USDA Hardiness Zone 8a
Frost Dates for 27557 — Middlesex, North Carolina
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Clayton 3E, NC (332 ft), 15 miles southwest.
Updated
In Middlesex, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 28 in half of years and has passed by April 11 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 8, as early as October 27 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 225 days (NOAA, Clayton 3E, NC).
- Last spring frost
- March 28
- First fall frost
- November 8
- Growing season
- 225 days
- Hardiness zone
- 8a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
10 to 15°F (-12.2 to -9.4°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 47%
- Snow per year
- 3.3"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
9 of 19 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Middlesex
Half of springs at Clayton 3E, NC see their last 32°F night by March 28; only one in ten is past it by March 10, and one in ten still has one after April 11. Planting tender crops after April 3 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 6 20%, and after April 11 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 79% of the 173 North Carolina stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 8 in half of years, as early as October 27 one year in ten, and holds off past November 22 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around November 19; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 1, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 225 days in a typical year, longer than at 67% of the 173 North Carolina stations; it reaches 249 days one year in ten and falls short of 204 one year in ten. On average 61 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 13 days longer, to about April 10, and return around October 31. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 100% of winters and 16°F in 69%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 26 | Mar 31 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 12 | Apr 16 | Apr 18 | Apr 24 |
| 32°F | Mar 10 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 11 |
| 28°F | Feb 23 | Mar 1 | Mar 6 | Mar 10 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 27 | Apr 1 |
| 24°F | Feb 4 | Feb 11 | Feb 18 | Feb 25 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 8 | Mar 14 | Mar 21 |
| 20°F96% of yrs | Jan 15 | Jan 24 | Jan 31 | Feb 4 | Feb 9 | Feb 15 | Feb 22 | Feb 28 | Mar 6 |
| 16°F69% of yrs | Jan 2 | Jan 13 | Jan 18 | Jan 24 | Jan 29 | Feb 1 | Feb 7 | Feb 13 | Feb 25 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 17 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 6 | Nov 11 |
| 32°F | Oct 27 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 |
| 28°F | Nov 4 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 | Dec 2 | Dec 9 |
| 24°F | Nov 15 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 12 | Dec 19 | Dec 28 | Jan 4 |
| 20°F96% of yrs | Dec 2 | Dec 10 | Dec 18 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 12 | Jan 18 | Jan 27 |
| 16°F69% of yrs | Dec 19 | Dec 29 | Jan 2 | Jan 8 | Jan 12 | Jan 17 | Jan 21 | Jan 29 | Feb 8 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Clayton 3E, NC, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 27557 →Compare Middlesex with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Wilson 3 SW, NC, 15 miles east of Middlesex and 222 feet lower, has a last frost 6 days earlier (March 22), a first frost 4 days later (November 12), a season 11 days longer.
When it snows in Middlesex, North Carolina
Measurable snow is rare here: only 9 of 19 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Zebulon 3 SW, NC, 8.5 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 27557
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 17 – January 31 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| January 31 – February 14 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| February 28 – March 14 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 28 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 16 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 25 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 8 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 27557 is 15 miles from Clayton 3E, NC, which stands at 332 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 3 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 27527 (Clayton). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 27557 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.
Frost dates across North Carolina →
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.