USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 28904 — Hayesville, North Carolina
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Hayesville 1 NE, NC (1,792 ft), 3 miles west.
Updated
In Hayesville, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 21 in half of years and has passed by May 5 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 21, as early as October 9 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 182 days (NOAA, Hayesville 1 NE, NC).
- Last spring frost
- April 21
- First fall frost
- October 21
- Growing season
- 182 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 33%
- Snow per year
- 3.1"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
8 of 24 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Hayesville
Half of springs at Hayesville 1 NE, NC see their last 32°F night by April 21; only one in ten is past it by April 6, and one in ten still has one after May 5. Planting tender crops after April 27 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 30 20%, and after May 5 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 79% of the 173 North Carolina stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 21 in half of years, as early as October 9 one year in ten, and holds off past November 2 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 30; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 24, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 182 days in a typical year, shorter than at 91% of the 173 North Carolina stations; it reaches 200 days one year in ten and falls short of 163 one year in ten. On average 102 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 May 1, and return around October 13. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 13 and February 16.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 18 | Apr 23 | Apr 26 | Apr 30 | May 1 | May 4 | May 7 | May 11 | May 15 |
| 32°F | Apr 6 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 5 |
| 28°F | Mar 22 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 12 | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 24 |
| 24°F | Mar 2 | Mar 13 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 12 |
| 20°F | Feb 10 | Feb 20 | Feb 26 | Mar 3 | Mar 9 | Mar 14 | Mar 18 | Mar 24 | Mar 31 |
| 16°F | Jan 18 | Jan 29 | Feb 3 | Feb 10 | Feb 16 | Feb 24 | Mar 2 | Mar 8 | Mar 16 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 1 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 10 | Oct 13 | Oct 15 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 25 |
| 32°F | Oct 9 | Oct 14 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 21 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 2 |
| 28°F | Oct 16 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 13 |
| 24°F | Oct 27 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 21 | Nov 30 |
| 20°F | Nov 6 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 | Dec 9 | Dec 19 |
| 16°F | Nov 20 | Nov 27 | Dec 2 | Dec 7 | Dec 13 | Dec 21 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 9 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Hayesville 1 NE, 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 28904 →Compare Hayesville with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Andrews, NC, 11 miles north of Hayesville, has a last frost 4 days earlier (April 17), a first frost 2 days later (October 23), a season 7 days longer.
When it snows in Hayesville, North Carolina
Measurable snow is rare here: only 8 of 24 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Blairsville Exp Stn, GA, 17 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 28904
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 10 – February 24 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 24 – March 10 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 24 – April 7 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 21 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 29 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 7 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 21 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 28904 is 3 miles from Hayesville 1 NE, NC, which stands at 1,792 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 28904 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.
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.