Buffalo River State Park · Photo: National Park Service inventory · Public domainSummer arrives in force in Buffalo City, hotter than in 80% of U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 26°. Its yearly precipitation tops that of 70% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.9° higher. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about March 31, with the first autumn frost due around November 1.
A year in Buffalo City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Buffalo City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Buffalo City’s place in Arkansas beside it.
What a year in Buffalo City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 214 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 31 and the first by November 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mtn Home 1 Nnw, AR, 12 miles from the town’s center, 360 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Buffalo City’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 4°. 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 8 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mtn Home 1 Nnw, AR, falls mostly in February. 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 110 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Buffalo City
72% 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 Mtn Home 1 Nnw, AR.
Living with Buffalo City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
214 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Mar 31 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, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Buffalo City from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (53%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Buffalo City and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Buffalo City yet.
Climates most like Buffalo City’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo City, AR | 26° | 91° | 47" | 7.8" |
| Pittsburg, KS | 24° | 90° | 46" | 9.5" |
| Cape Girardeau, MO | 26° | 89° | 48" | 7.5" |
| East Highland Park, VA | 28° | 90° | 46" | 8.8" |
| Metropolis, IL | 27° | 89° | 50" | 8.9" |
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 Buffalo City averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.7°).
A smaller shift than in 86% 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 Buffalo City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Buffalo City’s place among Arkansas’.
Buffalo City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Buffalo City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mtn Home 1 Nnw, AR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 26° | 3.0" | 1.9" | 8 | 0 | 31° – 45° |
| February | 53° | 29° | 3.0" | 2.6" | 8 | 1 | 32° – 49° |
| March | 62° | 37° | 4.6" | 2.0" | 11 | 0 | 43° – 61° |
| April | 71° | 46° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| May | 78° | 55° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| June | 86° | 63° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| July | 91° | 67° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 74° – 84° |
| August | 90° | 65° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 83° | 58° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| October | 72° | 46° | 3.8" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| November | 60° | 37° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 42° – 55° |
| December | 50° | 29° | 3.7" | 1.2" | 9 | 0 | 27° – 47° |
| Year | 70° | 46° | 47.0" | 7.8" | 110 | 1 |
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 47°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Buffalo City’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 Buffalo City’s center.
- Snow: Mtn Home 1 Nnw, AR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mtn Home 1 Nnw, AR, 12 miles from the town’s center, 360 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 Buffalo City’s climate
What is the weather like in Buffalo City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 65% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 80% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Buffalo City in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 85 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 31°.
How much snow does Buffalo City get?
About 7.8 inches in a normal winter at Mtn Home 1 Nnw, AR, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Buffalo City?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 67°. About 44 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Mtn Home 1 Nnw, AR).
When is the first and last frost in Buffalo City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 31 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 214 frost-free days, at Mtn Home 1 Nnw, AR.
What growing zone is Buffalo City in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Buffalo City?
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 Buffalo City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 86% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Buffalo City.
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.