Frost Dates for 72461 — Rector, Arkansas

Half of springs at Kennett Radio Kboa, MO see their last 32°F night by March 31; only one in ten is past it by March 12, and one in ten still has one after April 15. Planting tender crops after April 6 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 9 20%, and after April 15 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 86% 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 12 days later, around November 13; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 4, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 215 days in a typical year, shorter than at 64% of the 105 Arkansas stations; it reaches 239 days one year in ten and falls short of 195 one year in ten. On average 84 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 9 days longer, to about April 9, and return around October 22. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 97% of winters, usually between December 27 and February 11.

July is the warmest month at Kennett Radio Kboa, MO, averaging 91°F by day and 70°F at night; January is the coldest at 46°F and 27°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 46% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,883 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 60% of the 105 Arkansas stations. 39% of them (1,906) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 939.

The nearest other station, Paragould 1S, AR, 20 miles southwest of Rector, has a last frost 5 days earlier (March 26), a first frost 5 days later (November 6), a season 12 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Rector usually arrives around January 7, and the last of the season around February 12. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Kennett Radio Kboa, MO, 11.8 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 70% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 47 days after the last snow.

ZIP 72461 is 12 miles from Kennett Radio Kboa, MO, which stands at 270 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 3 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 63857 (Kennett). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 72461 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.