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 72117
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 72117 in zone 8a (the coldest night of a typical year: 10 to 15°F).
The nearest station, Little Rock, AR, is 7 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 21 in half of years and after April 6 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 8a.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Rock, ARLittle Rock Airport Adams Field | 7 mi | 258 ft | March 21 | April 6 | November 10 | 8a |
| North Little Rock, ARLittle Rock | 8 mi | 568 ft | March 16 | April 2 | November 16 | 8a |
| Marche, AR | 14 mi | 272 ft | April 1 | April 17 | November 1 | – |
| Keo, AR | 15 mi | 231 ft | March 21 | April 6 | November 9 | 8a |
| Cabot, AR | 16 mi | 300 ft | April 4 | April 20 | October 31 | 7b |
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 Little Rock
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 21 | April 9 | April 3 | March 16 | October 31 | October 20 |
| 32°F | April 6 | March 28 | March 21 | March 2 | November 10 | October 29 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 26 | March 15 | March 8 | February 20 | November 21 | November 6 |
| 24°F | March 15 | March 5 | February 26 | February 1 | December 3 | November 15 |
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.