Columbia, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Columbia Ag Gum Neck (USC00311949), elevation 10 ft. The station is named for Columbia, and its coordinates are 16.0 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Columbia town.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Columbia Ag Gum Neck is Mar 29 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 13, for a typical freeze-free season of 231 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 10, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 31. The station averages 59 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 3 days earlier than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 9 days later than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #36 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 30 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 9 | Apr 21 | Oct 20 | Nov 3 | Nov 19 | 189 / 207 / 228 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 11 | Mar 29 | Apr 10 | Oct 31 | Nov 13 | Dec 2 | 211 / 231 / 255 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Feb 26 | Mar 13 | Mar 31 | Nov 10 | Nov 30 | Dec 25 | 234 / 260 / 289 |
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 Columbia
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
- Fairfield, NC — 16 mi; median last freeze Apr 7, first freeze Nov 4
- Swanquarter Ferry, NC — 25 mi; median last freeze Mar 18, first freeze Nov 25
- Belhaven 3 NE, NC — 27 mi; median last freeze Mar 25, first freeze Nov 11
- Manteo AP, NC — 28 mi; median last freeze Mar 15, first freeze Dec 6
- Edenton, NC — 32 mi; median last freeze Mar 24, first freeze Nov 14
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00311949 · Latitude 35.7108, longitude -76.1269 · Elevation 3 m (10 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 12.
- Source file: USC00311949.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/10 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 03/29 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/11 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/31 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/13 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 12/02 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 255.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 231.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 211.0 |