U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00317845 · North Carolina

Frost Dates for Shelby, NC

NOAA weather station Shelby 2 NW (USC00317845), North Carolina · elevation 820 ft (250 m) · hardiness zone 8a*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 28only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1250% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2550% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season195 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone8acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Shelby, NCSpring: a frost after March 27 in 9 years out of 10, after April 12 in half of the years, after April 28 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 12 in 1 year out of 10, before October 25 in half of the years, before November 5 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 195 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 12First frost ~Oct 25Frost season at Shelby, NCSpring: a frost after March 27 in 9 years out of 10, after April 12 in half of the years, after April 28 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 12 in 1 year out of 10, before October 25 in half of the years, before November 5 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 195 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 12First frost ~Oct 25
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 27 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 28October 12
50% (typical)April 12October 25
90% (likely)March 27November 5
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
195 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 31
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 2

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 12 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 26 (1 day later). Frost-free season 197 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 at Shelby: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 28, 20% April 22, 30% April 19, 40% April 15, 50% April 12, 60% April 9, 70% April 5, 80% April 2, 90% March 27. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 24, 2022 April 21, 2023 April 12, 2024 April 8, 2025 April 14, 2026 April 10.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 28Apr 12Mar 272021: April 242022: April 212023: April 122024: April 82025: April 142026: April 10Fall at Shelby: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 12, 20% October 16, 30% October 19, 40% October 22, 50% October 25, 60% October 27, 70% October 30, 80% November 2, 90% November 5. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 5, 2022 October 19, 2023 November 2, 2024 October 17, 2025 November 1.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 12Oct 25Nov 52021: November 52022: October 192023: November 22024: October 172025: November 1
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 24November 5
2022April 21October 19
2023April 12November 2
2024April 8October 17
2025April 14November 1
2026April 10season not over yet

What these dates mean

The 195 days between the 50% dates in Shelby frame the window in which light-frost risk is balanced, from the median April 12 in spring to the median October 25 in fall. For a gardener, the April 12 and October 25 dates represent the point at which a light frost is equally likely to occur later (spring) or earlier (fall), giving a rough midpoint for planning.

In a cautious planting plan, the spring date to set out tender crops is April 28, which carries only a 10 % chance of a later frost, while the fall date to finish harvesting tender crops is October 12, also with a 10 % chance of an earlier frost. By contrast, the hard-frost 50% dates are March 31 and November 2, and a hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants more severely than a light frost at 32 °F.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 28" 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 12" 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 Shelby, NCNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Lincolnton, NC — 17 mi; 2 — near Gaffney, SC — 20 mi; 3 — near Hickory, NC — 32 mi; 4 — Spartanburg, SC — 34 mi; 5 — near Charlotte, NC — 35 mi.SCTN25 mi · 40 km1. Lincolnton, NC — 17 mi12. near Gaffney, SC — 20 mi23. near Hickory, NC — 32 mi34. Spartanburg, SC — 34 mi45. near Charlotte, NC — 35 mi5
  1. Lincolnton, NC 17 mi (27 km)
  2. near Gaffney, SC 20 mi (32 km)
  3. near Hickory, NC 32 mi (51 km)
  4. Spartanburg, SC 34 mi (55 km)
  5. near Charlotte, 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: 35.3111, -81.5708.