Elkin, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Elkin (USC00312740), elevation 910 ft. The station is named for Elkin, and its coordinates are 1.1 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Elkin town.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Elkin is Apr 15 and the median first fall freeze is Oct 26, for a typical freeze-free season of 194 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after May 3, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 14. The station averages 112 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 14 days later than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 9 days earlier than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #142 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) | Apr 14 | Apr 29 | May 14 | Oct 8 | Oct 18 | Oct 29 | 153 / 173 / 193 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 31 | Apr 15 | May 3 | Oct 14 | Oct 26 | Nov 6 | 173 / 194 / 213 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Mar 17 | Apr 2 | Apr 16 | Oct 23 | Nov 4 | Nov 17 | 198 / 217 / 239 |
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 Elkin
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 Elkin: Elkin (1 mi), Pleasant Hill (2 mi), Jonesville (2 mi), Ronda (5 mi), Boonville (9 mi).
Nearby stations
- N Wilkesboro, NC — 17 mi; median last freeze Apr 10, first freeze Oct 29
- Yadkinville 6 E, NC — 20 mi; median last freeze Apr 16, first freeze Oct 25
- Mt Airy 2 W, NC — 20 mi; median last freeze Apr 19, first freeze Oct 23
- Sparta 3.5 SSW, NC — 21 mi; median last freeze Apr 22, first freeze Oct 22
- W Kerr Scott Resv, NC — 22 mi; median last freeze Apr 7, first freeze Nov 1
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00312740 · Latitude 36.2547, longitude -80.8639 · Elevation 277 m (910 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: E — Estimated: fewer complete years at this site; NOAA estimated the normals statistically from nearby stations. Treat these dates with extra caution. Years of data used: 10.
- Source file: USC00312740.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 05/03 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 04/15 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/31 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/14 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 10/26 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/06 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 213.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 194.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 173.0 |