Harrisonburg weather in August

In August, Harrisonburg sees average daytime highs of 82°F and overnight lows near 64°F, with 2.3 in of rain across 9.5 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 82°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in August, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 14 hours at the start of August to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Harrisonburg's 4th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Harrisonburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
82°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
64°
11th coldest
Rainfall
2.3 in
9.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:34 AM – 7:05 PM
Cloud cover
58%
4th clearest
Wind
4 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.31 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Harrisonburg is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
1,161/km²
people per km²
Founded
1779

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 82°F through the month.

A typical August day in Harrisonburg reaches about 82°F in the afternoon and slips back to 64°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 75°F and 89°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 1°F cooler than July and about 6°F warmer than September.

50°60°70°80°90°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18365
28365
38365
48365
58365
68365
78365
88364
98364
108364
118364
128364
138364
148364
158364
168364
178364
188264
198264
208264
218263
228263
238263
248263
258263
268263
278263
288162
298162
308162
318162

How August really feels in Harrisonburg

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

August sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Harrisonburg weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan42° / 25°2.77.83.29.60.2
Feb45° / 26°2.47.8310.51.0
Mar53° / 33°3.310.12.411.73.1
Apr64° / 43°3.1100.4135.6
May72° / 52°3.512.1014.16.3
Jun80° / 61°2.810.9014.66.3
Jul84° / 65°3.111014.45.5
Aug82° / 64°2.39.5013.56.1
Sep76° / 57°3.68.4012.37.1
Oct65° / 45°2.86.90.2116.3
Nov54° / 35°2.67.20.59.93.5
Dec45° / 29°2.98.22.19.41.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34852
44951
54951
64951
74951
85050
94951
104951
114951
125050
135050
145050
155050
165050
175149
185149
195149
205050
215050
225050
235050
245149
255149
265050
275149
285149
295149
305149
315248

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Harrisonburg gets around 2.3 in of rain over 9.5 wet days in August, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 32% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
235
335
434
534
634
734
834
934
1034
1134
1234
1334
1434
1533
1633
1732
1832
1931
2031
2130
2229
2329
2428
2528
2627
2727
2827
2927
3027
3127

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the muggy band about 32% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 34% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
191833382
291933372
3101933372
4101932372
5111932362
6112031362
7122031362
8122030362
9122030362
10122130352
11122130352
12122130352
13122130342
14122230342
15132231332
16132231322
17132331321
18132332311
19132332301
20132433301
21132433291
22142433291
23142433281
24152432281
25152531281
26162531271
27182530271
28192529271
29202528271
30212427261
31222427261

Wind in August

Winds average 4 mph in August, the calmest month.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 hours at the start of August to 12 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 66 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:21 AM to 5:48 AM, and sunset from 7:22 PM to 6:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.05:217:22
214.05:227:21
314.05:237:20
413.95:247:19
513.95:247:18
613.95:257:17
713.85:267:16
813.85:277:15
913.85:287:14
1013.75:297:12
1113.75:307:11
1213.75:317:10
1313.65:327:09
1413.65:337:07
1513.55:337:06
1613.55:347:05
1713.55:357:03
1813.45:367:02
1913.45:377:01
2013.45:386:59
2113.35:396:58
2213.35:406:56
2313.25:416:55
2413.25:426:54
2513.25:436:52
2613.15:436:51
2713.15:446:49
2813.05:456:48
2913.05:466:46
3013.05:476:45
3112.95:486:43

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.31 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.06 kWh/m² to a high of 6.15 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 5.31 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Harrisonburg?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Harrisonburg for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Harrisonburg in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Harrisonburg sees daytime highs around 82°F and nights near 64°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Harrisonburg in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Harrisonburg peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Harrisonburg in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Harrisonburg is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 187 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr14Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Harrisonburg?

Harrisonburg sits at 38.4°N, 78.9°W, 1,325 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Staunton, 24 mi away.

Topography around Harrisonburg

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Harrisonburg.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Harrisonburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 453 ft around an average of 1,388 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,241 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,701 ft.

The land around Harrisonburg is covered by artificial surfaces (36%), trees (32%) and grassland (24%) within 2 miles, trees (38%) and grassland (38%) within 10 miles, and trees (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
453 ft
10 miles
2,241 ft
50 miles
4,701 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
August weather nearby: Staunton 24 mi · Waynesboro 26 mi · Charlottesville 36 mi · Culpeper 47 mi · Front Royal 48 mi · Winchester 63 mi · Linton Hall 73 mi · Lynchburg 73 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Harrisonburg (38.4496°, -78.8689°, elevation 1,325 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).