Photo: User:Visviva · CC BY-SA 4.0Weather without surprises: Rocky Run-Wilcox Township keeps close to the norm for U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 87°. By January nights alone, it runs colder than 71% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 0.6° above 1901–2000. Homes need heating from November to March, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Rocky Run-Wilcox Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Rocky Run-Wilcox Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Rocky Run-Wilcox Township’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Rocky Run-Wilcox Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 198 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 10 and the first by October 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Keokuk Lock Dam 19, IA, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Rocky Run-Wilcox Township’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −7°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 23 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bentley, IL, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 39 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 106 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Rocky Run-Wilcox Township
84% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Keokuk Lock Dam 19, IA.
Living with Rocky Run-Wilcox Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
198 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 10 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 5.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Rocky Run-Wilcox Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (22%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 37%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Rocky Run-Wilcox Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Rocky Run-Wilcox Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Rocky Run-Wilcox Township’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Run-Wilcox Township, IL | 18° | 87° | 39" | 23" |
| Savannah, MO | 18° | 87° | 37" | 21" |
| Lock Haven, PA | 19° | 86° | 41" | 30" |
| Englewood, OH | 21° | 85° | 41" | 25" |
| Clarinda, IA | 14° | 86° | 36" | 23" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Rocky Run-Wilcox Township averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Rocky Run-Wilcox Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Rocky Run-Wilcox Township’s place among Illinois’.
Rocky Run-Wilcox Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Rocky Run-Wilcox Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bentley, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 18° | 1.7" | 7.6" | 8 | 15 | 19° – 38° |
| February | 40° | 22° | 1.9" | 6.3" | 7 | 8 | 18° – 42° |
| March | 52° | 32° | 2.5" | 2.1" | 9 | 2 | 34° – 56° |
| April | 64° | 42° | 4.1" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 45° – 60° |
| May | 74° | 53° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 58° – 72° |
| June | 83° | 63° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| July | 87° | 67° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| August | 85° | 65° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| September | 79° | 56° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| October | 66° | 45° | 3.3" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| November | 52° | 33° | 2.6" | 1.4" | 8 | 1 | 35° – 52° |
| December | 40° | 23° | 2.0" | 5.2" | 8 | 6 | 17° – 41° |
| Year | 63° | 43° | 39.4" | 23.1" | 106 | 32 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 18° to 42°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Rocky Run-Wilcox Township’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Rocky Run-Wilcox Township’s center.
- Snow: Bentley, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Keokuk Lock Dam 19, IA, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Rocky Run-Wilcox Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Rocky Run-Wilcox Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 60% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Rocky Run-Wilcox Township in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 117 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Rocky Run-Wilcox Township get?
About 23 inches in a normal winter at Bentley, IL, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 32 days a year.
How hot does it get in Rocky Run-Wilcox Township?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 67°. About 26 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Keokuk Lock Dam 19, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Rocky Run-Wilcox Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 10 and the first fall frost by October 27, about 198 frost-free days, at Keokuk Lock Dam 19, IA.
What growing zone is Rocky Run-Wilcox Township in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Rocky Run-Wilcox Township?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Rocky Run-Wilcox Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 96% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Rocky Run-Wilcox Township.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.