Fayetteville, Arkansas climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Fayetteville's normal year runs from 25°F January nights to 89°F July afternoons, with 47.0 inches of precipitation and 7 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 14.1°C, January lows of −4°C, July highs of 32°C, 1,193 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationFayetteville Drake Field
- Station IDUSW00093993
- Location36.01°N 94.17°W
- Elevation1,251 ft (381 m)
- Population103,134
On October 14, the normal high in Fayetteville is 72°F and the normal low 46°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 31%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Fayetteville.
- Jan 48° 25°
- Feb 52° 29°
- Mar 61° 36°
- Apr 70° 45°
- May 77° 54°
- Jun 85° 63°
- Jul 89° 67°
- Aug 89° 65°
- Sep 82° 57°
- Oct 71° 45°
- Nov 59° 35°
- Dec 50° 28°
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 Fayetteville each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 89°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 25°F. The most precipitation falls in May (5.89 in), the least in February (2.56 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48°F | 25°F | 36.4°F | 2.75 | 1.5 | 8 | <1 | 23 | 10 h |
| February | 52°F | 29°F | 40.4°F | 2.56 | 2.4 | 8 | <1 | 19 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 61°F | 36°F | 48.4°F | 3.98 | 1.3 | 11 | <1 | 12 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 70°F | 45°F | 57.1°F | 5.01 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | 3 | 13 h |
| May | 77°F | 54°F | 65.3°F | 5.89 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 85°F | 63°F | 73.6°F | 4.31 | 0.0 | 10 | 5 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 89°F | 67°F | 77.9°F | 3.80 | 0.0 | 9 | 16 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 89°F | 65°F | 76.9°F | 3.17 | 0.0 | 8 | 15 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 82°F | 57°F | 69.0°F | 4.26 | 0.0 | 9 | 4 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 71°F | 45°F | 58.0°F | 4.48 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | 3 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 59°F | 35°F | 47.3°F | 3.68 | 0.2 | 9 | <1 | 13 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 50°F | 28°F | 38.8°F | 3.07 | 1.1 | 8 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 69°F | 46°F | 57.4°F | 46.96 | 6.5 | 113 | 41 | 94 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9°C | −4°C | 2.4°C | 70 mm | 4 cm |
| February | 11°C | −2°C | 4.7°C | 65 mm | 6 cm |
| March | 16°C | 2°C | 9.1°C | 101 mm | 3 cm |
| April | 21°C | 7°C | 13.9°C | 127 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 25°C | 12°C | 18.5°C | 150 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 29°C | 17°C | 23.1°C | 109 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 32°C | 19°C | 25.5°C | 97 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 32°C | 18°C | 24.9°C | 81 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 28°C | 14°C | 20.6°C | 108 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 22°C | 7°C | 14.4°C | 114 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 15°C | 2°C | 8.5°C | 93 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 10°C | −2°C | 3.8°C | 78 mm | 3 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00093993; 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 Fayetteville?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, September and October. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (9).
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 USW00093993.
When is the last frost in Fayetteville?
In Fayetteville, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 15 in half of years and after May 1 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 21 in half of years and before October 8 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
- April 151 year in 10 after May 1; 9 in 10 after March 31
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 211 year in 10 before October 8; 9 in 10 before November 3
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 188 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 209 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 3 in half of springs and before October 31 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Fayetteville in zone 7a across its 3 ZIP code areas (7a in 72701, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Fayetteville's NOAA station is in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 3°F (28 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 USW00093993; 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.
What hardiness zone is each Fayetteville ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Fayetteville's 3 ZIP code areas are all in zone 7a. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Fayetteville?
In a normal year in Fayetteville, 41 days a year reach 90°F (2 of them 100°F or more), 94 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 113 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 41a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 2a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 94a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 7high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 113a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 2a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1949) is 110°F, on July 13, 1954; the lowest is −20°F, on February 16, 2021.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1990, with 75.01 in; the snowiest season is 2009–10, with 33.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00093993; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00093993. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Fayetteville, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 67°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 68°F, above the 65°F at which most people call the air sticky; the driest air comes in January (28°F). March is the windiest month (8.3 mph on average), and July has the most clear or nearly clear hours (80%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28°F | 67% | 48% | 7.0 mph | 59% | 33% |
| February | 32°F | 65% | 45% | 7.8 mph | 61% | 30% |
| March | 42°F | 66% | 47% | 8.3 mph | 60% | 27% |
| April | 51°F | 71% | 52% | 7.4 mph | 59% | 26% |
| May | 62°F | 78% | 59% | 5.8 mph | 67% | 16% |
| June | 67°F | 75% | 54% | 5.6 mph | 76% | 9% |
| July | 68°F | 73% | 50% | 4.7 mph | 80% | 7% |
| August | 65°F | 74% | 49% | 4.4 mph | 77% | 9% |
| September | 54°F | 74% | 48% | 5.1 mph | 78% | 13% |
| October | 43°F | 72% | 51% | 6.7 mph | 64% | 26% |
| November | 33°F | 70% | 51% | 7.4 mph | 64% | 27% |
| December | 28°F | 71% | 54% | 7.1 mph | 59% | 33% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00093993. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Fayetteville?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Fayetteville, 4.4 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (84%) and February the cloudiest (67%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 276th (with 27 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 71% | 2.5 |
| February | 67% | 3.1 |
| March | 69% | 4.1 |
| April | 72% | 5.2 |
| May | 73% | 5.8 |
| June | 82% | 6.7 |
| July | 84% | 6.5 |
| August | 82% | 5.8 |
| September | 82% | 5.0 |
| October | 77% | 3.7 |
| November | 75% | 2.7 |
| December | 69% | 2.1 |
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 Fayetteville need?
A normal year in Fayetteville brings 4,080 heating degree days, 24% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,352 cooling degree days, 49% more than 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 4,226 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 887 | 0 |
| February | 691 | 1 |
| March | 520 | 5 |
| April | 260 | 23 |
| May | 86 | 97 |
| June | 5 | 263 |
| July | 0 | 399 |
| August | 1 | 372 |
| September | 41 | 161 |
| October | 245 | 29 |
| November | 532 | 3 |
| December | 812 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,080 | 1,352 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00093993. 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 Fayetteville been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 60.5°F, 3.1°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 57.4°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 59.0°F | +1.6°F | 42.60 | 7.9 |
| 2022 | 59.3°F | +1.9°F | 41.76 | 20.1 |
| 2023 | 60.8°F | +3.4°F | 44.89 | 9.0 |
| 2024 | 61.7°F | +4.3°F | 44.65 | 6.5 |
| 2025 | 60.5°F | +3.1°F | 58.09 | 12.5 |
Over 72 complete years from 1945 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 1.7°F per century (+0.10°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00093993; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Fayetteville's climate compare?
Fayetteville is warmer than 7 of the other 85 places with their own NOAA record in Arkansas, and wetter than 6. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 57.4°F is warmer than 68%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Fayetteville 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 Fayetteville share this climate record?
7 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.
- Farmington, AR10,473 people · 5 mi W
- Prairie Grove, AR8,589 people · 8 mi W
- Elkins, AR4,025 people · 8 mi E
- Johnson, AR3,705 people · 9 mi N
- Goshen, AR2,383 people · 11 mi NE
- West Fork, AR2,356 people · 5 mi S
- Greenland, AR1,240 people · 1 mi SW
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Fayetteville's other NOAA stations record?
2 more NOAA stations keep 1991-2020 normals in or near Fayetteville. This page uses Fayetteville Drake Field; the others differ by site and elevation, and the linked ones have pages of their own:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fayetteville NW Ar Airport USW00053922 | 20 mi N | 1,287 ft | 58.6°F | 27°F | 90°F | 45.4 | – | April 8 |
| Fayetteville Experiment Station USC00032444 | 6 mi N | 1,270 ft | 58.3°F | 27°F | 89°F | 46.3 | – | April 4 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Fayetteville's climate
What is the coldest month in Fayetteville?
January, with a normal high of 48°F and a normal low of 25°F. The warmest is July (89°F by day, 67°F at night).
Does it snow in Fayetteville?
Yes: 7 inches in a normal year, falling on 3 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (2.4 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Fayetteville?
May, with 5.89 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.56 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Fayetteville in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Fayetteville in zone 7a across its 3 ZIP code areas (7a in 72701, the largest). By the same method at Fayetteville's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 3°F (28 years, 1991-2020): zone 7a.
How late can frost come in Fayetteville?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 15; in one year in ten it comes after May 1. Waiting until May 1 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Fayetteville in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Arkansas climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Winslow, AR14 miles from this station, 57.3°F a year
- Fayetteville NW Ar Airport, AR21 miles from this station, 58.6°F a year
- Bentonville, AR22 miles from this station, 57.3°F a year
- Huntsville, AR24 miles from this station, 59.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made