View Full Version : Weather in SNP in Nov.?
Marketman
10-24-2002, 08:07
Thanks for all the great tips on SNP. Can't wait to hike it. I'm just wondering what the weather will be like up in the mountains so I can plan what to wear. Could it get below freezing? And what's the precip like right now? Wet/Dry?
EarlyRiser
10-24-2002, 09:52
Oh im sure itll get cold. in november im sure itll dip bellow freezing, maybe even consistantly. i know it did in the coastal area where i grew up. precip, well im pretty sure you can expect some i doubt it will be dry, although im not really sure. plan for wet.
Kerosene
10-24-2002, 10:33
You should definitely prepare for sub-freezing temperatures. Looking at the average and record temperatures for Front Royal for November (http://www.weather.com/weather/climatology/daily/USVA0298?climoMonth=11), which is down in the valley, sub-freezing temperatures are commonplace. Last week the temperatures were falling into the mid-30's by morning.
I'd plan on bringing a zero-degree bag, or at least a 15-degree with liner and dry clothes. You'll certainly want to be prepared for wet weather, if for no other reason than getting wet at near-freezing temperatures can be life-threatening. I would certainly expect that you might need to walk in windproof fleece on your torso. I've found that long pants suffice for fast walking even on cold weather days. I would recommend at least R2/Polartec 200 weight fleece for camp, both top and bottom. I used R1 last week combined with 1-2 other dry layers and was sufficiently warm in camp most evenings and mornings.
In addition, note that sunrise is about 7 AM and sunset comes at 5 PM, so you only have 10 hours of daylight. This makes for very short hiking days with very long nights where you're trying to keep warm.
You can find a weather almanac for the park as well as current conditions at:
http://www.shenandoah.national-park.com/weather.htm