Photo: Chris Litherland · CC BY-SA 3.0El Dorado’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 34°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in El Dorado at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about El Dorado’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with El Dorado’s place in Arkansas beside it.
What a year in El Dorado feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 230 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 24 and the first by November 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at El Dorado S Ar Rgnl Airport, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts El Dorado’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 16°. 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 55 inches of rain a year
April is the wettest month and September the driest. Rain falls on about 91 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.8" in a normal year at Calion L&d, AR, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in El Dorado
53% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through February.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at El Dorado S Ar Rgnl Airport.
Living with El Dorado’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
230 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Mar 24 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, October and November. 10 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in El Dorado from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (33%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 30%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →El Dorado and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around El Dorado yet.
Climates most like El Dorado’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Dorado, AR | 34° | 93° | 55" | 0.8" |
| Columbus, MS | 33° | 92° | 56" | 0.4" |
| Holtville, AL | 35° | 92° | 54" | 0.3" |
| Memphis, TN | 32° | 91° | 56" | 2.7" |
| Columbus, GA | 36° | 92° | 50" | 0.5" |
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 El Dorado averaged 0.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+0.8°).
A smaller shift than in all but 65 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 El Dorado compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with El Dorado’s place among Arkansas’.
El Dorado weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at El Dorado’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Calion L&d, AR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55° | 34° | 4.9" | 0.4" | 9 | 0 | 39° – 50° |
| February | 59° | 37° | 4.7" | 0.3" | 8 | 0 | 40° – 56° |
| March | 68° | 43° | 5.3" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 50° – 64° |
| April | 75° | 51° | 5.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| May | 82° | 60° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| June | 89° | 68° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 75° – 84° |
| July | 93° | 71° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 77° – 86° |
| August | 93° | 70° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 76° – 86° |
| September | 87° | 63° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 72° – 82° |
| October | 77° | 51° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| November | 65° | 42° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 48° – 58° |
| December | 57° | 35° | 5.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 36° – 53° |
| Year | 75° | 52° | 55.0" | 0.8" | 91 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 36° to 53°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where El Dorado’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 El Dorado’s center.
- Snow: Calion L&d, AR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: El Dorado S Ar Rgnl Airport, 9 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 El Dorado’s climate
What is the weather like in El Dorado?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 34°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 78% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in El Dorado in winter?
January nights average 34°. About 53 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 39°.
How much snow does El Dorado get?
About 0.8 inches in a normal winter at Calion L&d, AR, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in El Dorado?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 71°. About 88 days a year reach 90° and 7 reach 100° (El Dorado S Ar Rgnl Airport).
When is the first and last frost in El Dorado?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 24 and the first fall frost by November 7, about 230 frost-free days, at El Dorado S Ar Rgnl Airport.
What growing zone is El Dorado in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 16°.
What is the best time of year to visit El Dorado?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is El Dorado getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than all but 65 U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in El Dorado.
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.