Fort Smith weather in August

In August, Fort Smith sees average daytime highs of 91°F and overnight lows near 71°F, with 2.5 in of rain across 8.3 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 91°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in August, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of August to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Fort Smith's 3rd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fort Smith's year-round climate.

Daytime high
91°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
71°
11th coldest
Rainfall
2.5 in
8.3 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
5:41 AM – 7:02 PM
Cloud cover
45%
3rd clearest
Wind
5 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
6.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
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 August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 91°F through the month.

A typical August day in Fort Smith reaches about 91°F in the afternoon and slips back to 71°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 82°F and 99°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 7°F warmer than September.

60°70°80°90°100°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
19272
29172
39172
49172
59172
69172
79172
89172
99172
109171
119171
129171
139171
149171
159171
169171
179071
189071
199071
209071
219070
229070
239070
249070
259070
269070
279070
289070
298969
308969
318969

How August really feels in Fort Smith

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in August is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Fort Smith weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-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 August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 32%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26733
36733
46733
56733
66733
76832
86832
96832
106832
116832
126832
136832
146931
156931
166931
176931
186931
196931
207030
217030
227030
236931
246931
256931
266931
276931
286931
296931
306931
316832

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Fort Smith gets around 2.5 in of rain over 8.3 wet days in August, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 28% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
227
327
427
528
628
728
828
929
1029
1129
1230
1330
1430
1530
1630
1729
1829
1928
2028
2127
2227
2326
2426
2526
2626
2725
2825
2925
3025
3125

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the oppressive band about 38% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 76% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1021439442
2021439442
3021338442
4021338442
5131338442
6131338442
7131337442
8141337442
9141336442
10151335442
11151335432
12161434432
13261434432
14271533422
15271633411
16271633401
17281733401
18281734391
19281834381
20281835371
21281836361
22281936350
23281937340
24271938330
25272038320
26372039310
27372139300
28372140290
29482140270
30482140260
31582140250

Wind in August

Winds average 5 mph in August, the calmest month.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of August to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 60 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:30 AM to 5:53 AM, and sunset from 7:18 PM to 6:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:307:18
213.85:307:17
313.75:317:16
413.75:327:15
513.75:337:14
613.75:337:13
713.65:347:12
813.65:357:11
913.65:367:10
1013.55:377:09
1113.55:377:08
1213.55:387:07
1313.45:397:06
1413.45:407:04
1513.45:417:03
1613.35:417:02
1713.35:427:01
1813.35:437:00
1913.25:446:58
2013.25:446:57
2113.25:456:56
2213.15:466:55
2313.15:476:53
2413.15:486:52
2513.05:486:51
2613.05:496:49
2713.05:506:48
2812.95:516:46
2912.95:516:45
3012.95:526:44
3112.85:536:42

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 6.02 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 — August's 6.02 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.3Intense
36.3Intense
46.3Intense
56.3Intense
66.2Intense
76.2Intense
86.2Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.0Intense
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Fort Smith?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Fort Smith for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Fort Smith in August

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

In August, Fort Smith sees daytime highs around 91°F and nights near 71°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Fort Smith in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 9 (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 August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August 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
August 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).