North Carolina Frost Dates by County: All 107 Weather Stations

Sep 5

10 min read

Waxhaw has 21 fewer frost-free days than Charlotte.

They are twenty-five miles apart. They are the same USDA hardiness zone. If you garden in Union County using Charlotte's dates, you plant about two weeks too early — every single year.

Below are the average last spring freeze and first fall freeze for 107 long-term weather stations across North Carolina, plus the frost-free season length and the fall planting deadline for woody stock. Twelve counties have no long-term station and are noted at the end.

Read this before you use a single date

Three things about this data that most planting calendars never tell you. They change how you should use every number below.

1. These are averages, not safe dates. Every date here is a 50 percent probability. Your county's average last spring freeze means that in roughly half of all years, the last freeze happens later than that. It is a midpoint, not a green light. If you are planting something you cannot replace, add two weeks.

2. Hardiness zone is the wrong tool for timing. Waxhaw and Charlotte are both Zone 8a. Waxhaw's growing season is 197 days; Charlotte's is 218. Hardiness zone tells you whether a perennial survives your winter. It tells you nothing about when to put a tomato in the ground. Every Zone 8a planting calendar on the market is answering a question you did not ask.

3. Your yard is not your county. A weather station sits in one spot. Your low corner where cold air pools can run a week behind it. A south-facing brick wall can run a week ahead. Slope, tree cover, pavement and elevation all move these dates. Use the county figure as your anchor, then adjust for what you actually observe.

Freeze dates by county

Freeze-free season for ten Piedmont stations. Gastonia and Monroe are the same hardiness zone and about thirty miles apart, and they differ by twenty-two days.

Sorted alphabetically. Counties with more than one long-term station show each one — pick the closest to you, and note how much they differ. Format is: last spring freeze / first fall freeze / frost-free days / fall planting deadline.

The fall deadline is six weeks before the average first fall freeze, which is the minimum root-establishment window published by NC Cooperative Extension.

Alamance - Burlington Alamance Airport. Apr 4 / Oct 29 / 208 / Sep 17
Alexander - Taylorsville Tower. Apr 6 / Oct 29 / 206 / Sep 17
Anson - Anson County Airport. Apr 16 / Oct 21 / 188 / Sep 9
Ashe - Jefferson 2 E. May 8 / Oct 7 / 152 / Aug 26
Ashe - Transou. May 14 / Oct 1 / 140 / Aug 20
Avery - Spruce Pine 2 NE. Apr 27 / Oct 21 / 177 / Sep 9
Avery - Banner Elk. May 12 / Oct 3 / 144 / Aug 22
Avery - Grandfather Mtn. May 7 / Oct 7 / 153 / Aug 26
Beaufort - Washington WWTP 4W. Mar 28 / Nov 12 / 229 / Oct 1
Bertie - Peanut Belt Research Station. Mar 28 / Nov 8 / 225 / Sep 27
Bladen - Brown Field. Mar 21 / Nov 18 / 242 / Oct 7
Brunswick - Brunswick County Airport. Mar 21 / Nov 8 / 232 / Sep 27
Buncombe - Asheville. Apr 11 / Oct 25 / 197 / Sep 13
Buncombe - Asheville AP. Apr 20 / Oct 17 / 180 / Sep 5
Buncombe - Candler 1W. Apr 21 / Oct 20 / 182 / Sep 8
Burke - Morganton. Apr 15 / Oct 21 / 189 / Sep 9
Cabarrus - Concord. Apr 3 / Nov 1 / 212 / Sep 20
Caldwell - Lenoir. Apr 15 / Oct 22 / 190 / Sep 10
Carteret - Cedar Island. Mar 20 / Nov 24 / 249 / Oct 13
Carteret - Morehead City 2 WNW. Mar 20 / Nov 21 / 246 / Oct 10
Catawba - Hickory FAA AP. Apr 6 / Oct 31 / 208 / Sep 19
Chatham - Siler City 2 N. Apr 14 / Oct 23 / 192 / Sep 11
Cherokee - Murphy. Apr 26 / Oct 17 / 174 / Sep 5
Chowan - Edenton. Mar 28 / Nov 12 / 229 / Oct 1
Cleveland - Shelby 2 NNE. Apr 11 / Oct 27 / 199 / Sep 15
Columbus - Columbus County Airport. Mar 26 / Nov 5 / 224 / Sep 24
Craven - New Bern ASOS. Mar 23 / Nov 14 / 236 / Oct 3
Cumberland - Fayetteville PWC. Mar 31 / Nov 4 / 218 / Sep 23
Currituck - Currituck County Airport. Mar 29 / Nov 16 / 232 / Oct 5
Dare - Hatteras Weather Service Office. Mar 5 / Dec 16 / 286 / Nov 4
Dare - Dare County Airport. Mar 11 / Dec 4 / 268 / Oct 23
Davidson - Lexington. Apr 7 / Oct 28 / 204 / Sep 16
Davie - Mocksville 5SE. Apr 13 / Oct 26 / 196 / Sep 14
Duplin - Wallace. Apr 5 / Nov 3 / 212 / Sep 22
Duplin - Duplin County Airport. Apr 3 / Nov 2 / 213 / Sep 21
Durham - North Durham Water Reclamation Facility. Apr 5 / Nov 4 / 213 / Sep 23
Edgecombe - Tarboro 1 S. Apr 3 / Nov 1 / 212 / Sep 20
Forsyth - Smith Reynolds Airport. Apr 1 / Nov 3 / 216 / Sep 22
Franklin - Louisburg. Apr 16 / Oct 24 / 191 / Sep 12
Gaston - Gastonia. Apr 1 / Nov 6 / 219 / Sep 25
Gates - Buckland Elementary. Apr 5 / Nov 1 / 210 / Sep 20
Graham - Robbinsville Ag 5 NE. Apr 17 / Oct 21 / 187 / Sep 9
Granville - Henderson-Oxford Airport. Mar 31 / Nov 3 / 217 / Sep 22
Guilford - High Point. Apr 5 / Nov 1 / 210 / Sep 20
Guilford - Greensboro Airport. Apr 3 / Oct 31 / 211 / Sep 19
Halifax - Roanoke Rapids. Apr 3 / Nov 3 / 214 / Sep 22
Harnett - Dunn 4 NW. Mar 31 / Nov 1 / 215 / Sep 20
Haywood - Waterville. Apr 10 / Oct 27 / 200 / Sep 15
Haywood - Waynesville 1 E. May 3 / Oct 9 / 159 / Aug 28
Haywood - Mountain Research Station. Apr 29 / Oct 13 / 167 / Sep 1
Henderson - Hendersonville 1 NE. Apr 20 / Oct 18 / 181 / Sep 6
Hertford - Murfreesboro. Apr 7 / Oct 28 / 204 / Sep 16
Iredell - Statesville 2 NNE. Apr 16 / Oct 25 / 192 / Sep 13
Jackson - Cullowhee. Apr 28 / Oct 14 / 169 / Sep 2
Johnston - Clayton WTP. Apr 3 / Nov 4 / 215 / Sep 23
Lee - Lee County Airport. Apr 6 / Oct 27 / 204 / Sep 15
Lenoir - Kinston Ag Rsch. Mar 28 / Nov 6 / 223 / Sep 25
Lincoln - Lincolnton 4 W. Apr 11 / Oct 27 / 199 / Sep 15
McDowell - Marion 2 NW. Apr 13 / Oct 25 / 195 / Sep 13
Macon - Franklin. Apr 29 / Oct 14 / 168 / Sep 2
Macon - Highlands. Apr 28 / Oct 16 / 171 / Sep 4
Macon - Wayah Bald Mountain. May 4 / Oct 15 / 164 / Sep 3
Madison - Hot Springs. Apr 14 / Oct 26 / 195 / Sep 14
Madison - Marshall. Apr 27 / Oct 16 / 172 / Sep 4
Martin - Williamston 1 E. Mar 26 / Nov 6 / 225 / Sep 25
Mecklenburg - Charlotte Douglas AP. Apr 1 / Nov 5 / 218 / Sep 24
Montgomery - Jackson Springs 5 WNW. Mar 31 / Nov 7 / 221 / Sep 26
Moore - Moore County Airport. Apr 5 / Nov 2 / 211 / Sep 21
Nash - Rocky Mount-Wilson Airport. Mar 31 / Nov 2 / 216 / Sep 21
New Hanover - Wilmington Intl AP. Mar 17 / Nov 18 / 246 / Oct 7
New Hanover - Wilmington 7 SE. Mar 15 / Nov 23 / 253 / Oct 12
Northampton - Jackson. Apr 9 / Oct 31 / 205 / Sep 19
Onslow - New River MCAS. Mar 22 / Nov 16 / 239 / Oct 5
Orange - Chapel Hill 2 W. Apr 6 / Oct 30 / 207 / Sep 18
Pamlico - Bayboro 3 SW. Mar 26 / Nov 11 / 230 / Sep 30
Pasquotank - Elizabeth City CG Air Stn. Mar 30 / Nov 11 / 226 / Sep 30
Person - Roxboro 7 ESE. Apr 11 / Oct 28 / 200 / Sep 16
Pitt - Greenville. Mar 30 / Nov 4 / 219 / Sep 23
Polk - Tryon. Apr 5 / Nov 3 / 212 / Sep 22
Randolph - Asheboro 2 W. Apr 4 / Nov 2 / 212 / Sep 21
Richmond - Hamlet Tower. Apr 3 / Nov 1 / 212 / Sep 20
Richmond - Mackall U.S. Army Airfield. Apr 3 / Nov 2 / 213 / Sep 21
Robeson - Lumberton Regional AP. Mar 30 / Nov 7 / 222 / Sep 26
Rockingham - Reidsville 2 NW. Apr 6 / Oct 30 / 207 / Sep 18
Rowan - Piedmont Research Station. Apr 8 / Oct 30 / 205 / Sep 18
Rutherford - Forest City 8 W. Apr 12 / Oct 24 / 195 / Sep 12
Sampson - Clinton 2 NE. Mar 30 / Nov 3 / 218 / Sep 22
Scotland - Laurinburg. Mar 29 / Nov 5 / 221 / Sep 24
Stanly - Albemarle. Apr 12 / Oct 26 / 197 / Sep 14
Stokes - Danbury. Apr 20 / Oct 19 / 182 / Sep 7
Surry - Mt Airy 2 W. Apr 24 / Oct 17 / 176 / Sep 5
Swain - Oconaluftee. Apr 30 / Oct 9 / 162 / Aug 28
Transylvania - Lake Toxaway 2 SW. Apr 21 / Oct 21 / 183 / Sep 9
Transylvania - Brevard. Apr 28 / Oct 13 / 168 / Sep 1
Tyrrell - Columbia Ag Gum Neck. Mar 26 / Nov 12 / 231 / Oct 1
Union - Monroe 2 SE. Apr 12 / Oct 26 / 197 / Sep 14
Vance - Henderson 2 NNW. Apr 15 / Oct 27 / 195 / Sep 15
Wake - Falls Lake. Apr 5 / Nov 4 / 213 / Sep 23
Wake - Raleigh AP. Apr 8 / Oct 30 / 205 / Sep 18
Washington - Tidewater Research Station. Mar 30 / Nov 6 / 221 / Sep 25
Watauga - Boone 1 SE. May 1 / Oct 14 / 166 / Sep 2
Wayne - Cherry Research Station. Apr 3 / Nov 6 / 217 / Sep 25
Wilkes - North Wilkesboro. Apr 21 / Oct 19 / 181 / Sep 7
Wilson - Wilson 3 SW. Mar 30 / Nov 6 / 221 / Sep 25
Yadkin - Yadkinville 6 E. Apr 18 / Oct 22 / 187 / Sep 10
Yancey - Burnsville Ag. Apr 22 / Oct 19 / 180 / Sep 7
Yancey - Mt Mitchell. May 17 / Oct 4 / 140 / Aug 23

Twelve counties have no long-term station: Alleghany, Camden, Caswell, Clay, Greene, Hoke, Hyde, Jones, Mitchell, Pender, Perquimans and Warren. Use the nearest station in an adjoining county at similar elevation, and lean conservative.

Seed starting and transplanting, keyed to your frost date

Find your last spring freeze above, then count. A minus sign means before your last freeze; a plus sign means after it. This is the step no free planting chart performs — it is why one calendar can serve a state with a 21-week spread in growing season.

Onions, leeks — start indoors 10 to 8 weeks before. Transplant 4 weeks before last freeze.
Celery — indoors, 10 to 8 weeks before. Cold-sensitive; wait for settled warmth.
Peppers — indoors, 8 to 6 weeks before. Transplant 2 weeks AFTER last freeze.
Eggplant — indoors, 8 to 6 weeks before. Transplant 2 weeks AFTER last freeze.
Broccoli, cabbage — indoors, 7 to 5 weeks before. Transplant 3 to 4 weeks before last freeze.
Tomatoes — indoors, 6 to 5 weeks before. Transplant 1 to 2 weeks AFTER last freeze.
Lettuce, spinach — 6 to 4 weeks before, either method. Direct sow as soon as soil is workable.
Peas — direct, 6 to 4 weeks before. Sow as soon as soil is workable.
Potatoes — direct, 4 to 2 weeks before.
Carrots, beets, radish — direct, 4 to 2 weeks before. Succession sow every 2 to 3 weeks.
Corn — direct, 1 to 2 weeks after. Soil must reach 60 F.
Beans, snap and bush — direct, 1 to 2 weeks after. Soil must reach 60 F.
Cucumbers — direct, 1 to 2 weeks after, or transplant started 3 weeks early.
Squash, zucchini — direct, 1 to 2 weeks after, or transplant started 3 weeks early.
Melons — direct, 2 to 3 weeks after. Needs warm soil; last to go in.
Okra, sweet potato — direct, 2 to 3 weeks after. Heat lovers; do not rush.

Worked example, Union County

Last spring freeze April 12. Tomatoes start indoors 5 to 6 weeks before that — March 1 to March 8. They go in the ground 1 to 2 weeks after — April 19 to April 26.

Run the same math on Charlotte's April 1 and you transplant on April 8. In Waxhaw that is eleven days into freeze territory. This single offset is the difference between a crop and a replacement trip to the garden centre.

The fall planting deadline

Fall vegetable planting dates for the NC Piedmont — read backwards from your own first-frost date.

Fall is the better season for planting woody plants in North Carolina. Soil stays warm while air cools, so the plant puts its energy into roots instead of leaves, and it needs far less water than a spring planting.

NC Cooperative Extension puts a floor under it: the chance of plant failure increases the later in the season you wait, so plants should get at least six weeks of mild weather for root growth before freezing temperatures arrive.

Extension publishes the rule. Extension publishes the freeze dates. Nobody puts them together — so the last column of the county table above is that calculation already done for your county.

For most of the Piedmont, that deadline lands in mid-to-late September. Union County's is September 14. Mecklenburg's is September 24.

The printable version

The North Carolina Frost Dates and Planting Calendar is this data as a formatted PDF covering all 100 counties and 107 stations, with the seed-starting offsets, the fall deadline column, and the notes on which counties lack stations — designed to print and keep in the shed rather than scroll on a phone.

The NC Piedmont Fall Vegetable Calendar — the eighteen cool-season crops and their Extension windows
Planting Trees in Piedmont Clay — what to do once you are inside the fall planting window
When to Plant Fescue in North Carolina — the September lawn window

Compiled by Alex Purdy, Carolina Terrain, Waxhaw, North Carolina. NC Landscape Contractor License CL.1872, NCSU Stormwater SCM Inspection and Maintenance Certification #5970, NDS Certified Drainage Contractor. Educational reference. I am a licensed contractor, not a professional engineer and not a registered landscape architect.

Sources: Freeze data from NC State Extension and the State Climate Office of North Carolina long-term station normals. Fall root-establishment window from NC Cooperative Extension, Halifax County Center.