23219
- 23220
- 23221
- 23222
- 23223
- 23224
- 23225
- 23226
- 23227
- 23230
- 23232
- 23234
- 23235
- 23236
- 23237
- 23249
- 23250
- 23260
- 23261
- 23269
- 23274
- 23276
- 23278
- 23282
- 23284
- 23285
- 23286
- 23289
- 23290
- 23291
- 23292
- 23295
- 23298