Photo: User:Brandonrush, Michaelkrewson, Doug Wertman, Alfred Carrillo, flickr user Learning Lark · CC BY-SA 3.0Bella Vista has warmer summer afternoons than 77% of U.S. towns
In January the night’s low is typically 25°. The seasons are far apart: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans 65°. By precipitation alone, it ranks wetter than 68% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to March, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Bella Vista at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bella Vista’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bella Vista’s place in Arkansas beside it.
What a year in Bella Vista feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 204 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 5 and the first by October 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Gravette, AR, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bella Vista’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 10 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bentonville 4 S, AR, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 85 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bella Vista
65% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Gravette, AR.
Living with Bella Vista’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
204 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 5 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 28.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 122 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bella Vista from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 29%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bella Vista and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Bella Vista in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Bella Vista’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bella Vista, AR | 25° | 90° | 47" | 9.5" |
| Cape Girardeau, MO | 26° | 89° | 48" | 7.5" |
| Mechanicsville, VA | 28° | 89° | 46" | 8.8" |
| Murphysboro, IL | 24° | 89° | 47" | 9.9" |
| Salisbury, MD | 27° | 89° | 46" | 8.0" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Bella Vista averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+1.5°).
A smaller shift than in 90% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Bella Vista compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bella Vista’s place among Arkansas’.
Bella Vista weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bella Vista’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bentonville 4 S, AR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 25° | 2.5" | 3.2" | 6 | 2 | 32° – 46° |
| February | 52° | 29° | 2.3" | 2.3" | 5 | 2 | 32° – 50° |
| March | 61° | 37° | 4.0" | 2.6" | 8 | 1 | 42° – 59° |
| April | 70° | 46° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| May | 77° | 55° | 5.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| July | 90° | 68° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 75° – 85° |
| August | 89° | 66° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 82° | 58° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| October | 72° | 46° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 53° – 66° |
| November | 59° | 37° | 3.9" | 0.2" | 7 | 0 | 42° – 55° |
| December | 49° | 29° | 2.9" | 1.2" | 6 | 1 | 27° – 46° |
| Year | 69° | 47° | 46.6" | 9.5" | 85 | 6 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 46°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Bella Vista’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Bella Vista’s center.
- Snow: Bentonville 4 S, AR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Gravette, AR, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Bella Vista’s climate
What is the weather like in Bella Vista?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 10 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 64% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 77% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bella Vista in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 78 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 32°.
How much snow does Bella Vista get?
About 9.5 inches in a normal winter at Bentonville 4 S, AR, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 6 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bella Vista?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 68°. About 61 days a year reach 90° and 8 reach 100° (Gravette, AR).
When is the first and last frost in Bella Vista?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 5 and the first fall frost by October 28, about 204 frost-free days, at Gravette, AR.
What growing zone is Bella Vista in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bella Vista?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Bella Vista getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 90% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bella Vista.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.