Charlotte, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Charlotte Douglas AP (USW00013881), elevation 728 ft. The station is named for Charlotte, and its coordinates are 7.1 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Charlotte city.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Charlotte Douglas AP is Mar 30 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 3, for a typical freeze-free season of 221 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 14, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 22. The station averages 58 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 2 days earlier than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 1 day earlier than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #74 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 33 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 26 | Apr 11 | Apr 28 | Oct 15 | Oct 27 | Nov 7 | 179 / 200 / 220 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 12 | Mar 30 | Apr 14 | Oct 22 | Nov 3 | Nov 17 | 201 / 221 / 244 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Feb 25 | Mar 17 | Apr 3 | Nov 1 | Nov 14 | Dec 2 | 221 / 245 / 271 |
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 Charlotte
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 Charlotte Douglas AP: Belmont (5 mi), Mount Holly (7 mi), Charlotte (7 mi), Pineville (10 mi), Huntersville (14 mi).
Nearby stations
- Gastonia, NC — 11 mi; median last freeze Mar 27, first freeze Nov 9
- Gastonia Muni AP, NC — 11 mi; median last freeze Mar 24, first freeze Nov 9
- Rock Hill York Co AP, SC — 17 mi; median last freeze Mar 31, first freeze Nov 4
- Winthrop Univ, SC — 20 mi; median last freeze Mar 27, first freeze Nov 5
- Monroe AP, NC — 24 mi; median last freeze Mar 31, first freeze Nov 5
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USW00013881 · Latitude 35.2236, longitude -80.9553 · Elevation 222 m (728 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: S — Standard: meets WMO data-availability standards for 24 or more years. Years of data used: 28.
- Source file: USW00013881.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/14 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 03/30 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/12 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/22 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/03 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/17 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 244.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 221.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 201.0 |