In Little Rock, the summers are hot and muggy, the winters are very cold and wet, and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 34°F to 93°F and is rarely below 21°F or above 100°F.
Based on the tourism score, the best times of year to visit Little Rock for warm-weather activities are from late April to early June and from late August to mid October.
precipitation: 5.0 in
precipitation: 5.0 in
tourism score: 6.4
tourism score: 6.4
Little Rock weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.The hot season lasts for 3.7 months, from May 28 to September 19, with an average daily high temperature above 84°F. The hottest month of the year in Little Rock is July, with an average high of 92°F and low of 73°F. The cool season lasts for 3.0 months, from November 26 to February 24, with an average daily high temperature below 59°F. The coldest month of the year in Little Rock is January, with an average low of 34°F and high of 51°F.
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.
| Average | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51°F | 56°F | 65°F | 73°F | 81°F | 89°F | 92°F | 92°F | 85°F | 74°F | 63°F | 53°F | |
| 41°F | 45°F | 54°F | 62°F | 71°F | 79°F | 82°F | 81°F | 74°F | 63°F | 52°F | 43°F | |
| 34°F | 37°F | 45°F | 53°F | 62°F | 70°F | 73°F | 72°F | 65°F | 54°F | 44°F | 36°F |
The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.
Tepehan, Turkey (6,530 miles away); Gorgān, Iran (7,056 miles); and Hetang, China (7,732 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Little Rock (view comparison).
In Little Rock, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year. The clearer part of the year in Little Rock begins around June 11 and lasts for 4.9 months, ending around November 8. The clearest month of the year in Little Rock is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 69% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around November 8 and lasts for 7.1 months, ending around June 11. The cloudiest month of the year in Little Rock is February, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 48% of the time.
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.
| Fraction | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48% | 48% | 46% | 41% | 43% | 38% | 33% | 31% | 31% | 33% | 42% | 48% | |
| 52% | 52% | 54% | 59% | 57% | 62% | 67% | 69% | 69% | 67% | 58% | 52% |
A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Little Rock varies throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 4.7 months, from March 14 to August 4, with a greater than 31% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Little Rock is May, with an average of 11.8 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 7.3 months, from August 4 to March 14. The month with the fewest wet days in Little Rock is January, with an average of 7.3 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Little Rock is May, with an average of 11.8 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 40% on May 14.
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).
| Days of | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1d | 6.9d | 9.4d | 10.2d | 11.8d | 9.8d | 9.7d | 8.3d | 7.5d | 7.8d | 8.1d | 7.3d | |
| 0.7d | 0.6d | 0.2d | 0.0d | 0.0d | 0.0d | 0.0d | 0.0d | 0.0d | 0.0d | 0.0d | 0.4d | |
| 0.5d | 0.3d | 0.0d | 0.0d | 0.0d | 0.0d | 0.0d | 0.0d | 0.0d | 0.0d | 0.0d | 0.3d | |
| 7.3d | 7.9d | 9.7d | 10.2d | 11.8d | 9.8d | 9.7d | 8.3d | 7.5d | 7.8d | 8.1d | 8.0d |
To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Little Rock experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. Rain falls throughout the year in Little Rock. The month with the most rain in Little Rock is April, with an average rainfall of 4.8 inches. The month with the least rain in Little Rock is August, with an average rainfall of 2.4 inches.
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1″ | 3.5″ | 4.4″ | 4.8″ | 4.5″ | 3.0″ | 2.6″ | 2.4″ | 2.8″ | 3.8″ | 4.6″ | 4.4″ |
As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Little Rock experiences some seasonal variation in monthly snowfall. The snowy period of the year lasts for 2.6 months, from December 8 to February 27, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Little Rock is January, with an average snowfall of 2.0 inches. The snowless period of the year lasts for 9.4 months, from February 27 to December 8. The least snow falls around July 23, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.
The average snowfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average rainfall.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0″ | 1.4″ | 0.3″ | 0.0″ | 0.0″ | 0.0″ | 0.0″ | 0.0″ | 0.0″ | 0.0″ | 0.1″ | 1.5″ |
The length of the day in Little Rock varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 49 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 14 hours, 29 minutes of daylight.
The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.
| Hours of | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.1h | 11.0h | 12.0h | 13.1h | 14.0h | 14.5h | 14.2h | 13.4h | 12.4h | 11.3h | 10.3h | 9.9h |
The earliest sunrise is at 5:55 AM on June 12, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 36 minutes later at 7:31 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 4:57 PM on December 4, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 29 minutes later at 8:26 PM on June 28. Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Little Rock during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3.
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray. The transitions to and from daylight saving time are indicated by the 'DST' labels.
The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).
The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.
The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.
We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night. Little Rock experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity. The muggier period of the year lasts for 4.8 months, from May 7 to October 1, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 22% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Little Rock is July, with 27.2 days that are muggy or worse. The month with the fewest muggy days in Little Rock is February, with 0.0 days that are muggy or worse.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0d | 0.0d | 0.3d | 2.4d | 11.0d | 21.8d | 27.2d | 24.8d | 13.6d | 3.8d | 0.8d | 0.2d |
This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages. The average hourly wind speed in Little Rock experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 7.0 months, from October 18 to May 18, with average wind speeds of more than 6.1 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Little Rock is March, with an average hourly wind speed of 7.4 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 5.0 months, from May 18 to October 18. The calmest month of the year in Little Rock is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 4.9 miles per hour.
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.8 | 7.1 | 7.4 | 7.2 | 6.2 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 5.6 | 6.1 | 6.5 | 6.6 |
The predominant average hourly wind direction in Little Rock varies throughout the year. The wind is most often from the south for 5.5 months, from February 20 to August 4 and for 2.9 months, from September 30 to December 27, with a peak percentage of 46% on May 17. The wind is most often from the east for 1.9 months, from August 4 to September 30, with a peak percentage of 39% on September 5. The wind is most often from the north for 1.8 months, from December 27 to February 20, with a peak percentage of 31% on January 1.
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Little Rock throughout the year, we compute two travel scores. The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Little Rock for general outdoor tourist activities are from late April to early June and from late August to mid October, with a peak score in the third week of September.
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Little Rock for hot-weather activities is from early June to mid September, with a peak score in the last week of August.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed. Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies. Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more. Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter. Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.
Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere). The growing season in Little Rock typically lasts for 8.1 months (249 days), from around March 11 to around November 15, rarely starting before February 21 or after April 2, and rarely ending before October 27 or after December 4.
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.
Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F. Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Little Rock should appear around February 13, only rarely appearing before January 28 or after March 1.
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation. The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The brighter period of the year lasts for 4.6 months, from April 12 to August 30, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.9 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Little Rock is June, with an average of 6.7 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 2.9 months, from November 9 to February 5, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.3 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Little Rock is December, with an average of 2.5 kWh.
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.8 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 6.0 | 6.4 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.3 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 2.5 |
For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Little Rock are 34.746 deg latitude, -92.290 deg longitude, and 318 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Little Rock contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 331 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 306 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (640 feet). Within 50 miles contains significant variations in elevation (1,716 feet). The area within 2 miles of Little Rock is covered by artificial surfaces (92%), within 10 miles by artificial surfaces (46%) and trees (28%), and within 50 miles by trees (45%) and cropland (39%).
This report illustrates the typical weather in Little Rock, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.
To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Little Rock and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.
All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus. All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid. Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database . Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com . Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.
The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site. We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands. We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader. Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page.
