USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 72031 — Clinton, Arkansas
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Dennard 10 WSW, AR (1,740 ft), 15 miles northwest.
Updated
In Clinton, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 4 in half of years and has passed by April 20 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 2, as early as October 19 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 212 days (NOAA, Dennard 10 WSW, AR).
- Last spring frost
- April 4
- First fall frost
- November 2
- Growing season
- 212 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) coldest night
- First snow
- January 2
- Last snow
- February 11
- Winters with snow
- 92%
- Snow per year
- 6.9"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
24 of 26 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Clinton
Half of springs at Dennard 10 WSW, AR see their last 32°F night by April 4; only one in ten is past it by March 18, and one in ten still has one after April 20. Planting tender crops after April 10 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 14 20%, and after April 20 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 65% of the 105 Arkansas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 2 in half of years, as early as October 19 one year in ten, and holds off past November 21 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 14 days later, around November 16; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 8, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 212 days in a typical year, shorter than at 72% of the 105 Arkansas stations; it reaches 237 days one year in ten and falls short of 190 one year in ten. On average 78 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 16, and return around October 22. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 99% of winters, usually between December 29 and February 17.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 31 | Apr 6 | Apr 10 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 20 | Apr 23 | Apr 27 | May 1 |
| 32°F | Mar 18 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 6 | Apr 10 | Apr 14 | Apr 20 |
| 28°F | Mar 6 | Mar 11 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 23 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 4 | Apr 8 |
| 24°F | Feb 23 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 7 | Mar 10 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 29 |
| 20°F | Feb 9 | Feb 16 | Feb 21 | Feb 25 | Feb 28 | Mar 3 | Mar 6 | Mar 10 | Mar 16 |
| 16°F99% of yrs | Jan 24 | Feb 1 | Feb 7 | Feb 12 | Feb 17 | Feb 22 | Feb 26 | Mar 2 | Mar 8 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 9 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 5 |
| 32°F | Oct 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 15 | Nov 21 |
| 28°F | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 16 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 |
| 24°F | Nov 8 | Nov 15 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 7 | Dec 11 | Dec 19 |
| 20°F | Nov 20 | Nov 28 | Dec 3 | Dec 8 | Dec 12 | Dec 16 | Dec 22 | Dec 28 | Jan 4 |
| 16°F99% of yrs | Dec 2 | Dec 12 | Dec 19 | Dec 23 | Dec 29 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 12 | Jan 22 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Dennard 10 WSW, AR, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 72031 →Compare Clinton with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Marshall, AR, 24 miles northwest of Clinton and 789 feet lower, has a last frost 7 days later (April 11), a first frost 7 days earlier (October 26), a season 15 days shorter.
When it snows in Clinton, Arkansas
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Clinton usually arrives around January 2, and the last of the season around February 11. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Botkinburg 3 NE, AR, 9.7 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 92% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 52 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 72031
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 24 – February 7 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 7 – February 21 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 7 – March 21 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 4 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 10 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 19 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 2 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 72031 is 15 miles from Dennard 10 WSW, AR, which stands at 1,740 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 72031 in zone 7b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.