Frost Dates for 27215 — Burlington, North Carolina

Half of springs at Burlington Fire Stn #5, NC see their last 32°F night by March 29; only one in ten is past it by March 8, and one in ten still has one after April 15. Planting tender crops after April 4 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 7 20%, and after April 15 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 65% of the 173 North Carolina stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 9 in half of years, as early as October 26 one year in ten, and holds off past November 25 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 14 days later, around November 23; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 3, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 226 days in a typical year, longer than at 68% of the 173 North Carolina stations; it reaches 253 days one year in ten and falls short of 200 one year in ten. On average 72 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 12 days longer, to about April 10, and return around October 30. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 100% of winters and 16°F in 65%.

July is the warmest month at Burlington Fire Stn #5, NC, averaging 90°F by day and 69°F at night; January is the coldest at 51°F and 31°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From May to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 38% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,793 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 55% of the 173 North Carolina stations. 38% of them (1,842) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 916.

The nearest other station, Burlington Alamance Airport, NC, 2 miles south of Burlington, has a last frost 3 days later (April 1), a first frost 7 days earlier (November 2), a season 11 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Burlington usually arrives around January 19, and the last of the season around February 13. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Burlington Fire Stn #5, NC, 1.5 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 55% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 44 days after the last snow.

ZIP 27215 is 2 miles from Burlington Fire Stn #5, NC, which stands at 660 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 27215 in zone 8a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 10 to 15°F (-12.2 to -9.4°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.