Lonoke, AR 72086 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Lonoke, AR, ZIP 72086
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/04, about 219 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/31, about 209 frost-free days later.
Zone 8a (10 to 15°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Lonoke, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 8a around Lonoke has about 9 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/04 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/16 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/20 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Lonoke compares
About 209 days separate Lonoke's last and first frost, putting it 15,227 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within AR, it ranks 548 of 687.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Lonoke can differ from the 72086 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 8a and Lonoke's frost date answer different questions.