Bent Creek, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Enka (USC00312837), elevation 2,050 ft. The nearest Census place to the station coordinates is Bent Creek CDP, 2.9 miles away.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Enka is Apr 12 and the median first fall freeze is Oct 23, for a typical freeze-free season of 195 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 27, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 12. The station averages 102 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 11 days later than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 12 days earlier than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #140 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 29 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 11 | Apr 26 | May 12 | Oct 4 | Oct 15 | Oct 28 | 151 / 172 / 191 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 29 | Apr 12 | Apr 27 | Oct 12 | Oct 23 | Nov 5 | 174 / 195 / 213 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Mar 16 | Mar 31 | Apr 14 | Oct 20 | Nov 1 | Nov 16 | 196 / 216 / 236 |
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 Bent Creek
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
- Candler 1 W, NC — 3 mi; median last freeze Apr 19, first freeze Oct 22
- Asheville 8 SSW, NC — 4 mi; median last freeze Apr 24, first freeze Oct 18
- Bent Creek, NC — 4 mi; median last freeze Apr 26, first freeze Oct 18
- Asheville, NC — 7 mi; median last freeze Apr 6, first freeze Oct 31
- Fletcher 3 W, NC — 10 mi; median last freeze Apr 18, first freeze Oct 21
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00312837 · Latitude 35.5408, longitude -82.6536 · Elevation 625 m (2,050 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 21.
- Source file: USC00312837.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/27 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 04/12 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/29 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/12 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 10/23 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/05 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 213.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 195.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 174.0 |