U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00013881 · North Carolina

Frost Dates near Charlotte, NC

NOAA weather station Charlotte Douglas Airport (USW00013881), North Carolina · elevation 728 ft (222 m) · hardiness zone 8a*

Charlotte is the nearest town to the station (6.3 mi away) in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). The dates below are measured at the station, not in the town itself.

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 14only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 3050% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 350% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season221 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone8acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Charlotte, NCSpring: a frost after March 12 in 9 years out of 10, after March 30 in half of the years, after April 14 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 22 in 1 year out of 10, before November 3 in half of the years, before November 17 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 221 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 30First frost ~Nov 3Frost season near Charlotte, NCSpring: a frost after March 12 in 9 years out of 10, after March 30 in half of the years, after April 14 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 22 in 1 year out of 10, before November 3 in half of the years, before November 17 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 221 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 30First frost ~Nov 3
frost likely chance fading 90% → 10% frost-free in a typical yearThe year at a glance. Blue: frost is likely; the gradient fades as the chance drops from 90% to 10%; green: the frost-free part of a typical year.

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 28 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 14October 22
50% (typical)March 30November 3
90% (likely)March 12November 17
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
221 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 17
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 14

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 1 (2 days later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 1 (2 days earlier). Frost-free season 217 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

Spring near Charlotte: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 14, 20% April 9, 30% April 5, 40% April 2, 50% March 30, 60% March 27, 70% March 23, 80% March 18, 90% March 12. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 23, 2022 April 10, 2023 March 21, 2024 March 19, 2025 March 7, 2026 March 18.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Mar 1Apr 1Apr 14Mar 30Mar 122021: April 232022: April 102023: March 212024: March 192025: March 72026: March 18Fall near Charlotte: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 22, 20% October 27, 30% October 30, 40% November 1, 50% November 3, 60% November 5, 70% November 8, 80% November 12, 90% November 17. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 5, 2022 October 19, 2023 November 2, 2024 November 29, 2025 November 10.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Oct 22Nov 3Nov 172021: November 52022: October 192023: November 22024: November 292025: November 10
Two charts, because spring and fall answer different questions: in spring, the chance that a frost still comes after a date; in fall, the chance that the first frost has already come before it. NOAA publishes these odds from 10% to 90%, so the lines stop there. ◆ marks the actual date in each recent year.

What actually happened in recent years

Observed dates of the last spring and first fall frost (32°F) at this station; ◆ marks them on the charts above
YearLast spring frostFirst fall frost
2021April 23November 5
2022April 10October 19
2023March 21November 2
2024March 19November 29
2025March 7November 10
2026March 18season not over yet

What these dates mean

Setting out tender crops on March 12 in the Charlotte area carries a 90 % chance that a light frost will still occur later, so it is a gamble for growers. The safer approach waits until April 14, when only a 10 % chance of a later light frost remains, making it the cautious spring date for planting tender varieties. In the fall, the cautious date to finish harvesting tender crops is October 22, because only a 10 % chance of an earlier light frost exists.

The light-frost 50 % date in spring is March 30; at that point the odds of a frost are evenly split. The corresponding fall 50 % date is November 3, where the chance of a frost earlier than that day is also 50 %. For hard frosts, the median dates are March 17 in spring and November 14 in fall, each marking the moment a 28 °F frost is equally likely.

A hard frost at 28 °F is more consequential than a light frost at 32 °F because it can injure or kill plants that would otherwise survive the milder temperature.

How to read the probabilities

The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.

  • Spring: "10% after April 14" 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 22" 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

Map of weather stations near Charlotte, NCNumbered nearest stations: 1 — near Rock Hill, SC — 20 mi; 2 — Concord, NC — 25 mi; 3 — Lincolnton, NC — 27 mi; 4 — near Gaffney, SC — 33 mi; 5 — Shelby, NC — 35 mi.NCSC25 mi · 40 km1. near Rock Hill, SC — 20 mi12. Concord, NC — 25 mi23. Lincolnton, NC — 27 mi34. near Gaffney, SC — 33 mi45. Shelby, NC — 35 mi5
  1. near Rock Hill, SC 20 mi (32 km)
  2. Concord, NC 25 mi (40 km)
  3. Lincolnton, NC 27 mi (43 km)
  4. near Gaffney, SC 33 mi (53 km)
  5. Shelby, NC 35 mi (57 km)

Sources

* 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: 35.2236, -80.9553.