Rock Island has warm winters and hot summers
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 42°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Rock Island at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Rock Island’s climate
Read from where Rock Island sits among Texas’s towns. The page puts what stands out first.
What a year in Rock Island feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Rock Island averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.5°).
A bigger shift than in 70% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
About 285 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by February 21 and the first by December 1.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
Rain and snow in Rock Island
October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 91 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
No measurable snow in a normal year.
Living with Rock Island’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a driveway, a furnace and a free afternoon.
285 frost-free days. The last frost comes by Feb 21 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Dec 1.
About 0.0" in a normal winter.
Months averaging under 55° run from December through January. Heating is 33% of the year’s heating-and-cooling load.
About 116 days a year reach 90°, and July afternoons average 95°.
The nicest months are January, February, March, April, October, November and December.
Parks & trails →Normals are averages. Ice storms, nor’easters, floods and heat waves are on the natural hazards page.
Natural hazards →How Rock Island compares
Against every U.S. town on TownTapestry, each counted once, with its place in Texas.
Rock Island weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 63° | 42° | 3.4" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| February | 67° | 47° | 2.5" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 49° – 66° |
| March | 74° | 53° | 3.3" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 56° – 71° |
| April | 80° | 59° | 3.5" | 0 | 7 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| May | 87° | 67° | 4.6" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 72° – 80° |
| June | 92° | 72° | 4.7" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 79° – 86° |
| July | 95° | 74° | 2.9" | 0 | 6 | 0 | 80° – 88° |
| August | 96° | 74° | 3.3" | 0 | 6 | 0 | 81° – 89° |
| September | 91° | 69° | 4.2" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 76° – 85° |
| October | 83° | 60° | 5.0" | 0 | 7 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| November | 73° | 51° | 3.7" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 56° – 69° |
| December | 65° | 44° | 3.1" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 48° – 58° |
| Year | 80° | 59° | 44.3" | 0.0" | 91 | 0 |
Heating and cooling a home in Rock Island
33% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 49° to 66°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Common questions about Rock Island’s climate
What is the coldest month in Rock Island?
January, with a typical high of 63° and a low of 42°.
What is the hottest month in Rock Island?
August, with a typical high of 96° and a low of 74°. About 116 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Rock Island get?
Almost none. A normal year brings 0.0 inches.
When is the first frost in Rock Island?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by December 1, and the last spring frost by February 21.
What is the rainiest month in Rock Island?
October, with 5.0 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 44 inches.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Rock Island.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Rock Island itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Columbus, TX (13 mi, snow) and Eagle Lake Resch Ctr, TX (14 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. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.