Fort Smith weather in April

In April, Fort Smith sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 5.9 in of rain across 11.3 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 67°F in the first days to 73°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in April, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of April to 13 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Fort Smith's 9th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fort Smith's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
7th warmest
Overnight low
51°
6th coldest
Rainfall
5.9 in
11.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:51 AM – 6:45 PM
Cloud cover
55%
9th clearest
Wind
7 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.29 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Fort Smith is city in and county seat of Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States.

Density
500/km²
people per km²
Founded
1817

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in April

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 67°F in the first days to 73°F by the end.

A typical April day in Fort Smith reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 58°F and 81°F. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 8°F warmer than March and about 8°F cooler than May.

40°60°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16747
26747
36747
46848
56848
66848
76949
86949
96949
106949
117050
127050
137050
147150
157151
167151
177151
187151
197252
207252
217252
227253
237253
247253
257353
267353
277354
287354
297354
307455

How April really feels in Fort Smith

Once humidity and wind are folded in, April averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

April sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Fort Smith weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 7th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan49° / 31°3.38.91.19.92.1
Feb54° / 35°3.38.40.910.73.3
Mar62° / 43°4.911.30.711.75.3
Apr71° / 51°5.911.3012.96.4
May78° / 60°5.812.9013.86.3
Jun86° / 69°3.610.4014.34.9
Jul91° / 72°3.18.8014.13.8
Aug91° / 71°2.58.3013.34.0
Sep83° / 64°3.77.4012.26.2
Oct73° / 52°4.29011.17.1
Nov60° / 42°4.38.70.210.15.2
Dec51° / 34°3.88.90.99.72.6

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in April.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
25050
35050
45149
55149
65050
75149
85149
95149
105149
115149
125149
135149
145149
155149
165248
175248
185149
195149
205149
215050
225050
235050
244951
254852
264852
274852
284852
294852
304753

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitation

Fort Smith gets around 5.9 in of rain over 11.3 wet days in April, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 38% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
139
238
337
437
536
636
735
835
934
1034
1134
1234
1335
1435
1536
1636
1737
1838
1939
2039
2140
2240
2340
2441
2541
2641
2741
2841
2941
3041

Humidity in April

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of April feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, April lands in the dry band about 70% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1811261
2801271
3791371
4791371
5781381
6781381
7781381
8761482
9751492
10741592
117315102
127315102
137216102
147116112
157017112
166917122
176917122
186817132
196817132
206717142
216517153
226517153
236417163
246417163
256217174
266117184
276017185
285917195
295718196
305518207

Wind in April

Winds average 7 mph in April, the windiest month of the year.

Across April, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202530
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm

Sunrise & sunset in April

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of April to 13 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 6:12 AM to 5:34 AM, and sunset from 6:32 PM to 6:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:126:32
212.46:116:33
312.46:096:34
412.46:086:35
512.56:066:36
612.56:056:36
712.66:046:37
812.66:026:38
912.66:016:39
1012.75:596:40
1112.75:586:40
1212.75:576:41
1312.85:556:42
1412.85:546:43
1512.95:526:44
1612.95:516:45
1712.95:506:45
1813.05:486:46
1913.05:476:47
2013.05:466:48
2113.15:446:49
2213.15:436:50
2313.15:426:50
2413.25:416:51
2513.25:396:52
2613.25:386:53
2713.35:376:54
2813.35:366:55
2913.35:356:55
3013.45:346:56

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 5.29 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.27 kWh/m² to a high of 6.58 kWh/m² in July across the year — April's 5.29 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
Planning a trip in April

Is April a good time to visit Fort Smith?

Our two travel scores rate April for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

April is a reasonable time to visit Fort Smith for sightseeing.

What to pack for Fort Smith in April

From April's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In April, Fort Smith sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 51°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Fort Smith in April

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in April peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Fort Smith peaks around June 23 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Fort Smith in April

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where April falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Fort Smith is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1519 µg/m³Dec 137 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb12Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Fort Smith?

Fort Smith sits at 35.4°N, 94.4°W, 440 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Van Buren, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Fort Smith

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Fort Smith.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Fort Smith has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 256 ft around an average of 472 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 745 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,411 ft.

The land around Fort Smith is covered by trees (47%) and artificial surfaces (36%) within 2 miles, trees (48%) and grassland (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (67%) and grassland (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
256 ft
10 miles
745 ft
50 miles
2,411 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
April weather nearby: Van Buren 4.3 mi · Tahlequah 48 mi · Fayetteville 48 mi · Siloam Springs 56 mi · Springdale 57 mi · Muskogee 60 mi · Rogers 67 mi · Bentonville 69 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Fort Smith (35.3859°, -94.3986°, elevation 440 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).