Des Arc, Arkansas climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Des Arc's normal year runs from 33°F January nights to 92°F July afternoons, with 50.0 inches of precipitation and 2 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 17.1°C, January lows of 0°C, July highs of 33°C, 1,271 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationDes Arc
- Station IDUSC00031968
- Location34.98°N 91.50°W
- Elevation200 ft (61 m)
- From the centerunder 1 mile
- Population1,841
On October 22, the normal high in Des Arc is 72°F and the normal low 50°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 24%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Des Arc.
- Jan 49° 33°
- Feb 54° 36°
- Mar 63° 44°
- Apr 73° 53°
- May 81° 62°
- Jun 89° 71°
- Jul 92° 73°
- Aug 91° 72°
- Sep 85° 65°
- Oct 75° 53°
- Nov 62° 43°
- Dec 52° 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 Des Arc each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 92°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 33°F. The most precipitation falls in April (5.53 in), the least in August (2.89 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49°F | 33°F | 40.8°F | 3.68 | 0.6 | 9 | <1 | 17 | 10 h |
| February | 54°F | 36°F | 45.0°F | 4.04 | 0.8 | 9 | <1 | 11 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 63°F | 44°F | 53.7°F | 5.16 | 0.7 | 10 | <1 | 4 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 73°F | 53°F | 62.9°F | 5.53 | 0.0 | 9 | <1 | <1 | 13 h |
| May | 81°F | 62°F | 71.7°F | 5.40 | 0.0 | 10 | 3 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 89°F | 71°F | 79.7°F | 3.01 | 0.0 | 7 | 15 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 92°F | 73°F | 82.7°F | 3.10 | 0.0 | 7 | 22 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 91°F | 72°F | 81.6°F | 2.89 | 0.0 | 6 | 20 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 85°F | 65°F | 74.8°F | 3.32 | 0.0 | 6 | 9 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 75°F | 53°F | 63.6°F | 4.23 | 0.0 | 7 | 1 | <1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 62°F | 43°F | 52.2°F | 4.43 | 0.1 | 8 | <1 | 5 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 52°F | 36°F | 43.7°F | 5.25 | 0.1 | 9 | <1 | 13 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 72°F | 53°F | 62.7°F | 50.04 | 2.3 | 97 | 70 | 50 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9°C | 0°C | 4.9°C | 93 mm | 2 cm |
| February | 12°C | 2°C | 7.2°C | 103 mm | 2 cm |
| March | 17°C | 7°C | 12.1°C | 131 mm | 2 cm |
| April | 23°C | 12°C | 17.2°C | 140 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 27°C | 17°C | 22.1°C | 137 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 32°C | 21°C | 26.5°C | 76 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 33°C | 23°C | 28.2°C | 79 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 33°C | 22°C | 27.6°C | 73 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 29°C | 18°C | 23.8°C | 84 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 24°C | 11°C | 17.6°C | 107 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 17°C | 6°C | 11.2°C | 113 mm | 0 cm |
| December | 11°C | 2°C | 6.5°C | 133 mm | 0 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00031968; 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 Des Arc?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (6).
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 USC00031968.
When is the last frost in Des Arc?
In Des Arc, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 11 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 111 year in 10 after April 1; 9 in 10 after February 23
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 141 year in 10 before October 31; 9 in 10 before December 2
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 247 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 269 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 2 in half of springs and before November 26 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Des Arc in zone 8a in ZIP code 72040, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Des Arc's NOAA station is in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 14°F (22 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Arkansas · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00031968; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 Des Arc?
In a normal year in Des Arc, 70 days a year reach 90°F (4 of them 100°F or more), 50 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 97 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 70a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 4a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 50a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 5high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 97a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 1a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1903) is 109°F, on July 31, 2012; the lowest is −8°F, on January 8, 1942.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1957, with 88.72 in; the snowiest season is 1965–66, with 16.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00031968; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00031968. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Des Arc?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Des Arc, 4.5 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (84%) and February the cloudiest (66%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 70% | 2.5 |
| February | 66% | 3.1 |
| March | 71% | 4.2 |
| April | 76% | 5.4 |
| May | 78% | 6.0 |
| June | 84% | 6.7 |
| July | 84% | 6.5 |
| August | 84% | 5.9 |
| September | 83% | 5.0 |
| October | 78% | 3.9 |
| November | 75% | 2.9 |
| December | 70% | 2.3 |
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 Des Arc need?
A normal year in Des Arc brings 3,037 heating degree days, 43% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 2,232 cooling degree days, 2.5 times the median (908). Five months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 5,606 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 752 | 1 |
| February | 562 | 2 |
| March | 367 | 15 |
| April | 135 | 72 |
| May | 23 | 231 |
| June | 0 | 443 |
| July | 0 | 549 |
| August | 0 | 516 |
| September | 10 | 302 |
| October | 131 | 89 |
| November | 396 | 12 |
| December | 661 | 1 |
| Year (annual) | 3,037 | 2,232 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00031968. 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.
Has Des Arc been warmer than normal lately?
Over 53 complete years from 1941 to 2020, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.6°F per century (+0.14°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Des Arc's climate compare?
Des Arc is warmer than 67 of the other 85 places with their own NOAA record in Arkansas, and wetter than 24. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 62.7°F is warmer than 82%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Des Arc 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 Des Arc share this climate record?
4 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.
- Carlisle, AR1,973 people · 19 mi SW
- Hazen, AR1,388 people · 14 mi S
- Georgetown, AR83 people · 11 mi N
- Gregory, AR17 people · 15 mi NE
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 Des Arc's climate
What is the coldest month in Des Arc?
January, with a normal high of 49°F and a normal low of 33°F. The warmest is July (92°F by day, 73°F at night).
Does it snow in Des Arc?
Yes: 2 inches in a normal year, falling on 1 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (0.8 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Des Arc?
April, with 5.53 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is August with 2.89 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Des Arc in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Des Arc in zone 8a in ZIP code 72040, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Des Arc's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 14°F (22 years, 1991-2020): zone 8a.
How late can frost come in Des Arc?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 11; 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
- Arkansas climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Brinkley, AR17 miles from this station, 61.0°F a year
- Clarendon, AR22 miles from this station, 61.5°F a year
- Searcy, AR24 miles from this station, 61.8°F a year
- Cabot, AR29 miles from this station, 60.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made