Beech Mountain, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Flat Springs 1E (USC00313072), elevation 3,330 ft. The nearest Census place to the station coordinates is Beech Mountain town, 3.3 miles away.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Flat Springs 1E is Apr 18 and the median first fall freeze is Oct 24, for a typical freeze-free season of 188 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after May 7, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 11. The station averages 95 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 17 days later than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 11 days earlier than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #154 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 34 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 15 | May 2 | May 18 | Oct 1 | Oct 14 | Oct 27 | 143 / 164 / 185 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 3 | Apr 18 | May 7 | Oct 11 | Oct 24 | Nov 6 | 166 / 188 / 209 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Mar 21 | Apr 4 | Apr 21 | Oct 20 | Nov 2 | Nov 19 | 191 / 213 / 235 |
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 Beech Mountain
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 Flat Springs 1E: Cove Creek (8 mi).
Nearby stations
- Beech Mtn, NC — 5 mi; median last freeze May 6, first freeze Oct 14
- Banner Elk, NC — 7 mi; median last freeze Apr 30, first freeze Oct 14
- Grandfather Mtn, NC — 12 mi; median last freeze May 5, first freeze Oct 13
- Blowing Rock 1NW, NC — 14 mi; median last freeze Apr 25, first freeze Oct 21
- Boone 1 SE, NC — 15 mi; median last freeze May 2, first freeze Oct 13
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00313072 · Latitude 36.2525, longitude -81.9136 · Elevation 1015 m (3,330 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 13.
- Source file: USC00313072.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 05/07 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 04/18 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 04/03 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/11 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 10/24 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/06 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 209.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 188.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 166.0 |