Frost Dates for 28697 — Wilkesboro, North Carolina

Half of springs at N Wilkesboro, NC see their last 32°F night by April 10; only one in ten is past it by March 25, and one in ten still has one after April 26. Planting tender crops after April 16 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 20 20%, and after April 26 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 October 29 in half of years, as early as October 16 one year in ten, and holds off past November 10 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 8; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 11, 15 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 201 days in a typical year, shorter than at 72% of the 173 North Carolina stations; it reaches 225 days one year in ten and falls short of 180 one year in ten. On average 104 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 14 days longer, to about April 24, and return around October 20. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 95% of winters, usually between December 26 and February 5.

July is the warmest month at N Wilkesboro, NC, averaging 87°F by day and 66°F at night; January is the coldest at 48°F and 27°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 76% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,013 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 78% of the 173 North Carolina stations. 37% of them (1,503) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 820. Precipitation totals 51.8 inches a year, most in August (5.1") and least in February (3.3"); May to September bring 45% of it.

The nearest other station, W Kerr Scott Resv, NC, 3 miles west of Wilkesboro, has a last frost 3 days earlier (April 7), a first frost 3 days later (November 1), a season 7 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Wilkesboro usually arrives around January 17, and the last of the season around February 20. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at N Wilkesboro, NC, 2.2 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 84% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 49 days after the last snow.

ZIP 28697 is 2 miles from N Wilkesboro, NC, which stands at 1,120 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station; its figures are presented in full for 28659 (North Wilkesboro). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 28697 in zone 7b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.