Kingston, RI Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Kingston's primary NOAA station, KINGSTON 1 NW - 3 stations mapped to the area.
The climate verdict for Kingston
Water is the standout signal in Kingston, Rhode Island: 51.3 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 50°F. At 52/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 24% of scores.
- 50°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 52/100
- comfort score, above 24% of station-mapped location scores
- 51.3"
- precipitation, annual total
- 171 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Kingston: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00054796 · Kingston, RI 50°F mean · 51.3" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-WET · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-MULTI · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 50°F
- RANK-COOL #2,607
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Gallup
- PRCP-WET 51.3"
- SWING-MID 42°F
- COMF-LOW 52/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,077 HDD
- STN-MULTI USW00054796
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Gallup Muni, NM (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every RI station list.
- Kingston (this station) 50°F
- Hot Richfield Radio…, UT 50°F
- Near Gallup, NM 50°F
- Near Laurel Mtn, PA 50°F
- Near Castle Rock, CO 50°F
Climate Living Index · Kingston
Kingston: 45/100 · grade D
Kingston publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Kingston, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 52/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 135 calendar days | 56/100 · C |
| Frost-free season | 171 days/year | 43/100 · D |
| Precipitation balance | 51.3 in · 16.3 from 35 in | 42/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 49.5°F · 18.0° from 67.5°F | 38/100 · F |
Kingston · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Kingston is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 28.8°F and warmest-month mean 70.8°F place this station in continental, no dry season, warm summer climates (Dfb). Class Dfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 70.8°F
- Coldest month
- 28.8°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Kingston sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Kingston's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 38th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 16% wettest
- Kingston's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 44th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Kingston compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Kingston's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
52 24th percentile score exceeds 24% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). This entry sits in this band.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38°F (3°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 4.2" | N/A | 27.0 | 0.0 |
| February | 39°F (4°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 3.9" | N/A | 25.0 | 0.0 |
| March | 46°F (8°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 5.7" | N/A | 22.5 | 0.0 |
| April | 56°F (13°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 4.5" | N/A | 9.6 | 0.0 |
| May | 66°F (19°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 3.5" | N/A | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| June | 74°F (24°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 3.9" | N/A | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| July | 80°F (27°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 3.1" | N/A | 0.0 | 1.4 |
| August | 79°F (26°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 69°F (21°C) | 4.1" | N/A | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| September | 72°F (22°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 4.3" | N/A | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| October | 62°F (17°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 4.6" | N/A | 4.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 52°F (11°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 4.4" | N/A | 15.9 | 0.0 |
| December | 43°F (6°C) | 26°F (-4°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 5.1" | N/A | 24.5 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 81°F around July 19, short of 90°F on every date, while 135 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 19°F near January 23.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 1, then returns to freezing around November 19, covering 135 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is May 15, when 41% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is September 2 at 29%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 137 wet dates a year.
The widest day
October 22 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 21°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Kingston.
Where Kingston Stands Nationally
Among the steadiest day-night climates ranked: even the widest normal daily swing holds to roughly 21°F.
The normal water year runs well above the national norm at roughly 51 inches.
Kingston earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
12.0 days with precipitation
11.1 days with precipitation
11.6 days with precipitation
11.9 days with precipitation
12.8 days with precipitation
12.5 days with precipitation
11.3 days with precipitation
9.8 days with precipitation
9.2 days with precipitation
12.3 days with precipitation
9.5 days with precipitation
12.3 days with precipitation
Kingston spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 22% of the annual total and December through February 26%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Kingston has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 42°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: March averages 5.7" and July 3.1". The three wettest months together take 30% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
When it rains in Kingston, it arrives in quantity
51.3" of precipitation falls across only about 136 wet days here, averaging 0.38 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 136 a year, 37% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.38 inches
- Most wet days
- May, about 13
- Fewest wet days
- September, about 9
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 15
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 27
50% probability date
Growing Season
171 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,077
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
474
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside RI closest to Kingston on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (50°F here).
- Ankeny, IA 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Bartlett, NE 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Carleton, MI 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Columbia City, IN 50°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (51.3" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Venice, FL 51.3" · 0.0" off
- Tell City, IN 51.3" · 0.0" off
- Booneville, KY 51.3" · 0.0" off
- Elizabeth City, NC 51.3" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Kingston's climate pattern fits together
heating led · wet · mid swing
Kingston's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,077 annual heating degree days against 474 for cooling. Its 42.0°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Kingston's frost-free season lasts about 171 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Kingston's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 42.0°F. The annual average is 50°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Alongside its heating load, Kingston carries 51.3 inches of precipitation in a normal year, inside PlainClimate's wet range. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. That distinction matters because a wet annual total can arrive as rain, snow, or a mixture at different times.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Kingston's primary station, so the winter figures are a thirty-year average and not a floor: a single hard season can run well below them. Treat each band as a descriptive range for Kingston, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Kingston's climate
How much rain does Kingston get? ▼
How cold does Kingston get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Kingston? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Kingston's primary station: KINGSTON 1 NW (USW00054796). 3 NOAA stations are mapped to the Kingston area; the primary station's record is used for consistency. For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as a census-designated place (GEOID 4438980), not an incorporated municipality. Match rule for Kingston: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Kingston comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.