Atlantic, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Cedar Is (USC00311606), elevation 8 ft. The nearest Census place to the station coordinates is Atlantic CDP, 7.5 miles away.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Cedar Is is Mar 11 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 30, for a typical freeze-free season of 261 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Mar 30, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Nov 11. The station averages 34 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 21 days earlier than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 26 days later than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #8 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 39 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) | Mar 5 | Mar 24 | Apr 9 | Nov 1 | Nov 17 | Dec 2 | 215 / 237 / 261 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Feb 19 | Mar 11 | Mar 30 | Nov 11 | Nov 30 | Dec 20 | 237 / 261 / 290 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Jan 29 | Feb 27 | Mar 19 | Nov 24 | Dec 17 | Jan 14 | 264 / 294 / 328 |
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
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 Cedar Is: Atlantic (8 mi).
Nearby stations
- Ocracoke, NC — 20 mi; median last freeze Mar 1, first freeze Dec 20
- Beaufort Michael J Smith Fld, NC — 27 mi; median last freeze Mar 10, first freeze Dec 1
- Swanquarter Ferry, NC — 28 mi; median last freeze Mar 18, first freeze Nov 25
- Morehead City 2 WNW, NC — 30 mi; median last freeze Mar 18, first freeze Nov 21
- Bayboro 3 SW, NC — 31 mi; median last freeze Mar 30, first freeze Nov 8
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00311606 · Latitude 34.9833, longitude -76.3000 · Elevation 2 m (8 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 25.
- Source file: USC00311606.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 03/30 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 03/11 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 02/19 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 11/11 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/30 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 12/20 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 290.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 261.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 237.0 |