Asheville, NC frost dates

From NOAA weather station Asheville Rgnl AP (USW00003812), elevation 2,117 ft. The station is named for Asheville, and its coordinates are 9.6 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Asheville city.

Summary

In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Asheville Rgnl AP is Apr 9 and the median first fall freeze is Oct 28, for a typical freeze-free season of 201 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 27, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 14. The station averages 88 nights per year with a low of 32°F or colder.

Compared with the median of 187 North Carolina stations in this dataset, the median last freeze here is 8 days later than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 7 days earlier than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #131 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 36 days, a measure of how variable spring is here.

Freeze probability table

Spring: chance the last freeze falls after the date. Fall: chance the first freeze falls on or before the date. Season: days between, exceeded in 90% / 50% / 10% of years.
ThresholdLast spring occurrenceFirst fall occurrenceSeason length (days)
90% / 50% / 10%
Early (90% chance of a later freeze)Median (50%)Cautious (10% chance of a later freeze)Early (10% chance by then)Median (50%)Late (90% chance by then)
36°F (light frost possible)Apr 7Apr 23May 9Oct 6Oct 18Nov 1157 / 178 / 197
32°F (freeze)Mar 22Apr 9Apr 27Oct 14Oct 28Nov 9180 / 201 / 222
28°F (hard freeze)Mar 6Mar 26Apr 10Oct 26Nov 8Nov 24205 / 228 / 252

Read the spring “Cautious” column as the safer planting date: only about 1 year in 10 has a freeze after it. NOAA computes these from daily minimum temperatures at the station; your yard can differ, especially in low spots or at a different elevation.

Planting calendar for Asheville

Pick how much frost risk you accept. The calendar applies generic, extension-published timing rules to this station’s dates. See the rules and sources.

CropStart seeds indoorsPlant outdoors (spring)Latest fall planting (est.)Days to harvest

Fall estimates count back from the median first fall freeze (32°F for tender crops, 28°F hard freeze for cool-season crops) by the longer days-to-harvest figure. These are rough planning aids, not recommendations for any specific variety; check seed packets and your county extension office.

Towns that use this station as their nearest

Census places within 15 miles whose closest station in this dataset is Asheville Rgnl AP: Fletcher (2 mi), Royal Pines (4 mi), Hoopers Creek (6 mi).

Nearby stations

About this station’s data

Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
FieldValue
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP1004/27
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP5004/09
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP9003/22
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP1010/14
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP5010/28
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP9011/09
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10222.0
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50201.0
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90180.0