USDA Hardiness Zone 8a
Frost Dates for 28365 — Mount Olive, North Carolina
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Mt Olive 6SE, NC (162 ft), 5 miles southeast.
Updated
In Mount Olive, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 28 in half of years and has passed by April 10 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 7, as early as October 27 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 226 days (NOAA, Mt Olive 6SE, NC).
- Last spring frost
- March 28
- First fall frost
- November 7
- Growing season
- 226 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
- 38%
- Snow per year
- 2"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
8 of 21 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Mount Olive
Half of springs at Mt Olive 6SE, 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 10. Planting tender crops after April 2 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 5 20%, and after April 10 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 92% of the 173 North Carolina stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 7 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 18; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 31, 10 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 247 days one year in ten and falls short of 206 one year in ten. On average 63 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 11 days longer, to about April 8, and return around October 29. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 100% of winters and 16°F in 70%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 25 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 10 | Apr 13 | Apr 17 | Apr 21 |
| 32°F | Mar 10 | Mar 17 | Mar 20 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 10 |
| 28°F | Feb 25 | Mar 2 | Mar 6 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 21 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 |
| 24°F | Feb 2 | Feb 10 | Feb 18 | Feb 25 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 9 | Mar 14 | Mar 20 |
| 20°F96% of yrs | Jan 10 | Jan 20 | Jan 27 | Jan 31 | Feb 5 | Feb 10 | Feb 18 | Feb 27 | Mar 5 |
| 16°F70% of yrs | Dec 31 | Jan 8 | Jan 14 | Jan 20 | Jan 26 | Jan 30 | Feb 1 | Feb 7 | Feb 17 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 17 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 27 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 10 |
| 32°F | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 |
| 28°F | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 9 |
| 24°F | Nov 14 | Nov 20 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 10 | Dec 17 | Dec 26 | Jan 3 |
| 20°F96% of yrs | Dec 1 | Dec 8 | Dec 15 | Dec 23 | Dec 29 | Jan 2 | Jan 7 | Jan 15 | Jan 24 |
| 16°F70% of yrs | Dec 15 | Dec 23 | Dec 30 | Jan 3 | Jan 9 | Jan 15 | Jan 19 | Jan 27 | Feb 2 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Mt Olive 6SE, 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 28365 →Compare Mount Olive with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Warsaw 5 E, NC, 12 miles south of Mount Olive, has a last frost 10 days later (April 7), a first frost 8 days earlier (October 30), a season 22 days shorter.
When it snows in Mount Olive, North Carolina
Measurable snow is rare here: only 8 of 21 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Warsaw 5 E, NC, 12.3 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 28365
| 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 15 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 24 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 7 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 28365 is 5 miles from Mt Olive 6SE, NC, which stands at 162 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 28365 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.