Ratcliff, AR 72951 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Ratcliff, AR, ZIP 72951
Around 03/28 is the usual last spring frost, about 212 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/05, about 223 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Ratcliff in Zone 8a (10 to 15°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 8a around Ratcliff has about 10 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.
The actual range around Ratcliff's last frost
03/28 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/08 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Ratcliff compares
Ratcliff's growing season runs about 223 days, ranking 12,156 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within AR, it ranks 383 of 687.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Ratcliff can differ from the 72951 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 8a and Ratcliff's frost date answer different questions.