Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Ralls United States

In Ralls, the summers are hot and mostly clear and the winters are short, very cold, snowy, windy, and partly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 28°F to 92°F and is rarely below 17°F or above 99°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Ralls for hot-weather activities is from mid June to late August.

The hot season lasts for 3.9 months, from May 17 to September 13, with an average daily high temperature above 84°F. The hottest month of the year in Ralls is July, with an average high of 92°F and low of 69°F.

The cold season lasts for 2.9 months, from November 23 to February 19, with an average daily high temperature below 61°F. The coldest month of the year in Ralls is January, with an average low of 29°F and high of 54°F.

In Ralls, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Ralls begins around April 1 and lasts for 7.4 months, ending around November 15.

The clearest month of the year in Ralls is June, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 75% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 15 and lasts for 4.6 months, ending around April 1.

The cloudiest month of the year in Ralls is February, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 40% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Ralls varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 4.6 months, from May 8 to September 26, with a greater than 20% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Ralls is June, with an average of 9.1 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 7.4 months, from September 26 to May 8. The month with the fewest wet days in Ralls is January, with an average of 2.1 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Ralls is June, with an average of 9.1 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 35% on June 5.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Ralls experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 9.9 months, from February 14 to December 11, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Ralls is June, with an average rainfall of 2.5 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 2.1 months, from December 11 to February 14. The month with the least rain in Ralls is January, with an average rainfall of 0.3 inches.

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Ralls experiences some seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 2.9 months, from November 20 to February 17, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Ralls is December, with an average snowfall of 1.7 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 9.1 months, from February 17 to November 20. The least snow falls around July 19, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Ralls varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 55 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 14 hours, 24 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 6:34 AM on June 11, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 31 minutes later at 8:06 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 5:36 PM on December 4, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 23 minutes later at 9:00 PM on June 28.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Ralls during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Ralls experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 4.0 months, from May 25 to September 27, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 6% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Ralls is July, with 6.7 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Ralls is January, with 0.0 days that are muggy or worse.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Ralls experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 5.1 months, from January 24 to June 27, with average wind speeds of more than 11.0 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Ralls is April, with an average hourly wind speed of 12.6 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 6.9 months, from June 27 to January 24. The calmest month of the year in Ralls is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 9.2 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Ralls varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 8.3 months, from March 4 to November 13, with a peak percentage of 72% on July 4. The wind is most often from the west for 3.7 months, from November 13 to March 4, with a peak percentage of 37% on January 1.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Ralls throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Ralls for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid May to early October, with a peak score in the first week of September.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Ralls for hot-weather activities is from mid June to late August, with a peak score in the second week of July.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Ralls typically lasts for 7.2 months (221 days), from around March 31 to around November 7, rarely starting before March 9 or after April 20, and rarely ending before October 19 or after November 26.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Ralls should appear around February 13, only rarely appearing before February 2 or after March 1.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 4.3 months, from April 6 to August 16, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.6 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Ralls is June, with an average of 7.5 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.9 months, from November 6 to February 4, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.0 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Ralls is December, with an average of 3.2 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Ralls are 33.674 deg latitude, -101.388 deg longitude, and 3,104 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Ralls is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 56 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 3,104 feet. Within 10 miles is essentially flat (299 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (1,755 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Ralls is covered by cropland (92%), within 10 miles by cropland (91%), and within 50 miles by cropland (48%) and grassland (28%).