Cherokee has chilly winters and warm summers
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Cherokee at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cherokee’s climate
Read from where Cherokee sits among Arkansas’s towns. The page puts what stands out first.
13 inches of snow, 47 of rain and melt
May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 99 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
About 203 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 8 and the first by October 28.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
Living with Cherokee’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a driveway, a furnace and a free afternoon.
203 frost-free days. The last frost comes by Apr 8 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 28.
About 13" a winter over 4 days with an inch or more, most in January.
Months averaging under 55° run from November through March. Heating is 71% of the year’s heating-and-cooling load.
About 45 days a year reach 90°, and July afternoons average 90°.
The nicest months are April, May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Normals are averages. Ice storms, nor’easters, floods and heat waves are on the natural hazards page.
Natural hazards →What a year in Cherokee feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Cherokee averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.4°).
A smaller shift than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
How Cherokee compares
Against every U.S. town on TownTapestry, each counted once, with its place in Arkansas.
Cherokee weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 26° | 2.5" | 3.6" | 8 | 32° – 46° |
| February | 52° | 30° | 2.4" | 2.9" | 7 | 32° – 50° |
| March | 61° | 38° | 4.0" | 3.6" | 9 | 43° – 59° |
| April | 70° | 46° | 4.9" | 0.1" | 9 | 52° – 65° |
| May | 77° | 55° | 5.8" | 0 | 10 | 63° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 4.6" | 0 | 9 | 71° – 79° |
| July | 90° | 68° | 4.0" | 0 | 8 | 75° – 86° |
| August | 90° | 67° | 3.8" | 0 | 7 | 72° – 84° |
| September | 82° | 59° | 4.4" | 0 | 8 | 66° – 78° |
| October | 72° | 47° | 4.3" | 0.1" | 9 | 53° – 66° |
| November | 59° | 37° | 3.9" | 0.5" | 8 | 41° – 56° |
| December | 50° | 29° | 3.0" | 1.7" | 8 | 27° – 46° |
| Year | 70° | 47° | 47.4" | 12.5" | 99 |
Heating and cooling a home in Cherokee
71% of the work is heating.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 46°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Common questions about Cherokee’s climate
What is the coldest month in Cherokee?
January, with a typical high of 47° and a low of 26°.
What is the hottest month in Cherokee?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 68°. About 45 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Cherokee get?
About 13 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.
When is the first frost in Cherokee?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 28, and the last spring frost by April 8.
What is the rainiest month in Cherokee?
May, with 5.8 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 47 inches.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cherokee.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Cherokee itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Gravette, AR (12 mi, snow) and Fayetteville Nw Ar Airport, AR (15 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.