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 72901
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 72901 in zone 8a (the coldest night of a typical year: 10 to 15°F).
The nearest station, Fort Smith, AR, is 4 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 25 in half of years and after April 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Smith, ARFort Smith Regional Airport | 4 mi | 449 ft | March 25 | April 11 | November 6 | 8a |
| Sallisaw, OK2 mi NW | 23 mi | 660 ft | March 30 | April 16 | November 7 | 7b |
| Mountainburg, AR2 mi NE | 25 mi | 793 ft | April 9 | April 28 | October 28 | 7b |
| Ozark, AROzark 2 | 32 mi | 830 ft | March 30 | April 17 | November 6 | 7b |
| Booneville, AR3 mi SSE | 33 mi | 600 ft | April 4 | April 21 | November 1 | 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 Fort Smith
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 25 | April 15 | April 8 | March 21 | October 28 | October 16 |
| 32°F | April 11 | April 3 | March 25 | March 4 | November 6 | October 23 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 2 | March 20 | March 11 | February 21 | November 17 | November 1 |
| 24°F | March 18 | March 7 | February 27 | January 31 | November 30 | November 9 |
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.