Benton, Louisiana climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Benton's normal year runs from 34°F January nights to 92°F July afternoons, with 54.0 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 18.0°C, January lows of 1°C, July highs of 34°C, 1,372 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBenton (5 mi E)
- Station IDUSC00160718
- Location32.70°N 93.66°W
- Elevation200 ft (61 m)
- Population2,099
On October 23, the normal high in Benton is 74°F and the normal low 50°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Benton.
- Jan 55° 34°
- Feb 60° 38°
- Mar 68° 45°
- Apr 75° 53°
- May 82° 62°
- Jun 89° 70°
- Jul 92° 73°
- Aug 93° 72°
- Sep 88° 65°
- Oct 77° 53°
- Nov 65° 44°
- Dec 57° 36°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Benton each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 92°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 34°F. The most precipitation falls in December (5.25 in), the least in August (3.12 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55°F | 34°F | 44.7°F | 4.80 | – | <1 | 13 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 60°F | 38°F | 49.0°F | 4.85 | – | <1 | 8 | 11 h |
| March | 68°F | 45°F | 56.2°F | 5.24 | – | <1 | 3 | 12 h |
| April | 75°F | 53°F | 63.9°F | 5.18 | – | <1 | <1 | 13 h |
| May | 82°F | 62°F | 72.1°F | 4.63 | – | 3 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 89°F | 70°F | 79.4°F | 4.39 | – | 18 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| July | 92°F | 73°F | 82.9°F | 3.81 | – | 24 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| August | 93°F | 72°F | 82.3°F | 3.12 | – | 24 | <1 | 13 h 20 min |
| September | 88°F | 65°F | 76.1°F | 3.67 | – | 15 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 77°F | 53°F | 64.9°F | 4.73 | – | 2 | <1 | 11 h 30 min |
| November | 65°F | 44°F | 54.3°F | 4.34 | – | <1 | 6 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 57°F | 36°F | 46.7°F | 5.25 | – | <1 | 12 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 75°F | 54°F | 64.4°F | 54.01 | – | 86 | 42 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13°C | 1°C | 7.1°C | 122 mm |
| February | 15°C | 4°C | 9.4°C | 123 mm |
| March | 20°C | 7°C | 13.4°C | 133 mm |
| April | 24°C | 12°C | 17.7°C | 132 mm |
| May | 28°C | 17°C | 22.3°C | 118 mm |
| June | 32°C | 21°C | 26.3°C | 112 mm |
| July | 34°C | 23°C | 28.3°C | 97 mm |
| August | 34°C | 22°C | 27.9°C | 79 mm |
| September | 31°C | 18°C | 24.5°C | 93 mm |
| October | 25°C | 12°C | 18.3°C | 120 mm |
| November | 18°C | 7°C | 12.4°C | 110 mm |
| December | 14°C | 2°C | 8.2°C | 133 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Mooringsport (17 miles away), gets 0 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00160718; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Benton?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, May and October.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00160718.
When is the last frost in Benton?
In Benton, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 14 in half of years and after April 1 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 14 in half of years and before October 31 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- March 141 year in 10 after April 1; 9 in 10 after February 22
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 141 year in 10 before October 31; 9 in 10 before December 4
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 246 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 273 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after February 28 in half of springs and before November 29 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Benton in zone 8b in ZIP code 71006, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Louisiana · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00160718; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Benton?
In a normal year in Benton, 86 days a year reach 90°F (9 of them 100°F or more) and 42 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 86a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 9a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 42a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 1high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00160718.
How sunny is Benton?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Benton, 4.6 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (84%) and February the cloudiest (64%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 70% | 2.7 |
| February | 64% | 3.1 |
| March | 71% | 4.3 |
| April | 76% | 5.4 |
| May | 78% | 6.0 |
| June | 81% | 6.4 |
| July | 83% | 6.3 |
| August | 84% | 5.9 |
| September | 82% | 5.1 |
| October | 79% | 4.1 |
| November | 75% | 3.0 |
| December | 69% | 2.4 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Benton need?
A normal year in Benton brings 2,517 heating degree days, 53% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 2,322 cooling degree days, 2.6 times the median (908). Four months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 5,922 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 630 | 1 |
| February | 453 | 4 |
| March | 295 | 22 |
| April | 105 | 74 |
| May | 19 | 238 |
| June | 0 | 434 |
| July | 0 | 555 |
| August | 0 | 538 |
| September | 4 | 336 |
| October | 103 | 100 |
| November | 339 | 19 |
| December | 570 | 3 |
| Year (annual) | 2,517 | 2,322 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00160718. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does Benton's climate compare?
Benton is warmer than 3 of the other 64 places with their own NOAA record in Louisiana, and wetter than 5. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 64.4°F is warmer than 86%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Benton is Cfa: temperate, no dry season, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Benton share this climate record?
5 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Red Chute, LA7,418 people · 9 mi S
- Plain Dealing, LA876 people · 14 mi N
- Cotton Valley, LA747 people · 16 mi NE
- Sarepta, LA680 people · 18 mi NE
- Bradley, AR389 people · 28 mi N
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Benton's climate
What is the coldest month in Benton?
January, with a normal high of 55°F and a normal low of 34°F. The warmest is July (92°F by day, 73°F at night).
Does it snow in Benton?
Rarely. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Benton's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Mooringsport (17 miles away), records 0 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Benton?
December, with 5.25 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is August with 3.12 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Benton in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Benton in zone 8b in ZIP code 71006, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Benton?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 14; in one year in ten it comes after April 1. Waiting until April 1 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Louisiana climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Mooringsport, LA17 miles from this station, 65.3°F a year
- Red River Research Station, LA19 miles from this station, 65.7°F a year
- Shreveport, LA20 miles from this station, 66.6°F a year
- Minden, LA22 miles from this station, 65.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made