USDA Hardiness Zone 8a
Frost Dates for 28756 — Mill Spring, North Carolina
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Lake Lure 2, NC (1,040 ft), 6 miles north.
Updated
In Mill Spring, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 5 in half of years and has passed by April 20 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 30, as early as October 18 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 207 days (NOAA, Lake Lure 2, NC).
- Last spring frost
- April 5
- First fall frost
- October 30
- Growing season
- 207 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
- January 7
- Last snow
- February 15
- Winters with snow
- 83%
- Snow per year
- 4.9"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
20 of 24 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Mill Spring
Half of springs at Lake Lure 2, NC see their last 32°F night by April 5; only one in ten is past it by March 20, and one in ten still has one after April 20. Planting tender crops after April 11 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 15 20%, and after April 20 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 57% of the 173 North Carolina stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 30 in half of years, as early as October 18 one year in ten, and holds off past November 13 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around November 10; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 9, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 207 days in a typical year, shorter than at 64% of the 173 North Carolina stations; it reaches 228 days one year in ten and falls short of 188 one year in ten. On average 83 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 19, and return around October 21. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 98% of winters, usually between December 25 and February 7.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 5 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 | May 4 |
| 32°F | Mar 20 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 | Apr 20 |
| 28°F | Mar 8 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 21 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 9 |
| 24°F | Feb 20 | Feb 28 | Mar 5 | Mar 10 | Mar 14 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 26 | Mar 31 |
| 20°F | Feb 1 | Feb 10 | Feb 17 | Feb 23 | Mar 1 | Mar 5 | Mar 10 | Mar 15 | Mar 22 |
| 16°F98% of yrs | Jan 11 | Jan 19 | Jan 28 | Feb 1 | Feb 7 | Feb 15 | Feb 24 | Mar 3 | Mar 11 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 10 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 19 | Oct 21 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 3 |
| 32°F | Oct 18 | Oct 22 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 13 |
| 28°F | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 |
| 24°F | Nov 4 | Nov 10 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 11 |
| 20°F | Nov 17 | Nov 25 | Nov 30 | Dec 3 | Dec 6 | Dec 11 | Dec 16 | Dec 23 | Jan 1 |
| 16°F98% of yrs | Dec 2 | Dec 7 | Dec 12 | Dec 19 | Dec 25 | Dec 31 | Jan 4 | Jan 9 | Jan 18 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Lake Lure 2, 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 28756 →Compare Mill Spring with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Tryon, NC, 10 miles southwest of Mill Spring and 280 feet higher, has a last frost 9 days earlier (March 27), a first frost 13 days later (November 12), a season 24 days longer.
When it snows in Mill Spring, North Carolina
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Mill Spring usually arrives around January 7, and the last of the season around February 15. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Tryon, NC, 9.8 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 83% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 49 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 28756
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 25 – February 8 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 8 – February 22 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 8 – March 22 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 5 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 7 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 16 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 30 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 28756 is 6 miles from Lake Lure 2, NC, which stands at 1,040 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 28756 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.