Frost Dates for 28743 — Hot Springs, North Carolina

Half of springs at Hot Springs, NC see their last 32°F night by April 11; only one in ten is past it by March 25, and one in ten still has one after April 27. Planting tender crops after April 18 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 22 20%, and after April 27 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 9 days later, around November 7; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 15, 12 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 181 one year in ten. On average 82 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 24, and return around October 21. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 96% of winters, usually between December 26 and February 9.

July is the warmest month at Hot Springs, NC, averaging 87°F by day and 65°F at night; January is the coldest at 48°F and 29°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 77% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,224 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 70% of the 173 North Carolina stations. 37% of them (1,579) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 815. Precipitation totals 46.7 inches a year, most in June (5.2") and least in October (2.4"); May to September bring 49% of it.

The nearest other station, Marshall, NC, 11 miles east of Hot Springs and 575 feet higher, has a last frost 17 days later (April 28), a first frost 11 days earlier (October 18), a season 28 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Hot Springs usually arrives around December 25, and the last of the season around March 1. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Hot Springs, NC, 4.5 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 86% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 41 days after the last snow.

ZIP 28743 is 5 miles from Hot Springs, NC, which stands at 1,345 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 28743 in zone 7a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.