USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 72601 — Harrison, Arkansas
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Harrison, AR (1,132 ft), 3 miles south.
Updated
In Harrison, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 22 in half of years and has passed by April 8 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 9, as early as October 25 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 231 days (NOAA, Harrison, AR).
- Last spring frost
- March 22
- First fall frost
- November 9
- Growing season
- 231 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
- December 9
- Last snow
- March 4
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 9.5"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
16 of 16 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Harrison
Half of springs at Harrison, AR see their last 32°F night by March 22; only one in ten is past it by March 1, and one in ten still has one after April 8. Planting tender crops after March 30 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 2 20%, and after April 8 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 November 9 in half of years, as early as October 25 one year in ten, and holds off past November 28 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 14 days later, around November 23; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 27, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 231 days in a typical year, longer than at 68% of the 105 Arkansas stations; it reaches 256 days one year in ten and falls short of 208 one year in ten. On average 68 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 3, and return around October 28. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 100% of winters and 16°F in 81%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 16 | Mar 23 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 15 | Apr 22 |
| 32°F | Mar 1 | Mar 8 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 22 | Mar 25 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 8 |
| 28°F | Feb 17 | Feb 23 | Feb 28 | Mar 3 | Mar 7 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 20 | Mar 27 |
| 24°F | Jan 31 | Feb 8 | Feb 16 | Feb 21 | Feb 25 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 9 | Mar 16 |
| 20°F97% of yrs | Jan 12 | Jan 23 | Jan 31 | Feb 4 | Feb 10 | Feb 16 | Feb 21 | Feb 27 | Mar 5 |
| 16°F81% of yrs | Dec 28 | Jan 9 | Jan 16 | Jan 24 | Jan 30 | Feb 3 | Feb 10 | Feb 18 | Feb 26 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 13 | Oct 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 13 |
| 32°F | Oct 25 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 28 |
| 28°F | Nov 2 | Nov 8 | Nov 13 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 12 |
| 24°F | Nov 12 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 15 | Dec 22 | Dec 30 |
| 20°F97% of yrs | Nov 27 | Dec 5 | Dec 12 | Dec 18 | Dec 24 | Dec 29 | Jan 3 | Jan 10 | Jan 19 |
| 16°F81% of yrs | Dec 7 | Dec 15 | Dec 22 | Dec 29 | Jan 2 | Jan 8 | Jan 13 | Jan 20 | Feb 1 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Harrison, 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 72601 →Compare Harrison with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Harrison Boone Co Airport, AR, 4 miles northwest of Harrison and 242 feet higher, has a last frost 12 days later (April 3), a first frost 10 days earlier (October 30), a season 21 days shorter.
When it snows in Harrison, Arkansas
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Harrison usually arrives around December 9, and the last of the season around March 4. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Harrison, AR, 2.9 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 18 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 72601
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 11 – January 25 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| January 25 – February 8 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| February 22 – March 8 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 22 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 17 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 26 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 9 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 72601 is 3 miles from Harrison, AR, which stands at 1,132 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 72601 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.