Spruce Pine, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Celo 2 S (USC00311624), elevation 2,700 ft. The nearest Census place to the station coordinates is Spruce Pine town, 8.8 miles away.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Celo 2 S is Apr 26 and the median first fall freeze is Oct 15, for a typical freeze-free season of 171 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after May 13, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 1. The station averages 116 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 25 days later than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 20 days earlier than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #177 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 35 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 21 | May 7 | May 24 | Sep 21 | Oct 6 | Oct 22 | 129 / 151 / 171 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 8 | Apr 26 | May 13 | Oct 1 | Oct 15 | Nov 1 | 150 / 171 / 194 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Mar 27 | Apr 12 | May 2 | Oct 11 | Oct 26 | Nov 8 | 170 / 196 / 217 |
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 Spruce Pine
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
- Mt Mitchell, NC — 7 mi; median last freeze May 16, first freeze Oct 4
- Burnsville Ag, NC — 8 mi; median last freeze Apr 24, first freeze Oct 19
- Old Ft Ag 3 W, NC — 12 mi; median last freeze Apr 21, first freeze Oct 23
- Spruce Pine 2 NE, NC — 13 mi; median last freeze Apr 26, first freeze Oct 20
- Marion, NC — 14 mi; median last freeze Apr 5, first freeze Nov 1
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00311624 · Latitude 35.8264, longitude -82.1836 · Elevation 823 m (2,700 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 22.
- Source file: USC00311624.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 05/13 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 04/26 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 04/08 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/01 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 10/15 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/01 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 194.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 171.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 150.0 |