Rolla reaches 100° on about 18 days a year, more than 95% of U.S. towns
Nights in January average 21°. August is the wettest month, February the driest. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 91% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 50°.
A year in Rolla at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Rolla’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Rolla’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Rolla feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 173 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 27 and the first by October 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Richfield, KS, 13 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Rolla’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −1°. 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 18 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Elkhart, KS, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 57 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Rolla
78% 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 Richfield, KS.
Living with Rolla’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
173 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 27 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 19.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Rolla from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (61%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Rolla and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Rolla yet.
Climates most like Rolla’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rolla, KS | 21° | 94° | 18" | 18" |
| Roy, UT | 21° | 92° | 17" | 23" |
| Hereford, TX | 23° | 92° | 19" | 14" |
| Weiser, ID | 22° | 94° | 13" | 15" |
| Tucumcari, NM | 24° | 95° | 16" | 15" |
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 Rolla averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 86% 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 Rolla compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Rolla’s place among Kansas’.
Rolla weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Rolla’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Elkhart, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 21° | 0.4" | 4.2" | 3 | 4 | 26° – 42° |
| February | 52° | 24° | 0.3" | 2.1" | 3 | 2 | 32° – 45° |
| March | 61° | 31° | 1.0" | 3.5" | 4 | 2 | 40° – 53° |
| April | 70° | 39° | 1.3" | 0.4" | 5 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| May | 79° | 50° | 2.0" | 0.8" | 6 | 0 | 58° – 71° |
| June | 90° | 60° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 94° | 65° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 75° – 85° |
| August | 91° | 63° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 72° – 83° |
| September | 84° | 55° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 64° – 76° |
| October | 72° | 42° | 1.6" | 0.7" | 4 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| November | 59° | 30° | 0.5" | 1.2" | 3 | 1 | 37° – 50° |
| December | 48° | 22° | 0.7" | 4.7" | 4 | 4 | 30° – 39° |
| Year | 71° | 42° | 17.7" | 17.6" | 57 | 14 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 26° to 42°. July is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Rolla’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 Rolla’s center.
- Snow: Elkhart, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Richfield, KS, 13 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 Rolla’s climate
What is the weather like in Rolla?
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Rolla in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 145 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Rolla get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter at Elkhart, KS, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 14 days a year.
How hot does it get in Rolla?
July, with a typical high of 94° and a low of 65°. About 77 days a year reach 90° and 18 reach 100° (Richfield, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Rolla?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 27 and the first fall frost by October 19, about 173 frost-free days, at Richfield, KS.
What growing zone is Rolla in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Rolla?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Rolla getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 86% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Rolla.
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.