Frost Dates for 71801 — Hope, Arkansas

Half of springs at Hope 3 NE, AR see their last 32°F night by March 26; only one in ten is past it by March 5, and one in ten still has one after April 13. Planting tender crops after April 3 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 7 20%, and after April 13 10%. The 18 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 60% of the 105 Arkansas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 6 in half of years, as early as October 23 one year in ten, and holds off past November 26 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around November 17; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 31, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 226 days in a typical year, longer than at 55% of the 105 Arkansas stations; it reaches 253 days one year in ten and falls short of 203 one year in ten. On average 65 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 12 days longer, to about April 7, and return around October 29. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 100% of winters and 16°F in 74%.

July is the warmest month at Hope 3 NE, AR, averaging 92°F by day and 71°F at night; January is the coldest at 53°F and 32°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From May to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 38% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 5,402 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 70% of the 105 Arkansas stations. 39% of them (2,103) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 976. Precipitation totals 55.6 inches a year, most in May (5.8") and least in August (3.5"); May to September bring 38% of it.

The nearest other station, Prescott 2 NNW, AR, 16 miles northeast of Hope, has a last frost 3 days later (March 29), the same first-frost date, a season 2 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Hope usually arrives around January 17, and the last of the season around February 4. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Hope 3 NE, AR, 4.2 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 53% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 50 days after the last snow.

ZIP 71801 is 4 miles from Hope 3 NE, AR, which stands at 375 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 71801 in zone 8a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 10 to 15°F (-12.2 to -9.4°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.