Climate · Rice

Rice, OH climate

Rice has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 26 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
84°
1137th hottest of 2,573 Ohio towns
January low
21°
966th mildest of 2,573 Ohio towns
Rain + melted snow
36 in
109th driest of 2,573 Ohio towns
Snow a winter
26 in
867th snowiest of 2,536 Ohio towns
A normal year

What a year in Rice feels like

Winter

36° / 23°
Typical high / low · 11 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

59° / 40°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Apr 21

Summer

82° / 62°
Typical high / low · 18 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

63° / 45°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 24
Best months to be outsideMayJunAugSepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Rice 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
January34°21°2.3" 8.4"1213 18° – 38°
February37°22°2.0" 6.9"1010 15° – 40°
March46°30°2.5" 3.7"114 30° – 51°
April59°39°3.6" 1.0"130 43° – 55°
May71°51°3.6" 0130 54° – 67°
June80°60°3.7" 0110 65° – 74°
July84°64°3.5" 0100 70° – 78°
August82°63°3.5" 090 67° – 76°
September76°56°3.2" 090 62° – 70°
October63°45°2.8" 0100 51° – 61°
November50°35°2.7" 0.9"101 36° – 48°
December38°26°2.3" 5.3"117 21° – 43°
Year60°43°35.7"26.2"12934

“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 Rice

Rice gets 36 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 129 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 34 days of the year.

36 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 63% of U.S. towns
26 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 52% of U.S. towns
34 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
More than 55% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
3.7"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
8.4"
Frost & the growing season

About 183 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first one by October 24. That leaves about 183 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 56% of U.S. towns.

137
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
6
nights below 0° in a normal year
18
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 Rice

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Rice, 88% of that work is heating and 12% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

88%heating
5,949 heating degree daysMore heating than 54% of U.S. towns
838 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 51% 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 Rice

Rice and its neighbors

Rice borders 5 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 1.2°. Washington has both the coldest January nights (20°) and the hottest July afternoons (85°). Rice’s January low is 21° and its July high 84°.

Townsend: January low 21°, July high 83°Green Creek: January low 20°, July high 84°Ballville: January low 20°, July high 85°Fremont: January low 20°, July high 85°Stony Prairie: January low 20°, July high 85°Harris: January low 20°, July high 85°Madison: January low 20°, July high 85°Jackson: January low 20°, July high 85°Carroll: January low 21°, July high 83°Bay: January low 21°, July high 83°Erie: January low 21°, July high 83°Riley: January low 21°, July high 83°Sandusky: January low 20°, July high 85°Washington: January low 20°, July high 85°Wightmans Grove: January low 21°, July high 83°Salem: January low 20°, July high 84°Rice: January low 21°, July high 84° RiceRileySanduskyWashingtonWightmans GroveSalem
ColderMilder20° to 21°
Washington19.9° −0.7°
Sandusky20.3° −0.3°
Salem20.4° −0.2°
Rice20.6°
Riley20.9° +0.3°
Wightmans Grove21.1° +0.5°

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

Compared with other towns

How Rice compares

Summer heat84° July high
Cooler than 56% of U.S. towns1137th hottest of 2,573 Ohio towns
Winter cold21° January low
Milder than 57% of U.S. towns966th mildest of 2,573 Ohio towns
Precipitation36" a year
Drier than 63% of U.S. towns109th driest of 2,573 Ohio towns
Snow26" a winter
Snowier than 52% of U.S. towns867th snowiest of 2,536 Ohio towns
Growing season183 frost-free days
Longer than 56% of U.S. towns936th longest of 2,573 Ohio 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 Rice averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.4°). The shift is smaller than in 66% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+1.7° now 30°, was 28°
🌷 Spring+1.1° now 49°, was 48°
☀️ Summer+0.5° now 72°, was 72°
🍂 Fall+0.8° now 54°, was 53°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Rice’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. February swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 15° to 40°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Rice’s climate

What is the coldest month in Rice?

January, with a typical high of 34° and a low of 21°.

What is the hottest month in Rice?

July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 64°. About 18 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Rice get?

About 26 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Rice?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 24, and the last spring frost by April 21.

What is the rainiest month in Rice?

June, with 3.7 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 36 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Rice itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Fremont, OH (7 mi, snow) and Fremont Ag Stn, OH (9 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

The porch light’s on

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