NOAA station USC00312635 · North Carolina
Frost Dates for Edenton, NC
NOAA weather station Edenton (USC00312635), North Carolina · elevation 10 ft (3 m) · hardiness zone 8b*
- Lower-risk planting dateafter April 8only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
- Typical last frostMarch 2450% chance of a frost after it
- Typical first fall frostNovember 1450% chance of a frost before it
- Frost-free season238 daystypical year, 32°F
- Hardiness zone8bcalculated*
The year at a glance
Frost dates (32°F)
| Chance | Last frost in spring after | First frost in fall before |
|---|---|---|
| 10% (unlikely) | April 8 | November 1 |
| 50% (typical) | March 24 | November 14 |
| 90% (likely) | March 5 | December 3 |
- Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
- 238 days
- Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
- March 9
- Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
- December 1
The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)
Typical last frost March 26 (2 days later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 12 (2 days earlier). Frost-free season 234 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 | April 3 | November 24 |
| 2022 | March 29 | November 18 |
| 2023 | March 21 | November 3 |
| 2024 | March 25 | November 30 |
| 2025 | March 9 | November 11 |
| 2026 | March 19 | season not over yet |
What these dates mean
April 8 is the cautious spring date for Edenton, marking the point when there is only a 10% chance of a later light frost and allowing a gardener to plan setting out tender crops.
The 50% chance of a light frost occurs on March 24 in spring and November 14 in fall; at each of these dates there is an even chance of a frost later (spring) or earlier (fall), which marks the halfway point of frost risk. The 50% chance of a hard frost occurs on March 9 and December 1. November 1 is the cautious fall date for finishing tender crops, with only a 10% chance that a light frost has arrived earlier.
A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants that survive a light frost at 32 °F, so the hard-frost dates represent a stricter threshold for winter risk.
How to read the probabilities
The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.
- Spring: "10% after April 8" 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 November 1" 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
- Plymouth, NC 12 mi (19 km)
- Williamston, NC 29 mi (47 km)
- Holland, VA 48 mi (77 km)
- near Suffolk, VA 49 mi (79 km)
- Greenville, NC 54 mi (87 km)
Sources
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, station USC00312635
- 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 USC00312635
- NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network – Daily (GHCN-Daily), observed daily minimum temperature, retrieved 2026-10-08
* Hardiness zone 8b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.
Station coordinates: 36.0164, -76.5517.