NOAA station USC00031152 · Arkansas
Frost Dates for Camden, AR
NOAA weather station Camden 1 (USC00031152), Arkansas · elevation 116 ft (35 m) · hardiness zone 8a*
- Lower-risk planting dateafter April 7only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
- Typical last frostMarch 2150% chance of a frost after it
- Typical first fall frostNovember 650% chance of a frost before it
- Frost-free season230 daystypical year, 32°F
- Hardiness zone8acalculated*
The year at a glance
Frost dates (32°F)
| Chance | Last frost in spring after | First frost in fall before |
|---|---|---|
| 10% (unlikely) | April 7 | October 24 |
| 50% (typical) | March 21 | November 6 |
| 90% (likely) | March 2 | November 25 |
- Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
- 230 days
- Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
- March 6
- Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
- November 19
The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)
Typical last frost March 20 (1 day earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 5 (1 day earlier). Frost-free season 233 days.
A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.
Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).
How the chance of frost changes with the date
What actually happened in recent years
| Year | Last spring frost | First fall frost |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | March 4 | November 5 |
| 2022 | March 14 | incomplete record |
| 2023 | March 25 | incomplete record |
| 2024 | March 29 | November 22 |
| 2025 | March 22 | incomplete record |
| 2026 | incomplete record | season not over yet |
What these dates mean
The 230 days between the 32°F 50% dates, March 21 and November 6, frame the period when light frosts are less likely to dominate. For a gardener these dates are the median points where a light frost carries a 50% chance of having occurred, serving as reference markers rather than frost dates themselves. In spring the cautious date for setting out tender crops is April 7, which carries only a 10% chance of a later frost, while planting on March 2 involves a 90% chance and is a gamble. In fall the cautious date to finish harvesting tender crops is October 24, with a 10% chance that a frost has arrived earlier, whereas waiting until November 25 means accepting a 90% chance of an earlier frost. The hard-frost median dates are March 6 and November 19, and a hard frost can damage plants more severely than a light frost.
How to read the probabilities
The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.
- Spring: "10% after April 7" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
- Fall: "10% before October 24" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
- 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
- A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.
Nearby weather stations
- near El Dorado, AR 26 mi (41 km)
- Calion Lock and Dam, AR 28 mi (45 km)
- Fordyce, AR 29 mi (47 km)
- Hope, AR 43 mi (69 km)
- near Hot Springs, AR 50 mi (81 km)
Sources
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, station USC00031152
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals
- PRISM Group, Oregon State University — 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone GIS datasets
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 2006–2020 (15-year normals), station USC00031152
- NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network – Daily (GHCN-Daily), observed daily minimum temperature, retrieved 2026-10-08
* Hardiness zone 8a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.
Station coordinates: 33.59, -92.8236.