Gillham City Jail · Photo: Valis55 · CC BY-SA 3.0Gillham is among the wettest of U.S. towns: 57 inches of precipitation a year
Nights in January average 31°. A year here swings 61° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 83% of U.S. towns. Comfortable outdoor weather lasts from March to May and October to November, with highs of 63–80°.
A year in Gillham at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Gillham’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Gillham’s place in Arkansas beside it.
What a year in Gillham feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 222 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 29 and the first by November 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Dequeen, AR, 9 miles from the town’s center, 330 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Gillham’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 12°. 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 Dequeen, AR, is heaviest from January through February, about 1 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 57 inches a year; May is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 92 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Gillham
60% 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 Dequeen, AR.
Living with Gillham’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
222 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 29 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 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, October and November.
Parks & trails →Ice storms are 56% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Gillham from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Gillham and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Gillham yet.
Climates most like Gillham’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gillham, AR | 31° | 91° | 57" | 2.5" |
| Germantown, TN | 32° | 91° | 56" | 2.8" |
| Olive Branch, MS | 32° | 91° | 57" | 1.5" |
| Sylacauga, AL | 33° | 91° | 56" | 1.7" |
| Leland, NC | 34° | 90° | 57" | 0.9" |
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 Gillham averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.4°).
A smaller shift than in 93% 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 Gillham compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Gillham’s place among Arkansas’.
Gillham weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Gillham’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dequeen, AR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 31° | 4.0" | 1.1" | 8 | 0 | 37° – 48° |
| February | 57° | 34° | 4.1" | 1.0" | 8 | 1 | 38° – 53° |
| March | 65° | 41° | 5.1" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 46° – 61° |
| April | 73° | 49° | 5.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 56° – 66° |
| May | 80° | 58° | 6.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| June | 87° | 66° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 73° – 81° |
| July | 91° | 69° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 75° – 86° |
| August | 92° | 68° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 74° – 86° |
| September | 85° | 62° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| October | 75° | 50° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 57° – 68° |
| November | 63° | 40° | 4.9" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 45° – 58° |
| December | 54° | 33° | 5.3" | 0.2" | 8 | 0 | 34° – 50° |
| Year | 73° | 50° | 57.0" | 2.5" | 92 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 34° to 50°. May is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Gillham’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 Gillham’s center.
- Snow: Dequeen, AR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dequeen, AR, 9 miles from the town’s center, 330 ft lower; 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 Gillham’s climate
What is the weather like in Gillham?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 31°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 73% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 83% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Gillham in winter?
January nights average 31°. About 68 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 37°.
How much snow does Gillham get?
About 2.5 inches in a normal winter at Dequeen, AR, heaviest from January through February, about 1 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Gillham?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 69°. About 68 days a year reach 90° and 7 reach 100° (Dequeen, AR).
When is the first and last frost in Gillham?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 29 and the first fall frost by November 5, about 222 frost-free days, at Dequeen, AR.
What growing zone is Gillham in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Gillham?
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 Gillham getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 93% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Gillham.
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.