Van Winkle's Mill Site · Photo: Farther Along · CC BY 2.0Wet weather: 48 inches of rain and melted snow a year in Prairie Creek, more than in 73% of U.S. towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 26°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 73% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.8° higher. Central heating does most of its work from November to March, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Prairie Creek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Prairie Creek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Prairie Creek’s place in Arkansas beside it.
What a year in Prairie Creek feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 195 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 12 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Bentonville 4 S, AR, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Prairie Creek’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 4°. 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 Bentonville 4 S, AR, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 48 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 85 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Prairie Creek
75% 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 Bentonville 4 S, AR.
Living with Prairie Creek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
195 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 12 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 1.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Prairie Creek from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (51%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 31%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Prairie Creek and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Prairie Creek yet.
Climates most like Prairie Creek’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Creek, AR | 26° | 89° | 48" | 9.5" |
| Cape Girardeau, MO | 26° | 89° | 48" | 7.5" |
| Midlothian, VA | 27° | 89° | 46" | 9.8" |
| Evansville, IN | 25° | 88° | 48" | 11" |
| Salisbury, MD | 27° | 89° | 46" | 8.0" |
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 Prairie Creek averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.6°).
A smaller shift than in 90% 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 Prairie Creek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Prairie Creek’s place among Arkansas’.
Prairie Creek weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Prairie Creek’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bentonville 4 S, AR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 26° | 2.7" | 3.2" | 6 | 2 | 32° – 46° |
| February | 52° | 30° | 2.4" | 2.3" | 5 | 2 | 33° – 50° |
| March | 60° | 37° | 4.2" | 2.6" | 8 | 1 | 42° – 59° |
| April | 69° | 46° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| May | 76° | 55° | 5.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| June | 84° | 64° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 89° | 68° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 74° – 84° |
| August | 89° | 66° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 70° – 82° |
| September | 81° | 58° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 66° – 77° |
| October | 71° | 47° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| November | 59° | 37° | 4.1" | 0.2" | 7 | 0 | 42° – 55° |
| December | 49° | 29° | 3.2" | 1.2" | 6 | 1 | 27° – 46° |
| Year | 69° | 47° | 47.5" | 9.5" | 85 | 6 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 46°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Prairie Creek’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 Prairie Creek’s center.
- Snow: Bentonville 4 S, AR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bentonville 4 S, AR, 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 Prairie Creek’s climate
What is the weather like in Prairie Creek?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 10 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 66% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 73% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Prairie Creek in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 101 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 32°.
How much snow does Prairie Creek get?
About 9.5 inches in a normal winter at Bentonville 4 S, AR, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 6 days a year.
How hot does it get in Prairie Creek?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 68°. About 46 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Bentonville 4 S, AR).
When is the first and last frost in Prairie Creek?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 12 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 195 frost-free days, at Bentonville 4 S, AR.
What growing zone is Prairie Creek in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Prairie Creek?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Prairie Creek getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 90% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Prairie Creek.
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.