McDowell, Virginia Weather
McDowell, Virginia — live current conditions, hourly and 7-day forecasts, NWS alerts, radar and satellite imagery, tide predictions, marine conditions and a solunar fishing forecast, soil and crop conditions for McDowell, Highland County.
Tides, marine forecast and fishing conditions near McDowell. Tide source:
Full aviation weather for McDowell is published on the Bridgewater Air Park (KVBW) page, 46 km away. It carries the current METAR decoded into plain language — surface wind, visibility, cloud layers and ceiling, temperature and dewpoint, and altimeter setting — alongside the raw observation as transmitted. 3 airfields within reach of McDowell have their own pages, listed below.
The Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) is shown across its full validity period, with each change group broken out so you can see when conditions are expected to shift. Flight category is derived automatically — VFR, MVFR, IFR or LIFR — from reported ceiling and visibility, with runway details and field elevation alongside. Observations update roughly hourly and forecasts several times a day.
Other airports near McDowell: Ingalls Field (KHSP) 52 km · Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport (KSHD) 52 km
Conditions reported at KVBW describe the airfield itself. Weather 46 km away can differ, particularly in terrain or near the coast. For conditions at McDowell specifically, see the current conditions and forecast above.
Soil conditions, frost risk and crop weather for McDowell.
About McDowell, Virginia
McDowell unfolds into a quiet valley, a landscape shaped by the patient work of water and time. It lies 26.1 miles west-north-west of Staunton, VA (from Staunton, VA: bearing 300°T), and is situated 18.7 miles north-north-west of Craigsville. Rolling hills, cloaked in the deep greens of hardwood forests and the lighter hues of grazing pastures, rise to meet a sky that often holds a soft, diffused light, particularly in the late afternoon when shadows lengthen and begin to pool in the hollows. The Allegheny Mountains form a distant, blue-tinged backdrop, their peaks softened by distance and the haze of summer air, suggesting a vastness that presses in on this small pocket of earth. Here, the Shenandoah River, a silver ribbon unspooling through the terrain, is more a presence felt than seen from every vantage point, its murmur a constant undertone to the rustle of leaves and the distant lowing of cattle. The character of McDowell is one of patient endurance, a place where the land dictates the pace of life, and where the seasons paint their own indelible marks. The history of McDowell is etched into its agricultural roots, a testament to generations who coaxed sustenance from this fertile ground. Early settlers, drawn by the promise of rich soil and abundant timber, established farms that still form the backbone of the local economy, with cattle and hay being primary concerns. The legacy of those who cleared the land and built the first cabins is evident in the weathered barns and stone fences that punctuate the fields, remnants of a simpler, more arduous existence. While industry has largely bypassed McDowell, the enduring spirit of self-reliance and community remains, fostered by an unspoken understanding of shared challenges and rewards. The annual county fair, a vibrant gathering of livestock, crafts, and local produce, serves as a focal point, a modern echo of the harvest celebrations that have long been a part of life here, a time when the quietude of McDowell briefly gives way to a communal pulse.
Live animated radar for McDowell and surroundings — RainViewer.
NOAA GOES-16 GEOCOLOR — live animated loop updated every 10 minutes. Shows cloud cover, storm systems and weather patterns across the continental US.
Source: NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East · Public domain · Auto-updates on page reload
| Location | McDowell, Highland County, Virginia |
| Coordinates | 38.335679°N, 79.4906°W |
| Timezone | Eastern Time (America/New_York) |
| ZIP Code(s) | 24458 |
| Area Code | 540 |
| Page generated | September 2026 |
| Weather data | Open-Meteo (open-source), NOAA National Weather Service |
About This McDowell, Virginia Weather Page
This page provides live weather conditions and forecasts for McDowell, Virginia, including current conditions, a 24-hour hourly forecast, 7-day outlook, NWS extended text forecast, precipitation radar and NOAA GOES-16 satellite imagery. Aviation weather — live METAR observations and TAF forecasts — is published separately on the pages for the nearest reporting airports, linked from the aviation section above. Additional sections may include tide predictions, wave height, wave direction and sea-surface temperature, a barometric pressure trend, and a solunar-based fishing forecast with a fishing-conditions rating for coastal localities, and soil temperature, crop weather and live USGS river gauge data for agricultural areas near a monitored waterway. All data updates automatically on every page visit.
Location data for McDowell includes coordinates 38.335679°N, 79.490600°W, situated in Highland County. ZIP code 24458. Telephone area code: 540. Timezone: Eastern Time (America/New_York).
Weather data is sourced from the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) and the open-source Open-Meteo API. River and stream data is sourced from the USGS National Water Information System. Tide predictions are sourced from NOAA CO-OPS; marine and solunar data are modeled from Open-Meteo and public sunrise/moon calculations and should be treated as a general guide alongside on-the-water conditions. Radar is provided by RainViewer. Satellite imagery is sourced from NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East and is public domain.
