Beech Mountain, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Beech Mtn (USC00310645), elevation 5,053 ft. The nearest Census place to the station coordinates is Beech Mountain town, 1.7 miles away.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Beech Mtn is May 6 and the median first fall freeze is Oct 14, for a typical freeze-free season of 159 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after May 23, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Sep 29. The station averages 125 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 35 days later than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 21 days earlier than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #184 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 31 days, a measure of how variable spring is here.
Freeze probability table
| Threshold | Last spring occurrence | First fall occurrence | Season 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 30 | May 14 | May 30 | Sep 19 | Oct 3 | Oct 17 | 122 / 142 / 162 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 22 | May 6 | May 23 | Sep 29 | Oct 14 | Oct 25 | 138 / 159 / 179 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Apr 11 | Apr 29 | May 14 | Oct 10 | Oct 22 | Nov 2 | 155 / 177 / 196 |
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 Beech Mountain
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.
| Crop | Start seeds indoors | Plant 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 Beech Mtn: Beech Mountain (2 mi), Valle Crucis (5 mi).
Nearby stations
- Banner Elk, NC — 2 mi; median last freeze Apr 30, first freeze Oct 14
- Flat Springs 1E, NC — 5 mi; median last freeze Apr 18, first freeze Oct 24
- Grandfather Mtn, NC — 7 mi; median last freeze May 5, first freeze Oct 13
- Blowing Rock 1NW, NC — 10 mi; median last freeze Apr 25, first freeze Oct 21
- Boone 1 SE, NC — 13 mi; median last freeze May 2, first freeze Oct 13
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00310645 · Latitude 36.1875, longitude -81.8742 · Elevation 1540 m (5,053 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: S — Standard: meets WMO data-availability standards for 24 or more years. Years of data used: 27.
- Source file: USC00310645.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 05/23 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 05/06 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 04/22 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 09/29 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 10/14 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 10/25 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 179.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 159.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 138.0 |