Frost dates by ZIP code: The nearest NOAA stations to your ZIP, 1991-2020 normals
Enter a five-digit ZIP code. PlainClimate finds its center (Census Bureau 2024) and the five nearest NOAA stations with frost dates, and shows each station's last spring and first autumn 32°F dates with its distance and elevation.
Frost dates near ZIP 71603
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 71603 in zone 8a (the coldest night of a typical year: 10 to 15°F).
The nearest station, Pine Bluff station, AR, is 8 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 14 in half of years and after April 2 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 8b.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Bluff station, AR | 8 mi | 230 ft | March 14 | April 2 | November 16 | 8b |
| Pine Bluff, ARPine Bluff Grider Field | 10 mi | 207 ft | March 13 | April 1 | November 13 | 8b |
| Rison, AR | 13 mi | 280 ft | March 17 | April 6 | November 14 | – |
| Sheridan, AR | 21 mi | 250 ft | April 1 | April 17 | November 3 | 8a |
| Cane Creek State Park, AR | 23 mi | 260 ft | March 15 | April 3 | November 17 | 8b |
Frost comes later in spring at higher and colder stations and earlier in low, open ground: prefer a station at a similar elevation to yours. Hardiness zone in the table: the USDA's rule (the average of each year's coldest night, 1991-2020) applied to the station's own record.
Every frost threshold at Pine Bluff station
NOAA publishes the dates for several temperatures and odds. A 30% spring date means a 3-in-10 chance of a later frost (the convention almanacs use); 50% is the median; 10% the cautious date.
| Threshold | Spring, 10% | Spring, 30% | Spring, 50% | Spring, 90% | Autumn, 50% | Autumn, 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F (light frost) | April 15 | April 4 | March 29 | March 11 | November 4 | October 23 |
| 32°F | April 2 | March 22 | March 14 | February 27 | November 16 | October 31 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 19 | March 11 | March 4 | February 11 | November 29 | November 9 |
| 24°F | March 11 | March 1 | February 19 | January 16 | December 16 | November 21 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals; ZIP centers: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. Autumn 10%: one year in ten has its first frost before this date.