Photo: Muscogee Red · CC BY-SA 4.0Ponca gets more rain and snow than 80% of U.S. towns: 49 inches of precipitation a year
On a normal January night the air cools to about 26°. Precipitation peaks in May and eases off in February. In July, afternoons here are warmer than in 68% of U.S. towns. Tender plants can go out after about April 3; in half of years the first frost comes by October 30.
A year in Ponca at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ponca’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ponca’s place in Arkansas beside it.
What a year in Ponca feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 210 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 3 and the first by October 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Harrison Boone Co Airport, 20 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ponca’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 6°. 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 10 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Deer, AR, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 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 Ponca
72% 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 Harrison Boone Co Airport.
Living with Ponca’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
210 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 3 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 30.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ponca from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 21%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ponca and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ponca yet.
Climates most like Ponca’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponca, AR | 26° | 88° | 49" | 9.7" |
| Marion, IL | 25° | 88° | 48" | 9.8" |
| Highland, IN | 25° | 88° | 49" | 11" |
| Princeton, KY | 26° | 89° | 50" | 8.5" |
| Martinsville, VA | 27° | 88° | 47" | 9.4" |
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 Ponca averaged 0.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+1.2°).
A smaller shift than in 98% 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 Ponca compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ponca’s place among Arkansas’.
Ponca weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ponca’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Deer, AR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 26° | 3.0" | 2.4" | 8 | 5 | 31° – 45° |
| February | 51° | 29° | 3.0" | 3.6" | 7 | 5 | 31° – 49° |
| March | 60° | 36° | 4.6" | 2.3" | 9 | 1 | 40° – 59° |
| April | 69° | 45° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| May | 76° | 54° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| June | 84° | 63° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 88° | 66° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 72° – 83° |
| August | 88° | 65° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 65° – 76° |
| October | 70° | 46° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| November | 58° | 36° | 4.4" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 41° – 55° |
| December | 48° | 29° | 3.5" | 1.3" | 8 | 3 | 26° – 45° |
| Year | 68° | 46° | 48.8" | 9.7" | 98 | 14 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 26° to 45°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Ponca’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 Ponca’s center.
- Snow: Deer, AR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Harrison Boone Co Airport, 20 miles from the town’s center, 150 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 Ponca’s climate
What is the weather like in Ponca?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 10 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 65% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 68% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ponca in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 76 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 31°.
How much snow does Ponca get?
About 9.7 inches in a normal winter at Deer, AR, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 14 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ponca?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 66°. About 41 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Harrison Boone Co Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Ponca?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 3 and the first fall frost by October 30, about 210 frost-free days, at Harrison Boone Co Airport.
What growing zone is Ponca in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ponca?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Ponca getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 98% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ponca.
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.