U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00314055 · North Carolina

Frost Dates for Highlands, NC

NOAA weather station Highlands (USC00314055), North Carolina · elevation 3850 ft (1174 m) · hardiness zone 7a*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 17only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 3050% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1550% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season167 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Highlands, NCSpring: a frost after April 13 in 9 years out of 10, after April 30 in half of the years, after May 17 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 3 in 1 year out of 10, before October 15 in half of the years, before October 29 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 167 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 30First frost ~Oct 15Frost season at Highlands, NCSpring: a frost after April 13 in 9 years out of 10, after April 30 in half of the years, after May 17 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 3 in 1 year out of 10, before October 15 in half of the years, before October 29 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 167 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 30First frost ~Oct 15
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 30 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 17October 3
50% (typical)April 30October 15
90% (likely)April 13October 29
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
167 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 16
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 26

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 30 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 18 (3 days later). Frost-free season 172 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 Highlands: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 17, 20% May 10, 30% May 6, 40% May 3, 50% April 30, 60% April 26, 70% April 22, 80% April 18, 90% April 13. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 26, 2022 April 21, 2023 May 5, 2024 April 27, 2025 April 15, 2026 May 15.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 17Apr 30Apr 132021: April 262022: April 212023: May 52024: April 272025: April 152026: May 15Fall at Highlands: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 3, 20% October 7, 30% October 10, 40% October 13, 50% October 15, 60% October 18, 70% October 21, 80% October 25, 90% October 29. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 19, 2022 October 18, 2023 October 23, 2024 October 16, 2025 November 2.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 3Oct 15Oct 292021: October 192022: October 182023: October 232024: October 162025: November 2
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 26October 19
2022April 21October 18
2023May 5October 23
2024April 27October 16
2025April 15November 2
2026May 15season not over yet

What these dates mean

May 17 is the cautious spring date, giving a gardener confidence to set out tender crops. October 3 is the cautious fall date, indicating when a gardener should finish harvesting tender crops.

The 50% dates are April 30 for spring and October 15 for fall; they mark a point where there is a 50% chance of a frost later than April 30 or earlier than October 15. The 50% hard-frost dates are April 16 and October 26; they indicate an even chance of a hard frost (28 °F) occurring after or before those dates. Hard frost at 28 °F can cause damage that a light frost at 32 °F usually does not.

The period between the two 32°F 50% dates, April 30 and October 15, spans 167 days, giving a sense of the typical frost-free window over the 30-year record.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 17" 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 3" 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 Highlands, NCNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Franklin, NC — 14 mi; 2 — Cullowhee, NC — 18 mi; 3 — Walhalla, SC — 22 mi; 4 — Brevard, NC — 29 mi; 5 — Waynesville, NC — 32 mi.NCSCGATN25 mi · 40 km1. Franklin, NC — 14 mi12. Cullowhee, NC — 18 mi23. Walhalla, SC — 22 mi34. Brevard, NC — 29 mi45. Waynesville, NC — 32 mi5
  1. Franklin, NC 14 mi (22 km)
  2. Cullowhee, NC 18 mi (28 km)
  3. Walhalla, SC 22 mi (35 km)
  4. Brevard, NC 29 mi (46 km)
  5. Waynesville, NC 32 mi (52 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 7a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 35.0564, -83.1983.