Frost Dates for 28768 — Pisgah Forest, North Carolina

Half of springs at Pisgah Forest 3 NE, NC see their last 32°F night by April 19; only one in ten is past it by April 2, and one in ten still has one after May 8. Planting tender crops after April 26 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 1 20%, and after May 8 10%. The 19 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 90% of the 173 North Carolina stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 23 in half of years, as early as October 9 one year in ten, and holds off past November 4 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around November 1; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 23, 15 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 186 days in a typical year, shorter than at 86% of the 173 North Carolina stations; it reaches 208 days one year in ten and falls short of 162 one year in ten. On average 118 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 May 2, and return around October 13. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 99% of winters, usually between December 17 and February 15.

July is the warmest month at Pisgah Forest 3 NE, NC, averaging 84°F by day and 62°F at night; January is the coldest at 49°F and 26°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 89% of years and May still brings one in 22% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,469 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 87% of the 173 North Carolina stations. 36% of them (1,259) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 718. Precipitation totals 65.1 inches a year, most in August (6.2") and least in October (4.9"); May to September bring 43% of it.

The nearest other station, Brevard, NC, 5 miles southwest of Pisgah Forest, has a last frost 2 days later (April 21), the same first-frost date, a season 1 day shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Pisgah Forest usually arrives around January 16, and the last of the season around February 10. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Pisgah Forest 3 NE, NC, 1.5 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 88% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 68 days after the last snow.

ZIP 28768 is 2 miles from Pisgah Forest 3 NE, NC, which stands at 2,190 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 28768 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.