USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 30546 — Hiawassee, Georgia
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Hayesville 1 NE, NC (1,792 ft), 10 miles northwest.
Updated
In Hiawassee, 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 Hiawassee
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 97% of the 127 Georgia 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 98% of the 127 Georgia 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 30546 →Compare Hiawassee with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Blairsville Exp Stn, GA, 13 miles west of Hiawassee and 157 feet higher, has a last frost 5 days later (April 26), a first frost 2 days earlier (October 19), a season 6 days shorter.
When it snows in Hiawassee, Georgia
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, 13.4 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 30546
| 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 30546 is 10 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; its figures are presented in full for 28904 (Hayesville). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 30546 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.
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.