Bacon's Castle · Photo: Yellowute (Uploads) · Public domainMore precipitation falls on Rushmere than on 82% of U.S. towns: 49 inches a year
Deep winter brings January lows near 32°. The wettest month is July; the driest is February. Its January nights stay gentler than in 74% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around April 1; autumn frost returns near November 9.
A year in Rushmere at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Rushmere’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Rushmere’s place in Virginia beside it.
What a year in Rushmere feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 221 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 1 and the first by November 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Newport News International Airport, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Rushmere’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 14°. 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 4 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Williamsburg 2 N, VA, is heaviest from January through February, about 2 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 125 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Rushmere
69% 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 Newport News International Airport.
Living with Rushmere’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
221 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 1 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 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 2.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Rushmere from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (37%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Rushmere and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Rushmere yet.
Climates most like Rushmere’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rushmere, VA | 32° | 89° | 49" | 4.3" |
| Welcome, SC | 32° | 89° | 50" | 3.9" |
| Dallas, GA | 32° | 89° | 51" | 3.8" |
| Fuquay-Varina, NC | 31° | 90° | 48" | 4.8" |
| Sevierville, TN | 29° | 89° | 51" | 3.6" |
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 Rushmere averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 58% 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 Rushmere compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Rushmere’s place among Virginia’s.
Rushmere weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Rushmere’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Williamsburg 2 N, VA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 32° | 3.6" | 1.7" | 11 | 2 | 35° – 47° |
| February | 52° | 33° | 3.0" | 1.6" | 10 | 1 | 32° – 50° |
| March | 60° | 39° | 4.1" | 0.2" | 11 | 0 | 45° – 58° |
| April | 70° | 49° | 3.5" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| May | 78° | 58° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 62° – 74° |
| June | 85° | 67° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| July | 89° | 71° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 75° – 83° |
| August | 87° | 70° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 74° – 81° |
| September | 81° | 64° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| October | 71° | 53° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| November | 61° | 42° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| December | 53° | 35° | 3.6" | 0.7" | 11 | 0 | 34° – 56° |
| Year | 70° | 51° | 49.3" | 4.3" | 125 | 4 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 34° to 56°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Rushmere’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 Rushmere’s center.
- Snow: Williamsburg 2 N, VA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Newport News International Airport, 11 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 Rushmere’s climate
What is the weather like in Rushmere?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 74% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 73% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Rushmere in winter?
January nights average 32°. About 64 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 35°.
How much snow does Rushmere get?
About 4.3 inches in a normal winter at Williamsburg 2 N, VA, heaviest from January through February, about 2 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 4 days a year.
How hot does it get in Rushmere?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 71°. About 43 days a year reach 90° (Newport News International Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Rushmere?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 1 and the first fall frost by November 9, about 221 frost-free days, at Newport News International Airport.
What growing zone is Rushmere in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Rushmere?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Rushmere getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Rushmere.
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.