30-year climate normals

Washington County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

80.3°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 19.3°F.

Washington County gets 51.57" of precipitation a year, and 27% of it falls in Oct, Nov, Dec.

Temperature through the year

Each bar spans the average daily low to the average daily high for that month.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Precip
January	37.4°	19.3°	4.17"
February	39.1°	20.7°	3.85"
March	46.2°	27.2°	5.69"
April	56.4°	35.7°	4.50"
May	65.9°	45.1°	3.58"
June	74.6°	54.3°	3.99"
July	80.3°	60.4°	3.31"
August	79.1°	59.0°	4.08"
September	72.7°	51.7°	4.30"
October	62.4°	41.1°	4.49"
November	52.0°	32.1°	4.38"
December	42.9°	25.0°	5.23"

Rainfall by month

Precipitation is spread fairly evenly through the year here, with 27% falling in the wettest three months (Oct, Nov, Dec).

January 4.17"

February 3.85"

March 5.69"

April 4.50"

May 3.58"

June 3.99"

July 3.31"

August 4.08"

September 4.30"

October 4.49"

November 4.38"

December 5.23"

Annual total 51.57"

What this climate costs you

Degree days measure how hard a building has to work to stay comfortable. They are the reason two identical houses have very different power bills, and they are the link between the weather here and what you pay every month.

Cooling degree days How much air conditioning the climate demands 442

Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 6,173

Approximate annual cooling cost At 29.46¢/kWh, Rhode Island average $130

Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $636

These are rough planning figures from degree days and the state electricity price, not a bill estimate. House size, insulation and fuel type move them a lot. See the full cost of owning a home in Washington County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Washington County?

Washington County averages a high of 80.3°F in July and a low of 19.3°F in January. Annual precipitation is 51.57 inches, with essentially no snow.

When is the rainy season in Washington County?

The wettest stretch is Oct, Nov, Dec, which accounts for 27% of the year's precipitation. Precipitation is relatively evenly distributed across the year.

How hot does it get in Washington County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 80.3°F. That drives 442 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Washington County?

Effectively no. Measurable snowfall is rare in Washington County.

Sources

Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station KINGSTON 1 W, RI US (USW00054797), 6.9 miles from the county centroid.
Heating and cooling degree days — NOAA, same station and period.
Electricity price — US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, Rhode Island residential average.
Wet-season share is the wettest three consecutive months as a percentage of annual precipitation, calculated from the monthly normals.