U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00310645 · North Carolina

Frost Dates near Banner Elk, NC

NOAA weather station Beech Mountain (USC00310645), North Carolina · elevation 5053 ft (1540 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

Banner Elk is the nearest town to the station (1.7 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 May 23only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMay 650% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1450% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season159 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Banner Elk, NCSpring: a frost after April 22 in 9 years out of 10, after May 6 in half of the years, after May 23 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 29 in 1 year out of 10, before October 14 in half of the years, before October 25 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 159 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~May 6First frost ~Oct 14Frost season near Banner Elk, NCSpring: a frost after April 22 in 9 years out of 10, after May 6 in half of the years, after May 23 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 29 in 1 year out of 10, before October 14 in half of the years, before October 25 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 159 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~May 6First frost ~Oct 14
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)May 23September 29
50% (typical)May 6October 14
90% (likely)April 22October 25
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
159 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 29
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 22

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost May 7 (1 day later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 15 (1 day later). Frost-free season 159 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 Banner Elk: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 23, 20% May 16, 30% May 12, 40% May 9, 50% May 6, 60% May 3, 70% May 1, 80% April 28, 90% April 22. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 13, 2022 April 28, 2023 May 5, 2024 April 23, 2025 April 17, 2026 May 15.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%May 1Jun 1May 23May 6Apr 222021: May 132022: April 282023: May 52024: April 232025: April 172026: May 15Fall near Banner Elk: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% September 29, 20% October 4, 30% October 8, 40% October 11, 50% October 14, 60% October 16, 70% October 19, 80% October 22, 90% October 25. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 17, 2022 October 18, 2023 October 8, 2025 October 20.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Sep 29Oct 14Oct 252021: October 172022: October 182023: October 82025: October 20
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
2021May 13October 17
2022April 28October 18
2023May 5October 8
2024April 23incomplete record
2025April 17October 20
2026May 15season not over yet

What these dates mean

May 23 is the cautious spring date for the Banner Elk area, when only a 10 % chance of a light frost remains later, and it lets a gardener set out tender crops with confidence. Because the risk of a 32 °F frost after this day is low, seedlings can be transplanted into the garden.

The median light-frost dates are May 6 in spring and October 14 in fall; each represents a 50 % chance of a frost later in spring or earlier in fall. For a cautious autumn plan, September 29 is the date with only a 10 % chance that a light frost has arrived, indicating when tender crops should be harvested.

Hard frost at 28 °F poses a greater threat than a light frost, so the 50 % hard-frost dates—April 29 in spring and October 22 in fall—are key reference points for gardeners.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 23" 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 September 29" 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 Banner Elk, NCNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Boone, NC — 13 mi; 2 — near Mountain City, TN — 20 mi; 3 — Elizabethton, TN — 24 mi; 4 — Lenoir, NC — 27 mi; 5 — Jefferson, NC — 29 mi.VATN25 mi · 40 km1. Boone, NC — 13 mi12. near Mountain City, TN — 20 mi23. Elizabethton, TN — 24 mi34. Lenoir, NC — 27 mi45. Jefferson, NC — 29 mi5
  1. Boone, NC 13 mi (21 km)
  2. near Mountain City, TN 20 mi (32 km)
  3. Elizabethton, TN 24 mi (38 km)
  4. Lenoir, NC 27 mi (43 km)
  5. Jefferson, NC 29 mi (47 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 6b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 36.1875, -81.8742.