Frost Dates for 72853 — Ola, Arkansas

Half of springs at Nimrod Dam, AR see their last 32°F night by March 22; only one in ten is past it by March 2, and one in ten still has one after April 7. Planting tender crops after March 30 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 3 20%, and after April 7 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 11 in half of years, as early as October 29 one year in ten, and holds off past November 29 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 13 days later, around November 24; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 29, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 233 days in a typical year, longer than at 70% of the 105 Arkansas stations; it reaches 257 days one year in ten and falls short of 211 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 13 days longer, to about April 4, and return around November 1. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 100% of winters and 16°F in 73%.

July is the warmest month at Nimrod Dam, AR, averaging 94°F by day and 72°F at night; January is the coldest at 52°F and 31°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from December to February (a 90% chance or more). From May to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, March still brings one in 90% of years and April still brings one in 26% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 5,517 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 81% of the 105 Arkansas stations. 39% of them (2,153) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 1,023. Precipitation totals 54.4 inches a year, most in May (6.2") and least in July (3.7"); May to September bring 40% of it.

The nearest other station, Dardanelle, AR, 16 miles north of Ola, has a last frost 10 days later (April 1), a first frost 9 days earlier (November 2), a season 18 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ola usually arrives around January 19, and the last of the season around January 31. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Nimrod Dam, AR, 6.8 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 76% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 50 days after the last snow.

ZIP 72853 is 7 miles from Nimrod Dam, AR, which stands at 480 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 72853 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.