Frost Dates for 71953 — Mena, Arkansas

Half of springs at Mena, AR see their last 32°F night by April 5; only one in ten is past it by March 15, and one in ten still has one after April 24. Planting tender crops after April 12 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 18 20%, and after April 24 10%. The 19 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 80% of the 105 Arkansas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 1 in half of years, as early as October 18 one year in ten, and holds off past November 16 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around November 10; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 10, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 208 days in a typical year, shorter than at 84% of the 105 Arkansas stations; it reaches 233 days one year in ten and falls short of 186 one year in ten. On average 80 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 17, and return around October 23. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 96% of winters, usually between December 28 and February 7.

July is the warmest month at Mena, AR, averaging 90°F by day and 68°F at night; January is the coldest at 49°F and 28°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 63% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,580 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 78% of the 105 Arkansas stations. 37% of them (1,710) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 891. Precipitation totals 61.6 inches a year, most in May (7.2") and least in January (4.0"); May to September bring 41% of it.

The nearest other station, Waldron, AR, 24 miles north of Mena and 436 feet lower, has a last frost 3 days later (April 8), a first frost 4 days earlier (October 28), a season 5 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Mena usually arrives around December 31, and the last of the season around February 14. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Mena, AR, 4.3 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 79% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 50 days after the last snow.

ZIP 71953 is 4 miles from Mena, AR, which stands at 1,152 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 71953 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.