Short reaches 100° on about 11 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 28°. A year here swings 64° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. By precipitation alone, it ranks wetter than 86% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs December to February: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Short at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Short’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Short’s place in Oklahoma beside it.
What a year in Short 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, 18 miles from the town’s center, 200 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Short’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 9°. 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 Natural Dam, AR, 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 77 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Short
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 Short’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
224 frost-free days in zone 7b. 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.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Short from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (28%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 32%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Short and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Short in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Short’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short, OK | 28° | 92° | 51" | 4.1" |
| Beebe, AR | 31° | 92° | 52" | 2.1" |
| Kennett, MO | 29° | 90° | 51" | 2.9" |
| Nashville, TN | 29° | 90° | 52" | 4.7" |
| 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 Short averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.4°).
A smaller shift than in 95% 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 Short compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Short’s place among Oklahoma’s.
Short weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Short’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Natural Dam, AR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 28° | 3.0" | 1.8" | 6 | 0 | 34° – 46° |
| February | 55° | 32° | 2.8" | 1.1" | 6 | 1 | 36° – 52° |
| March | 64° | 40° | 4.3" | 0.6" | 7 | 0 | 45° – 61° |
| April | 72° | 48° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| May | 80° | 57° | 5.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| June | 88° | 66° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 72° – 82° |
| July | 92° | 70° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 76° – 88° |
| August | 92° | 69° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 73° – 85° |
| September | 85° | 61° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| October | 74° | 49° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| November | 62° | 39° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 44° – 57° |
| December | 52° | 31° | 3.6" | 0.6" | 6 | 0 | 30° – 48° |
| Year | 72° | 49° | 50.9" | 4.1" | 77 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 30° to 48°. May is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Short’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 Short’s center.
- Snow: Natural Dam, AR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ft Smith Rgnl Airport, 18 miles from the town’s center, 200 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 Short’s climate
What is the weather like in Short?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 70% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 89% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Short in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 63 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 34°.
How much snow does Short get?
About 4.1 inches in a normal winter at Natural Dam, AR, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Short?
July, with a typical high of 92° 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 Short?
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 Short in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Short?
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 Short getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 95% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Short.
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.