USDA Hardiness Zone 8b
Frost Dates for 28456 — Riegelwood, North Carolina
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Moores Creek Nb, NC (22 ft), 12 miles northeast.
Updated
In Riegelwood, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 27 in half of years and has passed by April 12 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 8, as early as October 24 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 227 days (NOAA, Moores Creek Nb, NC).
- Last spring frost
- March 27
- First fall frost
- November 8
- Growing season
- 227 days
- Hardiness zone
- 8b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 20%
- Snow per year
- 0.2"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
4 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Riegelwood
Half of springs at Moores Creek Nb, NC see their last 32°F night by March 27; only one in ten is past it by March 9, and one in ten still has one after April 12. Planting tender crops after April 3 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 6 20%, and after April 12 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 35% 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 24 one year in ten, and holds off past November 27 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 13 days later, around November 21; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 1, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 227 days in a typical year, longer than at 72% of the 173 North Carolina stations; it reaches 251 days one year in ten and falls short of 204 one year in ten. On average 66 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 10 days longer, to about April 6, and return around October 31. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 100% of winters and 16°F in 71%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 23 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 6 | Apr 10 | Apr 13 | Apr 17 | Apr 21 |
| 32°F | Mar 9 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 24 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 12 |
| 28°F | Feb 20 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 9 | Mar 14 | Mar 19 | Mar 23 | Mar 27 | Apr 1 |
| 24°F | Jan 29 | Feb 6 | Feb 14 | Feb 21 | Feb 27 | Mar 2 | Mar 7 | Mar 14 | Mar 20 |
| 20°F95% of yrs | Jan 9 | Jan 18 | Jan 27 | Jan 31 | Feb 5 | Feb 12 | Feb 20 | Feb 27 | Mar 4 |
| 16°F71% of yrs | Jan 1 | Jan 10 | Jan 14 | Jan 19 | Jan 24 | Jan 30 | Feb 1 | Feb 7 | Feb 17 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 16 | Oct 21 | Oct 25 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 12 |
| 32°F | Oct 24 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 27 |
| 28°F | Nov 3 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 12 |
| 24°F | Nov 16 | Nov 25 | Dec 1 | Dec 3 | Dec 8 | Dec 14 | Dec 21 | Dec 29 | Jan 6 |
| 20°F95% of yrs | Dec 1 | Dec 8 | Dec 16 | Dec 23 | Dec 29 | Jan 2 | Jan 8 | Jan 14 | Jan 25 |
| 16°F71% of yrs | Dec 17 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 10 | Jan 14 | Jan 17 | Jan 23 | Jan 31 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Moores Creek Nb, 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 28456 →Compare Riegelwood with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Wilmington 7 N, NC, 21 miles east of Riegelwood, has a last frost 2 days later (March 29), the same first-frost date, a season 1 day shorter.
When it snows in Riegelwood, North Carolina
Measurable snow is rare here: only 4 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Wilmington 7 N, NC, 20.9 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 28456
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 16 – January 30 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| January 30 – February 13 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| February 27 – March 13 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 27 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 28456 is 12 miles from Moores Creek Nb, NC, which stands at 22 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 4 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 28456 in zone 8b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°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.