Frost Dates for 72542 — Highland, Arkansas

Half of springs at Hardy, 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 21. Planting tender crops after April 10 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 14 20%, and after April 21 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 41% of the 105 Arkansas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 31 in half of years, as early as October 18 one year in ten, and holds off past November 14 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around November 9; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 10, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 210 days in a typical year, shorter than at 77% of the 105 Arkansas stations; it reaches 230 days one year in ten and falls short of 188 one year in ten. On average 81 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 10 days longer, to about April 14, and return around October 22. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 17 and February 20.

July is the warmest month at Hardy, AR, averaging 89°F by day and 69°F at night; January is the coldest at 46°F and 26°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 59% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,537 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 83% of the 105 Arkansas stations. 38% of them (1,727) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 904. Precipitation totals 51.6 inches a year, most in May (5.5") and least in February (3.7"); May to September bring 41% of it.

The nearest other station, Mammoth Spring, AR, 13 miles north of Highland, has a last frost 8 days later (April 12), a first frost 7 days earlier (October 24), a season 16 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Highland usually arrives around December 31, and the last of the season around February 8. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Hardy, AR, 2.3 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 80% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 55 days after the last snow.

ZIP 72542 is 2 miles from Hardy, AR, which stands at 400 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 72529 (Cherokee Village). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 72542 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.