Rison, Arkansas climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Rison's normal year runs from 34°F January nights to 91°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 17.3°C, January lows of 1°C, July highs of 33°C.
- NOAA stationRison
- Station IDUSC00036174
- Location33.95°N 92.20°W
- Elevation280 ft (85 m)
- Population937
On October 22, the normal high in Rison is 73°F and the normal low 51°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Rison.
- Jan 53° 34°
- Feb 57° 37°
- Mar 66° 45°
- Apr 75° 52°
- May 81° 61°
- Jun 88° 69°
- Jul 91° 72°
- Aug 91° 71°
- Sep 85° 64°
- Oct 75° 53°
- Nov 63° 43°
- Dec 55° 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 Rison each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 91°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 34°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53°F | 34°F | 43.3°F | – | <1 | 17 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 57°F | 37°F | 47.1°F | – | <1 | 12 | 11 h |
| March | 66°F | 45°F | 55.3°F | – | <1 | 5 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 75°F | 52°F | 63.4°F | – | <1 | 1 | 13 h |
| May | 81°F | 61°F | 70.9°F | – | 2 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 88°F | 69°F | 78.5°F | – | 15 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| July | 91°F | 72°F | 81.4°F | – | 22 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| August | 91°F | 71°F | 80.7°F | – | 20 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 85°F | 64°F | 74.3°F | – | 10 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 75°F | 53°F | 63.8°F | – | 1 | 1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 63°F | 43°F | 53.0°F | – | <1 | 5 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 55°F | 36°F | 45.4°F | – | <1 | 13 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 73°F | 53°F | 63.1°F | – | 71 | 52 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12°C | 1°C | 6.3°C |
| February | 14°C | 3°C | 8.4°C |
| March | 19°C | 7°C | 12.9°C |
| April | 24°C | 11°C | 17.4°C |
| May | 27°C | 16°C | 21.6°C |
| June | 31°C | 20°C | 25.8°C |
| July | 33°C | 22°C | 27.4°C |
| August | 33°C | 21°C | 27.1°C |
| September | 29°C | 18°C | 23.5°C |
| October | 24°C | 12°C | 17.7°C |
| November | 17°C | 6°C | 11.7°C |
| December | 13°C | 2°C | 7.4°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Fordyce (14 miles away), gets 1 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00036174; 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 Rison?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, May, September 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 USC00036174.
When is the last frost in Rison?
In Rison, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 17 in half of years and after April 6 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 14 in half of years and before October 30 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 171 year in 10 after April 6; 9 in 10 after February 26
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 141 year in 10 before October 30; 9 in 10 before December 4
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 241 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 272 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 2 in half of springs and before November 28 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Rison in zone 8a in ZIP code 71665, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Arkansas · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00036174; 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 Rison?
In a normal year in Rison, 71 days a year reach 90°F (3 of them 100°F or more) and 52 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 71a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 52a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 2high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00036174.
How sunny is Rison?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Rison, 4.5 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (83%) and February the cloudiest (64%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 70% | 2.6 |
| February | 64% | 3.0 |
| March | 71% | 4.2 |
| April | 75% | 5.3 |
| May | 77% | 5.9 |
| June | 83% | 6.5 |
| July | 83% | 6.3 |
| August | 83% | 5.8 |
| September | 82% | 5.0 |
| October | 79% | 4.0 |
| November | 75% | 2.9 |
| December | 69% | 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 Rison need?
A normal year in Rison brings 2,762 heating degree days, 49% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 2,099 cooling degree days, 2.3 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 5,591 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 673 | 2 |
| February | 507 | 4 |
| March | 322 | 23 |
| April | 121 | 73 |
| May | 24 | 208 |
| June | 0 | 405 |
| July | 0 | 507 |
| August | 0 | 485 |
| September | 10 | 290 |
| October | 125 | 89 |
| November | 370 | 10 |
| December | 610 | 3 |
| Year (annual) | 2,762 | 2,099 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00036174. 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 Rison's climate compare?
Rison is warmer than 71 of the other 85 places with their own NOAA record in Arkansas. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 63.1°F is warmer than 83%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Rison share this climate record?
2 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.
- Woodlawn, AR236 people · 9 mi E
- Staves, AR163 people · 7 mi NW
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 Rison's climate
What is the coldest month in Rison?
January, with a normal high of 53°F and a normal low of 34°F. The warmest is July (91°F by day, 72°F at night).
Does it snow in Rison?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Rison's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Fordyce (14 miles away), records 1 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Rison in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Rison in zone 8a in ZIP code 71665, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Rison?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 17; in one year in ten it comes after April 6. Waiting until April 6 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Arkansas climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Fordyce, AR14 miles from this station, 61.7°F a year
- Pine Bluff, AR22 miles from this station, 63.0°F a year
- Cane Creek State Park, AR25 miles from this station, 63.6°F a year
- Warren, AR25 miles from this station, 62.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made