Climate · Rockfish

Rockfish, NC climate

Rockfish has mild winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 33°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
91°
50th hottest of 773 North Carolina towns
January low
33°
217th mildest of 773 North Carolina towns
Rain + melted snow
47 in
285th driest of 773 North Carolina towns
Snow a winter
1 in
274th least snowy of 763 North Carolina towns
A normal year

What a year in Rockfish feels like

Winter

56° / 34°
Typical high / low · Snow is rare

Spring

74° / 49°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Mar 30

Summer

89° / 69°
Typical high / low · 53 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

74° / 51°
Typical high / low · First frost around Nov 10
Best months to be outsideMarAprMaySepOctNovHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Rockfish weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet daysSnow on ground30-yr range
January54°33°3.4" 0.6"111 38° – 49°
February58°35°3.1" 0.3"90 38° – 55°
March65°41°3.5" 0100 47° – 61°
April75°49°3.4" 090 57° – 67°
May82°58°3.6" 090 64° – 75°
June88°67°5.0" 0100 72° – 81°
July91°70°5.2" 0110 77° – 83°
August89°69°4.9" 0100 76° – 84°
September84°63°5.4" 090 70° – 79°
October75°51°3.3" 080 59° – 68°
November64°40°3.3" 080 47° – 58°
December57°35°3.5" 0.3"100 36° – 58°
Year73°51°47.4"1.2"1121

“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.

Rain & snow

Rain and snow in Rockfish

Rockfish gets 47 inches of rain and melted snow a year. September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 112 days a year.

47 in
Rain + melted snow a year
More rain than 79% of U.S. towns
1 in
Snow in a normal winter
Less snow than 85% of U.S. towns
1 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
Fewer than 79% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
5.4"

Snowfall by month

About 1.2" in a normal year, so most winters see none.
Frost & the growing season

About 227 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 30 and the first one by November 10. That leaves about 227 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 85% of U.S. towns.

63
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
0
nights below 0° in a normal year
53
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Rockfish

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Rockfish, 61% of that work is heating and 39% is cooling.

61%heating
2,969 heating degree daysLess heating than 86% of U.S. towns
1,890 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 87% of U.S. towns

Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.

Around Rockfish

Rockfish and its neighbors

Rockfish borders 1 town with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.0°. Fayetteville has both the coldest January nights (33°) and the hottest July afternoons (91°). Rockfish’s January low is 33° and its July high 91°.

Spring Lake: January low 32°, July high 91°Hope Mills: January low 33°, July high 91°Vander: January low 33°, July high 91°Eastover: January low 33°, July high 91°Fayetteville: January low 33°, July high 91°Rockfish: January low 33°, July high 91° RockfishFayetteville
ColderMilder32° to 33°
Rockfish32.5°
Fayetteville32.5° same

Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.

Compared with other towns

How Rockfish compares

Summer heat91° July high
Hotter than 83% of U.S. towns50th hottest of 773 North Carolina towns
Winter cold33° January low
Milder than 84% of U.S. towns217th mildest of 773 North Carolina towns
Precipitation47" a year
Wetter than 79% of U.S. towns285th driest of 773 North Carolina towns
Snow1" a winter
Less snow than 85% of U.S. towns274th least snowy of 763 North Carolina towns
Growing season227 frost-free days
Longer than 85% of U.S. towns221st longest of 773 North Carolina towns

Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+1.0°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Rockfish averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°). The shift is smaller than in 71% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+1.6° now 45°, was 44°
🌷 Spring+0.6° now 61°, was 61°
☀️ Summer+1.1° now 79°, was 78°
🍂 Fall+0.7° now 63°, was 62°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Rockfish’s spot on NOAA’s grid

Year to year

How much a month can swing

A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. December swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 36° to 58°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Rockfish’s climate

What is the coldest month in Rockfish?

January, with a typical high of 54° and a low of 33°.

What is the hottest month in Rockfish?

July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 70°. About 53 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Rockfish get?

About 1 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Rockfish?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by November 10, and the last spring frost by March 30.

What is the rainiest month in Rockfish?

September, with 5.4 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 47 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Rockfish itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Fayetteville (pwc), NC (13 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Rockfish, NCView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map
Loading boundary…

Rockfish is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01