Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Little Rock gets more rain and snow than 92% of U.S. towns: 53 inches of precipitation a year
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 32° on average. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 89% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.6° higher. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from March to May and October to November, with highs of 62–81°.
A year in Little Rock at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Little Rock’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Little Rock’s place in Arkansas beside it.
What a year in Little Rock feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 234 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 21 and the first by November 10. Frost and day counts come from Little Rock Airport Adams Fld, Little Rock’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 7 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Little Rock’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 13°. 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 4 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Little Rock Airport Adams Fld, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 53 inches a year; April is the wettest month and September the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 106 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Little Rock
61% 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 Little Rock Airport Adams Fld.
Living with Little Rock’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
234 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 21 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 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, October and November. 94 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Little Rock from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Little Rock and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Little Rock in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Little Rock’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Rock, AR | 32° | 92° | 53" | 3.8" |
| Idabel, OK | 32° | 93° | 53" | 2.0" |
| Lakeland, TN | 31° | 91° | 55" | 2.8" |
| Hueytown, AL | 33° | 91° | 55" | 1.2" |
| Winterville, NC | 33° | 90° | 53" | 3.3" |
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 Little Rock averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.1°).
A smaller shift than in 97% 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. In a city of 206,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Little Rock compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Little Rock’s place among Arkansas’.
Little Rock weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Little Rock’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Little Rock Airport Adams Fld. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 32° | 3.8" | 1.1" | 9 | 1 | 37° – 49° |
| February | 56° | 35° | 4.2" | 1.6" | 9 | 1 | 37° – 53° |
| March | 65° | 42° | 5.1" | 0.5" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 64° |
| April | 74° | 51° | 5.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 56° – 67° |
| May | 81° | 60° | 5.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| June | 89° | 68° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 74° – 83° |
| July | 92° | 71° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 76° – 86° |
| August | 92° | 70° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 75° – 86° |
| September | 86° | 63° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 81° |
| October | 75° | 51° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| November | 62° | 41° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| December | 53° | 34° | 5.1" | 0.6" | 10 | 1 | 32° – 51° |
| Year | 73° | 51° | 53.4" | 3.8" | 106 | 3 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 51°. May is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Little Rock’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 Little Rock’s center.
- Snow: Little Rock Airport Adams Fld (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Little Rock Airport Adams Fld, 7 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the city’s official station.
- 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 Little Rock’s climate
What is the weather like in Little Rock?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 74% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 89% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Little Rock in winter?
January nights average 32°. About 50 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 37°.
How much snow does Little Rock get?
About 3.8 inches in a normal winter at Little Rock Airport Adams Fld, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 3 days a year.
How hot does it get in Little Rock?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 71°. About 76 days a year reach 90° and 8 reach 100° (Little Rock Airport Adams Fld).
When is the first and last frost in Little Rock?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 21 and the first fall frost by November 10, about 234 frost-free days, at Little Rock Airport Adams Fld.
What growing zone is Little Rock in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Little Rock?
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 Little Rock getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Little Rock.
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.