Photo: w:Flickr user David Rosen (https://www.flickr.com/people/dnszero/) · CC BY-SA 2.0Chester gets more rain and snow than 91% of U.S. towns: 53 inches of precipitation a year
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 90°. By July afternoons alone, it runs hotter than 78% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 0.6° above 1901–2000. Plan time outside for April, May, September and October, when highs sit at 71–83°.
A year in Chester at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Chester’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Chester’s place in Arkansas beside it.
What a year in Chester feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 201 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 9 and the first by October 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mountainburg 2 Ne, AR, 2.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Chester’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 7°. 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 Mountainburg 2 Ne, AR, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 53 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 98 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Chester
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 Mountainburg 2 Ne, AR.
Living with Chester’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
201 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 9 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.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Chester from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (57%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 21%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Chester and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Chester yet.
Climates most like Chester’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester, AR | 28° | 90° | 53" | 3.1" |
| Spring Hill, TN | 28° | 90° | 54" | 3.5" |
| Kennett, MO | 29° | 90° | 51" | 2.9" |
| Glasgow, KY | 26° | 89° | 53" | 5.7" |
| Calhoun, GA | 31° | 90° | 52" | 1.8" |
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 Chester averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.2°).
A smaller shift than in 95% 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 Chester compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Chester’s place among Arkansas’.
Chester weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Chester’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mountainburg 2 Ne, AR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 28° | 3.2" | 1.8" | 8 | 1 | 32° – 45° |
| February | 53° | 31° | 2.9" | 0.7" | 7 | 1 | 35° – 50° |
| March | 61° | 39° | 4.6" | 0.5" | 9 | 0 | 44° – 60° |
| April | 71° | 47° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| May | 78° | 56° | 6.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| June | 86° | 64° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| July | 90° | 68° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 74° – 86° |
| August | 90° | 67° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 83° | 60° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 79° |
| October | 72° | 49° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| November | 60° | 38° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 43° – 55° |
| December | 50° | 31° | 3.8" | 0.1" | 8 | 1 | 29° – 46° |
| Year | 70° | 48° | 52.8" | 3.1" | 98 | 3 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 29° to 46°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Chester’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 Chester’s center.
- Snow: Mountainburg 2 Ne, AR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mountainburg 2 Ne, AR, 2.4 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 Chester’s climate
What is the weather like in Chester?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 78% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Chester in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 87 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 32°.
How much snow does Chester get?
About 3.1 inches in a normal winter at Mountainburg 2 Ne, AR, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 3 days a year.
How hot does it get in Chester?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 68°. About 65 days a year reach 90° and 7 reach 100° (Mountainburg 2 Ne, AR).
When is the first and last frost in Chester?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 9 and the first fall frost by October 28, about 201 frost-free days, at Mountainburg 2 Ne, AR.
What growing zone is Chester in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Chester?
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 Chester getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 95% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Chester.
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.