Melbourne, AR 72573 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Melbourne, AR, ZIP 72573
Around 04/14 is the usual last spring frost, about 229 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/20, about 190 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Melbourne in Zone 7b (5 to 10°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 7b around Melbourne has about 8 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.
Why 04/14 isn't a guarantee
04/14 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/29 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/29 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Melbourne compares
About 190 days separate Melbourne's last and first frost, putting it 21,196 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within AR, it ranks 653 of 687.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Melbourne's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Melbourne can differ from the 72573 normal.