Fort Smith weather in January

In January, Fort Smith sees average daytime highs of 49°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 3.3 in of precipitation across 8.9 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 49°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Fort Smith's 8th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fort Smith's year-round climate.

Daytime high
49°
12th warmest
Overnight low
31°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.3 in
8.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:31 AM – 5:23 PM
Cloud cover
54%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.1
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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 49°F through the month.

A typical January day in Fort Smith reaches about 49°F in the afternoon and slips back to 31°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 34°F and 64°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°F cooler than December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14832
24832
34832
44831
54831
64831
74831
84831
94831
104831
114831
124831
134831
144831
154831
164931
174931
184931
194931
204931
214931
224931
234931
245031
255031
265031
275032
285032
295032
305132
315132

How January really feels in Fort Smith

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Fort Smith weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 9th-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25149
35149
45149
55050
65050
75149
85149
95050
105050
115050
125050
135050
145050
155050
165050
175050
185050
195149
205149
215149
225149
235149
245248
255248
265248
275248
285149
295149
305149
315050

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Fort Smith gets around 3.3 in of rain and snow over 8.9 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 28% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1274
2274
3274
4284
5284
6284
7284
8294
9294
10294
11294
12294
13304
14303
15303
16303
17303
18293
19293
20293
21293
22293
23293
24283
25283
26283
27274
28274
29274
30274
31274

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19541
29541
39541
49541
59631
69631
79631
89631
99631
109631
119820
129820
139820
149820
159820
169820
179820
189820
199820
209820
219820
229820
239820
249820
259820
269820
279820
289820
299820
309820
319721

Wind in January

Winds average 6 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:31 AM to 7:25 AM, and sunset from 5:10 PM to 5:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:315:10
29.77:315:11
39.77:325:12
49.77:325:12
59.77:325:13
69.77:325:14
79.77:325:15
89.77:325:16
99.77:325:16
109.87:325:17
119.87:325:18
129.87:325:19
139.87:325:20
149.87:325:21
159.87:315:22
169.97:315:23
179.97:315:23
189.97:315:24
199.97:305:25
209.97:305:26
2110.07:305:27
2210.07:295:28
2310.07:295:29
2410.07:285:30
2510.17:285:31
2610.17:285:32
2710.17:275:33
2810.17:265:34
2910.27:265:35
3010.27:255:36
3110.27:255:37

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.53 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 — January's 2.53 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Fort Smith?

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

2.1
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Fort Smith.

What to pack for Fort Smith in January

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

In January, Fort Smith sees daytime highs around 49°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Fort Smith in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3. 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 January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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