Buckeye Vista Overlook · Photo: Valis55 · CC BY-SA 4.0Board Camp sits near the top of U.S. towns for precipitation, with 58 inches a year
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 29° on average. By July afternoons alone, it runs hotter than 81% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 0.5° above 1901–2000. Radiators earn their keep from November to February, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Board Camp at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Board Camp’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Board Camp’s place in Arkansas beside it.
What a year in Board Camp feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 208 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 5 and the first by November 1. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Big Fk 1 Sse, AR, 7 miles from the town’s center, 270 ft higher; frost dates and degree days from Mena, AR, 13 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Board Camp’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 11°. 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 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Pine Ridge, AR, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 58 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 93 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Board Camp
70% 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 Mena, AR.
Living with Board Camp’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
208 frost-free days in zone 8a. 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 Nov 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Board Camp from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (56%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Board Camp and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Board Camp yet.
Climates most like Board Camp’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Board Camp, AR | 29° | 91° | 58" | 3.1" |
| Holly Springs, MS | 31° | 90° | 58" | 2.3" |
| Jackson, TN | 29° | 90° | 56" | 2.7" |
| Huntsville, AL | 31° | 90° | 56" | 2.4" |
| Toccoa, GA | 33° | 89° | 57" | 1.4" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Board Camp averaged 0.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.3°).
A smaller shift than in 97% 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 Board Camp compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Board Camp’s place among Arkansas’.
Board Camp weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Board Camp’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Pine Ridge, AR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 29° | 3.9" | 0.9" | 7 | 0 | 35° – 47° |
| February | 55° | 32° | 4.0" | 1.3" | 8 | 0 | 36° – 52° |
| March | 63° | 39° | 5.1" | 0.7" | 9 | 0 | 45° – 60° |
| April | 72° | 47° | 5.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 55° – 65° |
| May | 79° | 57° | 6.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| June | 86° | 64° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| July | 91° | 68° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 74° – 84° |
| August | 91° | 67° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 73° – 84° |
| September | 84° | 60° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 68° – 79° |
| October | 73° | 48° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| November | 62° | 38° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 43° – 56° |
| December | 53° | 31° | 5.1" | 0.2" | 8 | 0 | 32° – 48° |
| Year | 72° | 48° | 58.1" | 3.1" | 93 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 48°. May is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Board Camp’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 Board Camp’s center.
- Snow: Pine Ridge, AR.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Mena, AR, 13 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Big Fk 1 Sse, AR, 7 miles from the town’s center, 270 ft higher; 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 Board Camp’s climate
What is the weather like in Board Camp?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 81% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Board Camp in winter?
January nights average 29°. About 56 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 35°.
How much snow does Board Camp get?
About 3.1 inches in a normal winter at Pine Ridge, AR, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Board Camp?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 68°. About 27 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Mena, AR).
When is the first and last frost in Board Camp?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 5 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 208 frost-free days, at Mena, AR.
What growing zone is Board Camp in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Board Camp?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Board Camp getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Board Camp.
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.