U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00003810 · North Carolina

Frost Dates near Hickory, NC

NOAA weather station Hickory Faa Airport (USW00003810), North Carolina · elevation 1143 ft (348 m) · hardiness zone 8a*

Hickory is the nearest town to the station (2.4 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 16only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 3150% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 450% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season219 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone8acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Hickory, NCSpring: a frost after March 13 in 9 years out of 10, after March 31 in half of the years, after April 16 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 22 in 1 year out of 10, before November 4 in half of the years, before November 18 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 219 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 31First frost ~Nov 4Frost season near Hickory, NCSpring: a frost after March 13 in 9 years out of 10, after March 31 in half of the years, after April 16 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 22 in 1 year out of 10, before November 4 in half of the years, before November 18 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 219 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 31First frost ~Nov 4
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 29 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 16October 22
50% (typical)March 31November 4
90% (likely)March 13November 18
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
219 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 18
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 15

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 31 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 4. Frost-free season 220 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 Hickory: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 16, 20% April 9, 30% April 5, 40% April 2, 50% March 31, 60% March 28, 70% March 25, 80% March 19, 90% March 13. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 March 14, 2023 March 21, 2024 March 25, 2025 April 13, 2026 March 29.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Mar 1Apr 1Apr 16Mar 31Mar 132021: April 222022: March 142023: March 212024: March 252025: April 132026: March 29Fall near Hickory: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 22, 20% October 26, 30% October 30, 40% November 1, 50% November 4, 60% November 6, 70% November 9, 80% November 12, 90% November 18. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 14, 2022 November 13, 2023 November 1, 2024 November 22, 2025 November 10.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Oct 22Nov 4Nov 182021: November 142022: November 132023: November 12024: November 222025: 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 22November 14
2022March 14November 13
2023March 21November 1
2024March 25November 22
2025April 13November 10
2026March 29season not over yet

What these dates mean

April 16 is the cautious spring light-frost date for the Hickory area, marking a 10 % chance that a frost will occur later and indicating when a gardener can begin setting out tender crops with low risk.

The 50% light-frost date is March 31, meaning there is a 50 % chance of a light frost at that point in the season, and the 50% light-frost date in fall is November 4, meaning there is a 50 % chance of a light frost at that point. The cautious fall date is October 22, with only a 10 % chance that a frost has arrived earlier, so it guides when to finish harvesting tender crops. The median hard-frost dates are March 18 and November 15; these are the dates at which a 28 °F frost has an even chance of occurring.

A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants that survive a light frost at 32 °F, making the hard-frost dates more critical for protecting tender crops.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 16" 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 Hickory, NCNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Lenoir, NC — 15 mi; 2 — Lincolnton, NC — 20 mi; 3 — West Kerr Scott Resv, NC — 28 mi; 4 — Statesville, NC — 28 mi; 5 — Shelby, NC — 32 mi.TN25 mi · 40 km1. Lenoir, NC — 15 mi12. Lincolnton, NC — 20 mi23. West Kerr Scott Resv, NC — 28 mi34. Statesville, NC — 28 mi45. Shelby, NC — 32 mi5
  1. Lenoir, NC 15 mi (24 km)
  2. Lincolnton, NC 20 mi (32 km)
  3. West Kerr Scott Resv, NC 28 mi (45 km)
  4. Statesville, NC 28 mi (46 km)
  5. Shelby, NC 32 mi (51 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: 35.7425, -81.3819.