Fairfield, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Fairfield (USC00312940), elevation 5 ft. The station is named for Fairfield, and its coordinates are 4.9 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Fairfield CDP.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Fairfield is Apr 7 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 4, for a typical freeze-free season of 211 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 21, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 22. The station averages 86 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 6 days later than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is the same day as the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #109 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 3 | Apr 18 | May 1 | Oct 13 | Oct 26 | Nov 6 | 173 / 192 / 209 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 23 | Apr 7 | Apr 21 | Oct 22 | Nov 4 | Nov 21 | 192 / 211 / 233 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Mar 9 | Mar 28 | Apr 11 | Oct 31 | Nov 15 | Dec 3 | 211 / 235 / 261 |
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 Fairfield
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 Fairfield: Fairfield (5 mi).
Nearby stations
- Swanquarter Ferry, NC — 10 mi; median last freeze Mar 18, first freeze Nov 25
- Belhaven 3 NE, NC — 16 mi; median last freeze Mar 25, first freeze Nov 11
- Columbia Ag Gum Neck, NC — 16 mi; median last freeze Mar 29, first freeze Nov 13
- Aurora 6 N, NC — 28 mi; median last freeze Mar 8, first freeze Dec 5
- Plymouth 5 E, NC — 30 mi; median last freeze Mar 31, first freeze Nov 7
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00312940 · Latitude 35.5361, longitude -76.3122 · Elevation 2 m (5 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: 7.
- Source file: USC00312940.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/21 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 04/07 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/23 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/22 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/04 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/21 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 233.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 211.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 192.0 |