Rock City poster-style illustration
Why We WaitWet sandstone breaks. The science, the casualties and one very salty crimp.

Rock City, KS

Rock City now
Nearly dry: sunny faces may be ready, shady rock needs more time
Rest day. Hit the gym or a rainy-day crag, and let the holds live.
Likely climbable by Mon, Nov 9 around 4 PM.
⚠ This could be a sandbag: shaded, north-facing or seeping rock can stay wet longer than the gauges suggest. Touch the rock and check the ground before you tie in.
Updated · updates hourly
Sun and shade
Chase the sun or hide in the shade?
Live sun and shade map ↗ · ShadeMap
Live radar

Live radar

Updates hourly
Loading radar…

The last hour of rain and snow on radar; the pin marks Rock City. Green is light, yellow to red is heavy. Radar: NOAA/National Weather Service. Mountains can block radar in parts of the West, so light rain may not show.

NWS radar ↗ · Windy radar ↗

Rain, last and next 7 days
Rain at Rock Citymeasured forecast
Mon, Nov 2: 0.04 in measured0.04MTue, Nov 3: 0.13 in measured0.13TWed, Nov 4: 0.42 in measured0.42WThu, Nov 5: 0.00 in measuredTFri, Nov 6: 0.00 in measuredFSat, Nov 7: 0.00 in measuredSSun, Nov 8: 0.00 in measured•0%Mon, Nov 9: 0.00 in forecast, 0% chanceM0%Tue, Nov 10: 0.00 in forecast, 0% chanceT1%Wed, Nov 11: 0.00 in forecast, 1% chanceW0%Thu, Nov 12: 0.00 in forecast, 0% chanceT0%Fri, Nov 13: 0.00 in forecast, 0% chanceF1%Sat, Nov 14: 0.00 in forecast, 1% chanceS7%Sun, Nov 15: 0.00 in forecast, 7% chanceS
Last 7 daysNext 7 days
Gauges within 8 mi: COCO-KS-OT-16, ADAK1, COCO-KS-OT-13 · forecast: NWS
Rain gauges
Updates hourly

Last rain at these gauges: 104 h ago (4 days) · 0.32 in at Minneapolis 3.4 Wsw, ending Wed 7 AM

Rain in the last 3 days: none <0.10 in 0.10–0.25 >0.25. Tap a gauge for its name and link.

Webcam

I-70 at I-135, 15.7 mi from Rock City: today's pictures, newest last. Most nearby cams watch towns or roads; look for wet pavement, low clouds and rain over the hills. Open on Windy ↗

Thanks and community

Local coalitions and stewards

  • Access Fund ↗For keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment across the country.
  • Weather data ↗Rain gauges via Synoptic Data (MesoWest) from public and private weather networks. Forecasts from the National Weather Service. Model estimates from Open-Meteo when gauges go quiet.

Local climbing community

OnlineMountain Project Midwest forum ↗
Local guidance

Local guidance

Park guidance Rock City, Inc., a local nonprofit, runs the park: pay the small fee at the gift shop (or the honor bucket when it's closed). Bouldering only, on about 200 Dakota sandstone concretions. Let them dry after rain. Mountain Project: Rock City ↗

  • Rock Dakota Sandstone concretions
  • Group Fragile when wet: red for 48 h after rain, caution to 72 h (96 h in winter)

Rock City on Mountain Project ↗
Rain check details

Rain nearby, but it missed Rock City

The gauges agree: the rain missed Rock City.

Where the rain fell (72-hour totals)

AreaGaugesRain
Southeast, 21–23 miSmoky Hill Rvr, Solomon, Smoky Hill River0.00–0.15 in
South, 21–28 miSalina, Salina, Salina Municipal Airport, Smoky Hill River0.00–0.01 in
Rock City areaMinneapolis 3.4 WSW, Salt Creek, Culver 3.6 ENE, Tescott 5.8 ESE, Bennington 3N0.00 in
Northeast, 30 miClay Center0.00 in

Rock City has dry gauges on 4 sides: east at Bennington 3N, south at Culver 3.6 ENE, southwest at Saline River and northwest at Minneapolis 3.4 WSW. Rain would have had to slip between them, and that's unlikely here.

The site shows 🔴 Likely wet. Last rain: 0.42 in at Culver 3.6 ENE, ending 104 h ago. Drying it out takes about 45 h of good drying weather; at the forecast humidity, wind and sun, the rock is likely still wet. Touch the rock and check for damp sand at the base, especially in the shady canyons.

From 13 gauges out to 30 mi. Farther gauges as of 3:29 PM CST. Red means 0.10 in or more, amber a trace. Storm cells can be smaller than the gaps between gauges.
Local Beta Board

Local Beta Board

Climbers posting what they see at Rock City: which walls are dry, seeps, closures, approach and trail conditions.

No beta posted yet. Be the first to spray some beta from Rock City: which walls are dry, wet or seeping?

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Rain chance, wind and temperature

Rain chance, wind and temperature

Temperature: 67°F now · next 24 h 41–72°F

Good friction temps (high 72°F).

No nearby station is reporting wind right now.

3p67°34p66°25p63°06p57°07p54°08p51°09p48°010p47°011p45°012a44°01a43°02a43°1
No rain in today's forecast. Wind by hour (mph, arrow shows where it blows; g = gusts) and temperature. Forecast: National Weather Service.

NWS hourly forecast for Rock City ↗Sun and shade now (ShadeMap) ↗
Rain gauges

Last rain at these gauges: 104 h ago (4 days) · 0.32 in at Minneapolis 3.4 Wsw, ending Wed 7 AM

  • Minneapolis 3.4 Wsw
    COCO-KS-OT-16 · 1.6 mi · checked 3:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 104 h ago (4 days): 0.32 in, ending Wed 7 AM
    One reading a day (a 24-h total), so no hourly bars
    Reports about daily · CoCoRaHS volunteer rain gauge (read daily)
  • Salt Creek Near Ada 3ESE
    ADAK1 · 6.4 mi · checked 3:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    No rain in the last 7 days
    24 h ago12 hnow
    Reports every 15 min · River and rain gauge (HADS), sends by GOES satellite
  • Culver 3.6 Ene
    COCO-KS-OT-13 · 7.6 mi · checked 3:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 104 h ago (4 days): 0.42 in, ending Wed 7 AM
    One reading a day (a 24-h total), so no hourly bars
    Reports about daily · CoCoRaHS volunteer rain gauge (read daily)
  • Tescott 5.8 Ese
    COCO-KS-OT-31 · 8.0 mi · checked 3:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 104 h ago (4 days): 0.20 in, ending Wed 7 AM
    One reading a day (a 24-h total), so no hourly bars
    Reports about daily · CoCoRaHS volunteer rain gauge (read daily)
  • Bennington 3N
    KSM-Bennington3N · 8.1 mi · checked 3:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 122 h ago (5 days): 0.35 in, ending Tue 1 PM
    24 h ago12 hnow
    Reports hourly · Kansas Mesonet station
  • Saline River AT Tescott
    TSCK1 · 9.5 mi · checked 3:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    No rain in the last 7 days
    24 h ago12 hnow
    Reports every 15 min · River and rain gauge (HADS), sends by GOES satellite

Bars show rain each hour over the last 24 h. "Last rain" looks back 7 days. Tap a gauge to see its full record (on MesoWest, or its own network's site). The site checks every gauge hourly.
Is it actually dry?

Check the rock yourself

Rain gauges measure rain, not rock. Sandstone is weak when wet and holds water long after the surface looks dry, especially on shady or seepy faces. If the ground is damp, the rock is too, and the route will still be there tomorrow if nobody breaks it.

Is it actually dry?

Field checks before you tie in

  • Is the sand at the base dry? It dries before the rock does; damp sand means wet rock.
  • Are the trail and the ground at the cliff base dry? If not, don't climb.
  • Look for dark damp patches, moisture behind flakes and inside cracks, and fresh sand on holds.
  • Shaded walls, spots under trees and grooves that channel water stay wet much longer.
  • Sun and wind dry rock fast; cloudy, calm, humid days slow it down, and winter drying is slow (great friction, bad drying).
  • After long, soaking rain the rock can stay wet inches deep. Give it extra time.
  • If any part of the route, base included, is wet, pick another climb. No send is worth a broken hold.
  • There's no climbing on rain-proof rock (limestone, granite or basalt) within 100 miles of here. On a wet day, climb in a gym or give the rock time to dry.
Thank you

Thank you

  • Access Fund

    For keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment across the country.

    Access Fund is the national climbing advocacy nonprofit. It works alongside local climbing organizations, like the coalitions thanked on each area page, on access, stewardship and education, including how long to wait after rain.

    How to assess sandstone after rain ↗

  • Weather data

    Rain gauges via Synoptic Data (MesoWest) from public and private weather networks. Forecasts from the National Weather Service. Model estimates from Open-Meteo when gauges go quiet.

Local climbing community

Facebook groups and pages

Online: forums and meetups