Elizabeth City, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Elizabeth City (USC00312719), elevation 8 ft. The station is named for Elizabeth City, and its coordinates are 2.1 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Elizabeth City city.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Elizabeth City is Mar 27 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 17, for a typical freeze-free season of 238 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 18, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Nov 3. 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 5 days earlier than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 13 days later than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #23 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 42 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 22 | Apr 7 | May 2 | Oct 25 | Nov 6 | Nov 21 | 189 / 213 / 234 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 7 | Mar 27 | Apr 18 | Nov 3 | Nov 17 | Dec 5 | 211 / 238 / 263 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Feb 20 | Mar 12 | Apr 4 | Nov 14 | Dec 2 | Dec 30 | 236 / 266 / 298 |
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 Elizabeth City
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 Elizabeth City: Elizabeth City (2 mi), Camden (2 mi), South Mills (11 mi), Moyock (13 mi).
Nearby stations
- Elizabeth City Cgas, NC — 4 mi; median last freeze Mar 28, first freeze Nov 12
- Edenton, NC — 28 mi; median last freeze Mar 24, first freeze Nov 14
- Manteo AP, NC — 39 mi; median last freeze Mar 15, first freeze Dec 6
- Plymouth 5 E, NC — 39 mi; median last freeze Mar 31, first freeze Nov 7
- Columbia Ag Gum Neck, NC — 42 mi; median last freeze Mar 29, first freeze Nov 13
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00312719 · Latitude 36.3097, longitude -76.2050 · 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: 26.
- Source file: USC00312719.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/18 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 03/27 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/07 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 11/03 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/17 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 12/05 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 263.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 238.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 211.0 |