This will probably deserve revisiting at some point, but Roanoke finished 2008 with an average temperature of 57.6 degrees, a little more than a degree above normal, and a total rainfall of 33.25 inches, almost 9 inches below normal. The average temperature was much cooler than 2007, the warmest year on record in Roanoke dating to 1948 at 59.2 degrees. Despite a cold start, December rallied to 2.7 degrees above normal (41.8 average), making it one of four months at least 2 degrees above normal for the year (February, March and June were the others — June being the hottest relative to normal, 4 degrees above the mark). The remaining eight months were within two degrees of normal, five slightly above normal, three slightly below normal. The rainfall deficit means that Roanoke is 21 inches below normal over the last 24 months.