Atlantic Beach, NC frost dates

From NOAA weather station Atlantic Beach WTP (USC00310356), elevation 4 ft. The station is named for Atlantic Beach, and its coordinates are 0.3 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Atlantic Beach town.

Summary

In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Atlantic Beach WTP is Mar 3 and the median first fall freeze is Dec 13, for a typical freeze-free season of 286 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Mar 21, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Nov 25. The station averages 27 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 29 days earlier than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 39 days later than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #4 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 40 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)Feb 27Mar 18Apr 3Nov 12Nov 29Dec 19234 / 257 / 285
32°F (freeze)Feb 9Mar 3Mar 21Nov 25Dec 13Jan 9257 / 286 / 314
28°F (hard freeze)Jan 19Feb 17Mar 10Dec 7Dec 31Jan 23284 / 312 / 345

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 Atlantic Beach

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 Atlantic Beach WTP: Atlantic Beach (0 mi), Pine Knoll Shores (5 mi).

Nearby stations

About this station’s data

Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
FieldValue
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP1003/21
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP5003/03
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP9002/09
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP1011/25
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP5012/13
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP9001/09
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10314.0
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50286.0
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90257.0