Maggie Valley, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Cataloochee (USC00311564), elevation 2,650 ft. The nearest Census place to the station coordinates is Maggie Valley town, 7.9 miles away.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Cataloochee is Apr 30 and the median first fall freeze is Oct 12, for a typical freeze-free season of 164 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after May 15, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 3. The station averages 131 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 later than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 23 days earlier than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #181 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 27 | May 10 | May 28 | Sep 24 | Oct 5 | Oct 16 | 126 / 146 / 163 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 14 | Apr 30 | May 15 | Oct 3 | Oct 12 | Oct 22 | 146 / 164 / 182 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Mar 31 | Apr 15 | May 2 | Oct 9 | Oct 20 | Nov 1 | 167 / 187 / 208 |
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 Maggie Valley
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.
Nearby stations
- Waterville 2, NC — 9 mi; median last freeze Apr 6, first freeze Nov 1
- Waynesville 1 E, NC — 13 mi; median last freeze Apr 30, first freeze Oct 14
- Cherokee, NC — 16 mi; median last freeze Apr 17, first freeze Oct 21
- Cullowhee, NC — 23 mi; median last freeze Apr 19, first freeze Oct 22
- Hot Springs, NC — 23 mi; median last freeze Apr 11, first freeze Oct 29
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00311564 · Latitude 35.6375, longitude -83.0956 · Elevation 808 m (2,650 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 16.
- Source file: USC00311564.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 05/15 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 04/30 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 04/14 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/03 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 10/12 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 10/22 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 182.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 164.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 146.0 |