Franklin, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Franklin (USC00313228), elevation 2,125 ft. The station is named for Franklin, and its coordinates are 0.7 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Franklin town.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Franklin is Apr 17 and the median first fall freeze is Oct 23, for a typical freeze-free season of 187 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after May 4, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 11. The station averages 108 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 16 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 #156 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 32 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 1 | May 15 | Oct 2 | Oct 14 | Oct 26 | 147 / 166 / 186 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 2 | Apr 17 | May 4 | Oct 11 | Oct 23 | Nov 4 | 166 / 187 / 208 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Mar 17 | Apr 5 | Apr 21 | Oct 19 | Nov 1 | Nov 14 | 189 / 210 / 233 |
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 Franklin
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 Franklin: Franklin (1 mi).
Nearby stations
- Coweeta EXP Stn, NC — 9 mi; median last freeze Apr 23, first freeze Oct 17
- Highlands, NC — 14 mi; median last freeze Apr 30, first freeze Oct 15
- Cullowhee, NC — 15 mi; median last freeze Apr 19, first freeze Oct 22
- Bryson City 4, NC — 19 mi; median last freeze Apr 16, first freeze Oct 24
- Mtn City 2 SW, GA — 19 mi; median last freeze Apr 18, first freeze Oct 25
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00313228 · Latitude 35.1803, longitude -83.3931 · Elevation 648 m (2,125 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: S — Standard: meets WMO data-availability standards for 24 or more years. Years of data used: 28.
- Source file: USC00313228.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 05/04 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 04/17 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 04/02 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/11 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 10/23 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/04 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 208.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 187.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 166.0 |