Fort Smith weather in December: Fort Smith, Arkansas: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Fort Smith in December has a normal high of 53°F and a normal low of 32°F, a daily mean of 43°F, falling from 57°F on the 1st to 51°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 8 days in a normal December, 3.48 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 12°C and low of 0°C, 88 mm of precipitation and 2 cm of snow in December.
- NOAA stationFort Smith Regional Airport
- Station IDUSW00013964
- Location35.33°N 94.36°W
- Elevation449 ft (137 m)
- From the center1 miles
- Population90,507
- Jan 51° 30°
- Feb 57° 33°
- Mar 66° 42°
- Apr 75° 50°
- May 81° 60°
- Jun 89° 68°
- Jul 94° 72°
- Aug 94° 71°
- Sep 87° 63°
- Oct 76° 51°
- Nov 63° 40°
- Dec 53° 32°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Fort Smith in December?
The normal high is 53°F and the normal low 32°F, for a daily mean of 42.8°F. December is 8.9°F cooler than November and 2.4°F warmer than January. December is the 11th warmest month of the year in Fort Smith and the 9th wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 6°F, from 57°F on December 1 to 51°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 3.2°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 40°F and 46°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 26%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 57°F | 35°F | 25% | 17% |
| December 8 | 55°F | 34°F | 26% | 17% |
| December 15 | 53°F | 32°F | 26% | 17% |
| December 22 | 52°F | 31°F | 25% | 16% |
| December 31 | 51°F | 30°F | 25% | 16% |
Every day of December: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon December 1, coldest night December 31)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 57°F | 35°F | 25% | 17% | 10 h |
| December 2 | 57°F | 35°F | 25% | 17% | 10 h |
| December 3 | 57°F | 35°F | 25% | 17% | 10 h |
| December 4 | 56°F | 35°F | 25% | 17% | 10 h |
| December 5 | 56°F | 34°F | 25% | 17% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 6 | 56°F | 34°F | 25% | 17% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 7 | 55°F | 34°F | 25% | 17% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 8 | 55°F | 34°F | 26% | 17% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 9 | 55°F | 33°F | 26% | 17% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 10 | 55°F | 33°F | 26% | 17% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 11 | 54°F | 33°F | 26% | 17% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 12 | 54°F | 33°F | 26% | 17% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 13 | 54°F | 33°F | 26% | 17% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 14 | 53°F | 32°F | 26% | 17% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 15 | 53°F | 32°F | 26% | 17% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 16 | 53°F | 32°F | 26% | 17% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 17 | 53°F | 32°F | 26% | 17% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 18 | 53°F | 32°F | 26% | 17% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 19 | 52°F | 32°F | 26% | 17% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 20 | 52°F | 31°F | 25% | 17% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 21 | 52°F | 31°F | 25% | 16% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 22 | 52°F | 31°F | 25% | 16% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 23 | 52°F | 31°F | 25% | 16% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 24 | 51°F | 31°F | 25% | 16% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 25 | 51°F | 31°F | 25% | 16% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 26 | 51°F | 31°F | 25% | 16% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 27 | 51°F | 31°F | 25% | 16% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 28 | 51°F | 30°F | 25% | 16% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 29 | 51°F | 30°F | 25% | 16% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 30 | 51°F | 30°F | 25% | 16% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 31 | 51°F | 30°F | 25% | 16% | 9 h 50 min |
- Normal high
- 53°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 32°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 3.48 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 80.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 0.6 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 16
- Daylight
- 10 h to 9 h 50 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 2
- Sunshine
- 70%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00013964; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Fort Smith in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 25% on average, highest around December 13 (26%). In all, 3.48 in falls on 8 days of a normal December, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal December in Fort Smith, 16 nights fall to freezing, 1 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 0.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00013964.
How humid and windy is Fort Smith in December?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 48°F with 51% relative humidity and a dew point of 31°F; at 6 a.m. it is 35°F with 81% humidity. The wind averages 7.3 mph, most often from the west-northwest in the afternoon. A dew point under 50°F feels dry.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 35°F | 29°F | 81% | 6.4 mph | 54% |
| 9 a.m. | 37°F | 30°F | 77% | 7.4 mph | 51% |
| noon | 44°F | 31°F | 60% | 9.0 mph | 51% |
| 3 p.m. | 48°F | 31°F | 51% | 9.6 mph | 55% |
| 6 p.m. | 43°F | 31°F | 61% | 7.0 mph | 57% |
| 9 p.m. | 39°F | 31°F | 70% | 6.1 mph | 56% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00013964. Hourly normals exist only for NOAA's first-order stations; a dash where NOAA publishes no value for that hour (the sky at some hours).
What are the records for December in Fort Smith?
The warmest December temperature on Fort Smith's official record (since 1882) is 84°F, on December 27, 2025; the coldest is −5°F, on December 23, 1989. The wettest December brought 10.81 in (2015); the snowiest, 8.3 inches (1916).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 42.8°F: 2021 54.3°F (+11.5), 2022 43.7°F (+0.9), 2023 46.9°F (+4.1), 2024 47.4°F (+4.6), 2025 47.7°F (+4.9). 5 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 54.3°F | +11.5°F | 4.44 in |
| 2022 | 43.7°F | +0.9°F | 3.96 in |
| 2023 | 46.9°F | +4.1°F | 1.95 in |
| 2024 | 47.4°F | +4.6°F | 4.43 in |
| 2025 | 47.7°F | +4.9°F | 0.07 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record FSMthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00013964. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Fort Smith compare across Arkansas?
Across the 86 places PlainClimate covers in Arkansas, December normal highs run from 44°F in Deer to 59°F in Crossett; Fort Smith's is 53°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.
Other months and places
- Fort Smith in November63°F by day, 40°F at night
- Fort Smith in January51°F by day, 30°F at night
- Fort Smith through the yearEvery month, frost dates, records and recent years
- Arkansas in DecemberThe statewide normal and the warmest and coolest places
- Crossett: Arkansas's warmest Decembernormal high 59°F