The best months in Roanoke are May to mid-June and September through October. Spring brings flowering dogwood, redbud and rhododendron through the surrounding mountains; autumn brings six weeks of red and gold leaf colour, peaking around the third week of October. Both seasons are also when the Blue Ridge Parkway is at its best.
Summers (June–August) are warm and humid with daytime temperatures in the high 20s and 30s Celsius. Afternoon thunderstorms are common. Winters are mild — daytime highs typically 5°C to 10°C — and there are usually only a few snowfalls of any consequence, but the Blue Ridge Parkway can close to traffic in icy spells. The Roanoke Star is at its most photogenic on a clear winter night.