Photo: ONUnicorn · CC BY-SA 4.0A middle-of-the-road climate: Rocky Ripple is close to most U.S. towns on every count
Midwinter brings lows of about 20°. December has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.0° rise. Garden planting can start around April 12; autumn frost returns near October 29.
A year in Rocky Ripple at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Rocky Ripple’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Rocky Ripple’s place in Indiana beside it.
What a year in Rocky Ripple 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 12 and the first by October 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Indianapolis Eagle Creek Airport, 7 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Rocky Ripple’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −4°. 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 17 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Indianapolis Eagle Creek 4 Nne, IN, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 43 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 107 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Rocky Ripple
82% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from October 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 Indianapolis Eagle Creek Airport.
Living with Rocky Ripple’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
198 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 12 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 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, August, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Rocky Ripple from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (74%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Rocky Ripple and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Rocky Ripple yet.
Climates most like Rocky Ripple’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 Ripple, IN | 20° | 85° | 43" | 17" |
| Sunbury, OH | 20° | 84° | 42" | 19" |
| Wheeling, WV | 22° | 84° | 42" | 15" |
| New Brighton, PA | 21° | 84° | 41" | 20" |
| Plainview, NY | 24° | 85° | 45" | 19" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Rocky Ripple averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 81% 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 Ripple compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Rocky Ripple’s place among Indiana’s.
Rocky Ripple weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Rocky Ripple’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Indianapolis Eagle Creek 4 Nne, IN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 20° | 2.8" | 8.2" | 9 | 19° – 39° |
| February | 40° | 23° | 2.4" | 3.3" | 8 | 19° – 42° |
| March | 51° | 31° | 3.2" | 1.5" | 10 | 34° – 55° |
| April | 63° | 41° | 4.3" | 0.1" | 11 | 45° – 58° |
| May | 73° | 52° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 56° – 71° |
| June | 82° | 61° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 85° | 65° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 69° – 81° |
| August | 83° | 63° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 68° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 55° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 61° – 71° |
| October | 65° | 44° | 3.3" | 0.1" | 7 | 50° – 60° |
| November | 51° | 33° | 3.4" | 0.4" | 9 | 35° – 49° |
| December | 40° | 25° | 2.8" | 3.6" | 9 | 19° – 42° |
| Year | 62° | 43° | 42.6" | 17.2" | 107 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 42°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Rocky Ripple’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 Ripple’s center.
- Snow: Indianapolis Eagle Creek 4 Nne, IN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Indianapolis Eagle Creek Airport, 7 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher; 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 Ripple’s climate
What is the weather like in Rocky Ripple?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 59% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 55% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Rocky Ripple in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 106 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Rocky Ripple get?
About 17 inches in a normal winter at Indianapolis Eagle Creek 4 Nne, IN, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Rocky Ripple?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 65°. About 17 days a year reach 90° (Indianapolis Eagle Creek Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Rocky Ripple?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 12 and the first fall frost by October 29, about 198 frost-free days, at Indianapolis Eagle Creek Airport.
What growing zone is Rocky Ripple in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Rocky Ripple?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Rocky Ripple getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 81% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Rocky Ripple.
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.