Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE), North Carolina climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE)'s normal year runs from 31°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 48.6 inches of precipitation and 3 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 15.5°C, January lows of −1°C, July highs of 31°C, 1,233 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationRocky Mount (8 mi ESE)
- Station IDUSC00317400
- Location35.89°N 77.68°W
- Elevation110 ft (34 m)
On October 24, the normal high in Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE) is 70°F and the normal low 46°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 21%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE).
- Jan 50° 31°
- Feb 54° 32°
- Mar 61° 38°
- Apr 71° 47°
- May 78° 57°
- Jun 85° 65°
- Jul 88° 69°
- Aug 85° 67°
- Sep 81° 62°
- Oct 72° 50°
- Nov 65° 39°
- Dec 55° 34°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 31°F. The most precipitation falls in September (6.15 in), the least in February (3.00 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50°F | 31°F | 40.5°F | 3.22 | 1.9 | 8 | <1 | 19 | 10 h |
| February | 54°F | 32°F | 42.6°F | 3.00 | 0.3 | 7 | <1 | 15 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 61°F | 38°F | 49.5°F | 3.85 | 0.2 | 8 | <1 | 12 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 71°F | 47°F | 59.3°F | 3.54 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | 1 | 13 h |
| May | 78°F | 57°F | 67.5°F | 3.63 | 0.0 | 8 | 3 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 85°F | 65°F | 75.4°F | 4.81 | 0.0 | 9 | 7 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 88°F | 69°F | 78.9°F | 5.10 | 0.0 | 10 | 16 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 85°F | 67°F | 76.3°F | 5.28 | 0.0 | 9 | 8 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 81°F | 62°F | 71.7°F | 6.15 | 0.0 | 8 | 4 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 72°F | 50°F | 61.0°F | 3.55 | 0.0 | 6 | <1 | <1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 65°F | 39°F | 51.7°F | 3.20 | 0.0 | 7 | <1 | 10 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 55°F | 34°F | 44.3°F | 3.23 | 0.4 | 8 | <1 | 13 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 71°F | 49°F | 59.9°F | 48.56 | 2.8 | 95 | 37 | 70 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10°C | −1°C | 4.7°C | 82 mm | 5 cm |
| February | 12°C | 0°C | 5.9°C | 76 mm | 1 cm |
| March | 16°C | 3°C | 9.7°C | 98 mm | 1 cm |
| April | 22°C | 8°C | 15.2°C | 90 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 26°C | 14°C | 19.7°C | 92 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 30°C | 19°C | 24.1°C | 122 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 31°C | 21°C | 26.1°C | 130 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 30°C | 20°C | 24.6°C | 134 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 27°C | 17°C | 22.1°C | 156 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 22°C | 10°C | 16.1°C | 90 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 18°C | 4°C | 10.9°C | 81 mm | 0 cm |
| December | 13°C | 1°C | 6.8°C | 82 mm | 1 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00317400; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (6).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00317400.
When is the last frost at Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE)?
In Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 31 in half of years and after April 13 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 7 in half of years and before October 26 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- March 311 year in 10 after April 13; 9 in 10 after March 10
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 71 year in 10 before October 26; 9 in 10 before November 23
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 223 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 246 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 18 in half of springs and before November 17 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE) in zone 8a in ZIP code 27815, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in North Carolina · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00317400; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE)?
In a normal year in Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE), 37 days a year reach 90°F, 70 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 95 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 37a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 70a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 4high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 95a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 1a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1954) is 106°F, on June 27, 1954; the lowest is −8°F, on January 21, 1985.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2020, with 71.45 in; the snowiest season is 1935–36, with 27.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00317400; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00317400. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE)?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE), 4.5 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (82%) and February the cloudiest (73%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 2.6 |
| February | 73% | 3.3 |
| March | 74% | 4.3 |
| April | 78% | 5.6 |
| May | 78% | 6.1 |
| June | 81% | 6.4 |
| July | 82% | 6.2 |
| August | 80% | 5.5 |
| September | 77% | 4.6 |
| October | 77% | 3.7 |
| November | 78% | 2.9 |
| December | 74% | 2.3 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE) record?
A normal year at Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE) brings 3,381 heating degree days, 37% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,549 cooling degree days, 71% more than the median (908). Five months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 4,676 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 761 | 0 |
| February | 626 | 0 |
| March | 489 | 9 |
| April | 208 | 36 |
| May | 60 | 138 |
| June | 3 | 314 |
| July | 0 | 429 |
| August | 0 | 352 |
| September | 15 | 217 |
| October | 172 | 46 |
| November | 405 | 7 |
| December | 641 | 1 |
| Year (annual) | 3,381 | 1,549 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00317400. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Have recent years at Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE) been warmer than normal?
2021 averaged 62.7°F, 2.8°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 59.9°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 62.7°F | +2.8°F | 46.18 | – |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00317400. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE)'s climate compare?
Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE) is warmer than 68 of the 131 places with their own NOAA record in North Carolina, and wetter than 45. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 59.9°F is warmer than 75%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE) is Cfa: temperate, no dry season, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE) share this climate record?
3 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Pinetops, NC1,196 people · 7 mi S
- Whitakers, NC648 people · 15 mi N
- Macclesfield, NC407 people · 10 mi S
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE)?
January, with a normal high of 50°F and a normal low of 31°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 69°F at night).
Does it snow at Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE)?
Yes: 3 inches in a normal year, falling on 1 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (1.9 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE)?
September, with 6.15 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 3.00 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE) in zone 8a in ZIP code 27815, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 31; in one year in ten it comes after April 13. Waiting until April 13 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- North Carolina climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Tarboro, NC8 miles from this station, 60.4°F a year
- Rocky Mount, NC12 miles from this station, 60.5°F a year
- Wilson, NC21 miles from this station, 61.6°F a year
- Greenville, NC24 miles from this station, 62.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made