Photo: Stephenjayson · CC BY-SA 4.0No extremes in Rolla: its weather tracks the middle of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 88°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 69% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.8° higher. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 5, with the first autumn frost due around November 1.
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 Missouri 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 207 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 5 and the first by November 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Rolla Missouri S&t, MO, 1.1 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 −2°. 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 Rolla Missouri S&t, MO, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 44 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 120 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Rolla
76% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Rolla Missouri S&t, MO.
Living with Rolla’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
207 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 5 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 5.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Rolla from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (30%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 44%. 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, MO | 23° | 88° | 44" | 17" |
| Bel Air, MD | 24° | 88° | 47" | 18" |
| Culpeper, VA | 25° | 88° | 45" | 16" |
| Milford, OH | 23° | 87° | 45" | 16" |
| Vandalia, IL | 22° | 87° | 44" | 13" |
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 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 92% 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 Missouri’s.
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 Rolla Missouri S&t, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 23° | 2.5" | 5.6" | 9 | 7 | 27° – 42° |
| February | 48° | 27° | 2.4" | 4.1" | 9 | 5 | 28° – 47° |
| March | 57° | 34° | 3.8" | 2.6" | 12 | 2 | 38° – 60° |
| April | 68° | 44° | 4.7" | 0.2" | 12 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| May | 76° | 53° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 59° – 72° |
| June | 84° | 62° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 88° | 66° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 72° – 84° |
| August | 87° | 64° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 82° |
| September | 80° | 57° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 63° – 75° |
| October | 69° | 45° | 3.3" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| November | 56° | 35° | 3.7" | 1.3" | 10 | 1 | 38° – 54° |
| December | 46° | 27° | 2.6" | 3.4" | 9 | 4 | 22° – 44° |
| Year | 67° | 45° | 44.4" | 17.3" | 120 | 18 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 44°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
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: Rolla Missouri S&t, MO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Rolla Missouri S&t, MO, 1.1 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 88°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 54% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Rolla in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 96 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 27°.
How much snow does Rolla get?
About 17 inches in a normal winter at Rolla Missouri S&t, MO, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 18 days a year.
How hot does it get in Rolla?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 66°. About 43 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Rolla Missouri S&t, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Rolla?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 5 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 207 frost-free days, at Rolla Missouri S&t, MO.
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 −2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Rolla?
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 Rolla getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 92% 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.