Photo: Brandonrush · CC BY-SA 4.0Fort Smith reaches 100° on about 11 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Fort Smith at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fort Smith’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fort Smith’s place in Arkansas beside it.
What a year in Fort Smith feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 224 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 25 and the first by November 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ft Smith Rgnl Airport, 1.2 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fort Smith’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 Ft Smith Rgnl Airport, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 51 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 99 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fort Smith
59% 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 Ft Smith Rgnl Airport.
Living with Fort Smith’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
224 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 25 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 6.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May and October. 17 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fort Smith from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (41%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 30%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fort Smith and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Fort Smith in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Fort Smith’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Smith, AR | 29° | 93° | 51" | 2.9" |
| Kennett, MO | 29° | 90° | 51" | 2.9" |
| Mount Pleasant, TX | 35° | 94° | 48" | 1.9" |
| Millington, TN | 32° | 91° | 55" | 2.8" |
| Clayton, NC | 31° | 90° | 49" | 3.2" |
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 Fort Smith averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.6°).
A smaller shift than in 85% 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 Fort Smith compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fort Smith’s place among Arkansas’.
Fort Smith weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fort Smith’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ft Smith Rgnl Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 29° | 3.1" | 1.4" | 8 | 1 | 36° – 47° |
| February | 56° | 33° | 2.9" | 0.6" | 8 | 0 | 37° – 53° |
| March | 64° | 41° | 4.3" | 0.3" | 10 | 0 | 45° – 63° |
| April | 73° | 49° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 56° – 67° |
| May | 81° | 58° | 6.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| June | 88° | 67° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 83° |
| July | 93° | 70° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 76° – 89° |
| August | 93° | 69° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 75° – 86° |
| September | 85° | 62° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| October | 75° | 50° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| November | 62° | 40° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 45° – 57° |
| December | 53° | 32° | 3.8" | 0.6" | 8 | 0 | 31° – 49° |
| Year | 73° | 50° | 51.0" | 2.9" | 99 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 31° to 49°. May is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Fort Smith’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 Fort Smith’s center.
- Snow: Ft Smith Rgnl Airport (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ft Smith Rgnl Airport, 1.2 miles from the city’s center point, 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 Fort Smith’s climate
What is the weather like in Fort Smith?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, 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 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fort Smith in winter?
January nights average 29°. About 63 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 36°.
How much snow does Fort Smith get?
About 2.9 inches in a normal winter at Ft Smith Rgnl Airport, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fort Smith?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 70°. About 78 days a year reach 90° and 11 reach 100° (Ft Smith Rgnl Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Fort Smith?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 25 and the first fall frost by November 6, about 224 frost-free days, at Ft Smith Rgnl Airport.
What growing zone is Fort Smith 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 Fort Smith?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Fort Smith getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 85% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fort Smith.
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.