North Carolina frost dates
The typical last spring frost ranges from Mar 15 in Nags Head to Apr 6 in Asheville.
12 of the 12 North Carolina cities listed have typical frost dates. The longest frost-free season is 266 days in Nags Head; the shortest is 205 days in Asheville. For a single address, look up your ZIP code: rural ZIPs use their nearest suitable station.
| City | Last spring frost | 1 in 10 after | First fall frost | 1 in 10 before | Hard freeze (28°F) | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asheville | Apr 6 | Apr 24 | Oct 31 | Oct 17 | Mar 26 / Nov 10 | 205 days |
| Cary | Mar 31 | Apr 16 | Nov 4 | Oct 23 | Mar 18 / Nov 16 | 219 days |
| Charlotte | Mar 30 | Apr 14 | Nov 3 | Oct 22 | Mar 17 / Nov 14 | 221 days |
| Concord | Apr 1 | Apr 16 | Nov 2 | Oct 21 | Mar 20 / Nov 13 | 215 days |
| Durham | Mar 31 | Apr 16 | Nov 4 | Oct 23 | Mar 18 / Nov 16 | 219 days |
| Fayetteville | Mar 30 | Apr 16 | Nov 10 | Oct 28 | Mar 16 / Nov 23 | 227 days |
| Greensboro | Mar 30 | Apr 14 | Nov 5 | Oct 25 | Mar 18 / Nov 17 | 220 days |
| High Point | Mar 30 | Apr 15 | Nov 5 | Oct 21 | Mar 18 / Nov 16 | 220 days |
| Nags Head | Mar 15 | Mar 30 | Dec 6 | Nov 19 | Feb 28 / Dec 25 | 266 days |
| Raleigh | Mar 28 | Apr 12 | Nov 8 | Oct 28 | Mar 14 / Nov 23 | 229 days |
| Wilmington | Mar 19 | Apr 4 | Nov 20 | Nov 5 | Mar 2 / Dec 3 | 247 days |
| Winston-Salem | Mar 26 | Apr 11 | Nov 9 | Oct 28 | Mar 13 / Nov 23 | 228 days |
Reading the table: Greensboro
In Greensboro, the last spring frost typically comes around Mar 30: in half of years it is earlier, in half later. In 1 year in 10 it comes after Apr 14, 15 days later, so tender plants set out after that date have a 90% chance of escaping frost. In fall, the first frost typically arrives around Nov 5, and in 1 year in 10 before Oct 25. Hard freezes (28°F) usually end earlier in spring and start later in fall: around Mar 18 and Nov 17 in Greensboro.
Frost dates at more North Carolina weather stations
NOAA stations across North Carolina used by our ZIP code lookup, named for the town they are in.
| Station | Elevation | Last spring frost | First fall frost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albemarle | 610 ft | Mar 29 (1 in 10 after Apr 14) | Nov 4 (before Oct 24) |
| Arcola | 330 ft | Apr 3 (1 in 10 after Apr 19) | Nov 5 (before Oct 16) |
| Asheboro 2 W | 870 ft | Apr 5 (1 in 10 after Apr 21) | Oct 31 (before Oct 18) |
| Asheville Rgnl Airport | 2,117 ft | Apr 9 (1 in 10 after Apr 27) | Oct 28 (before Oct 14) |
| Aurora 6 N | 20 ft | Mar 8 (1 in 10 after Mar 28) | Dec 5 (before Nov 16) |
| Banner Elk | 3,770 ft | Apr 30 (1 in 10 after May 17) | Oct 14 (before Oct 1) |
| Bayboro 3 Sw | 5 ft | Mar 30 (1 in 10 after Apr 15) | Nov 8 (before Oct 26) |
| Beaufort Michael J Smith Fld | 11 ft | Mar 10 (1 in 10 after Mar 26) | Dec 1 (before Nov 10) |
| Boone 1 Se | 3,100 ft | May 2 (1 in 10 after May 19) | Oct 13 (before Sep 30) |
| Burlington Alamance Airport | 617 ft | Apr 1 (1 in 10 after Apr 17) | Nov 2 (before Oct 21) |
| Cape Hatteras Airport | 11 ft | Mar 4 (1 in 10 after Mar 25) | Dec 22 (before Nov 29) |
| Chapel Hill 2 W | 500 ft | Mar 31 (1 in 10 after Apr 14) | Nov 3 (before Oct 23) |
| Clayton WTP | 300 ft | Apr 7 (1 in 10 after Apr 20) | Nov 3 (before Oct 22) |
| Clinton 2 Ne | 158 ft | Mar 26 (1 in 10 after Apr 8) | Nov 7 (before Oct 26) |
| Danbury | 1,019 ft | Apr 11 (1 in 10 after Apr 29) | Oct 30 (before Oct 18) |
| Dunn 4 Nw | 200 ft | Mar 28 (1 in 10 after Apr 11) | Nov 7 (before Oct 26) |
| Edenton | 10 ft | Mar 24 (1 in 10 after Apr 8) | Nov 14 (before Nov 1) |
| Elizabeth City Cgas | 13 ft | Mar 28 (1 in 10 after Apr 11) | Nov 12 (before Oct 29) |
| Elizabethtown | 120 ft | Mar 29 (1 in 10 after Apr 13) | Nov 8 (before Oct 29) |
| Forest City 8 W | 849 ft | Apr 11 (1 in 10 after Apr 28) | Oct 27 (before Oct 14) |
| Goldsboro 4 Se | 109 ft | Mar 15 (1 in 10 after Apr 1) | Nov 18 (before Nov 2) |
| Greenville | 32 ft | Mar 27 (1 in 10 after Apr 10) | Nov 8 (before Oct 26) |
| Hickory FAA Airport | 1,143 ft | Mar 31 (1 in 10 after Apr 16) | Nov 4 (before Oct 22) |
| Highlands | 3,850 ft | Apr 30 (1 in 10 after May 17) | Oct 15 (before Oct 3) |
| Jackson | 123 ft | Apr 5 (1 in 10 after Apr 18) | Nov 1 (before Oct 20) |
| Jackson Springs 5 Wnw | 730 ft | Mar 25 (1 in 10 after Apr 10) | Nov 14 (before Oct 30) |
| Jefferson 2 E | 2,759 ft | May 7 (1 in 10 after May 24) | Oct 8 (before Sep 25) |
| Kinston 7 Se | 24 ft | Apr 1 (1 in 10 after Apr 15) | Nov 4 (before Oct 22) |
| Lewiston | 50 ft | Mar 29 (1 in 10 after Apr 12) | Nov 7 (before Oct 27) |
| Lincolnton 4 W | 887 ft | Apr 9 (1 in 10 after Apr 27) | Oct 28 (before Oct 15) |
| Longwood | 40 ft | Mar 26 (1 in 10 after Apr 11) | Nov 11 (before Oct 29) |
| Louisburg | 260 ft | Apr 11 (1 in 10 after Apr 28) | Oct 29 (before Oct 15) |
| Lumberton Muni Airport | 121 ft | Mar 24 (1 in 10 after Apr 9) | Nov 10 (before Oct 27) |
| Monroe Airport | 679 ft | Mar 31 (1 in 10 after Apr 16) | Nov 5 (before Oct 23) |
| Mt Airy 2 W | 1,080 ft | Apr 19 (1 in 10 after May 8) | Oct 23 (before Oct 11) |
| Murfreesboro | 100 ft | Apr 6 (1 in 10 after Apr 23) | Nov 1 (before Oct 20) |
| Murphy 4ESE | 1,600 ft | Apr 22 (1 in 10 after May 7) | Oct 20 (before Oct 8) |
| N Wilkesboro | 1,120 ft | Apr 10 (1 in 10 after Apr 26) | Oct 29 (before Oct 16) |
| New Bern Craven Co Airport | 19 ft | Mar 23 (1 in 10 after Apr 7) | Nov 15 (before Nov 1) |
| New River Mcaf | 26 ft | Mar 23 (1 in 10 after Apr 7) | Nov 16 (before Nov 1) |
| Roanoke Rapids | 210 ft | Mar 31 (1 in 10 after Apr 16) | Nov 9 (before Oct 28) |
| Rocky Mt Wilson Airport | 160 ft | Apr 1 (1 in 10 after Apr 16) | Nov 5 (before Oct 25) |
| Roxboro 7 Ese | 710 ft | Apr 15 (1 in 10 after Apr 30) | Oct 26 (before Oct 12) |
| Salisbury | 700 ft | Apr 6 (1 in 10 after Apr 27) | Oct 30 (before Oct 19) |
| Salisbury 9 Wnw | 725 ft | Apr 9 (1 in 10 after Apr 24) | Oct 28 (before Oct 15) |
| Sanford 8 Ne | 262 ft | Apr 10 (1 in 10 after Apr 25) | Oct 30 (before Oct 15) |
| Shelby 2 Nw | 820 ft | Apr 12 (1 in 10 after Apr 28) | Oct 25 (before Oct 12) |
| Siler City 2 N | 610 ft | Mar 31 (1 in 10 after Apr 13) | Nov 4 (before Oct 23) |
| Smithfield | 150 ft | Mar 29 (1 in 10 after Apr 14) | Nov 5 (before Oct 22) |
| Southport 5 N | 20 ft | Mar 24 (1 in 10 after Apr 10) | Nov 17 (before Oct 31) |
| Statesville 2 Nne | 803 ft | Apr 16 (1 in 10 after May 1) | Oct 25 (before Oct 13) |
| Tarboro 1 S | 35 ft | Mar 30 (1 in 10 after Apr 10) | Nov 9 (before Oct 29) |
| Transou | 2,834 ft | May 4 (1 in 10 after May 22) | Oct 10 (before Sep 27) |
| Tryon | 1,320 ft | Mar 27 (1 in 10 after Apr 14) | Nov 12 (before Oct 29) |
| Wadesboro | 480 ft | Mar 24 (1 in 10 after Apr 9) | Nov 9 (before Oct 27) |
| Warsaw 5 E | 110 ft | Apr 7 (1 in 10 after Apr 22) | Oct 30 (before Oct 16) |
| Whiteville 7 Nw | 90 ft | Mar 29 (1 in 10 after Apr 12) | Nov 6 (before Oct 25) |
| Willard 4 Sw | 55 ft | Apr 2 (1 in 10 after Apr 16) | Nov 5 (before Oct 24) |
| Williamston 1 E | 20 ft | Mar 20 (1 in 10 after Apr 5) | Nov 12 (before Oct 31) |
| Wilson 3 Sw | 110 ft | Mar 22 (1 in 10 after Apr 8) | Nov 12 (before Nov 1) |
32°F dates from NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for each city's station. "1 in 10 after": a 10% chance of a later spring frost (planting is 90% safe after it). How to read frost dates.