Gastonia, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Gastonia (USC00313356), elevation 700 ft. The station is named for Gastonia, and its coordinates are 2.7 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Gastonia city.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Gastonia is Mar 27 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 9, for a typical freeze-free season of 228 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 9, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 28. The station averages 61 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 5 days earlier than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 5 days later than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #46 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 31 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) | Mar 23 | Apr 7 | Apr 26 | Oct 18 | Oct 31 | Nov 11 | 186 / 206 / 227 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 9 | Mar 27 | Apr 9 | Oct 28 | Nov 9 | Nov 26 | 207 / 228 / 252 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Feb 23 | Mar 15 | Mar 31 | Nov 6 | Nov 22 | Dec 16 | 230 / 255 / 283 |
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 Gastonia
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 Gastonia: Springdale (2 mi), Ranlo (2 mi), Lowell (2 mi), Gastonia (3 mi), Spencer Mountain (3 mi), McAdenville (4 mi), Dallas (4 mi), Cramerton (5 mi), Stanley (7 mi), Bessemer City (8 mi), Alexis (9 mi), Lowesville (13 mi).
Nearby stations
- Gastonia Muni AP, NC — 5 mi; median last freeze Mar 24, first freeze Nov 9
- Charlotte Douglas AP, NC — 11 mi; median last freeze Mar 30, first freeze Nov 3
- Lincolnton 4 W, NC — 17 mi; median last freeze Apr 9, first freeze Oct 28
- Rock Hill York Co AP, SC — 20 mi; median last freeze Mar 31, first freeze Nov 4
- Winthrop Univ, SC — 24 mi; median last freeze Mar 27, first freeze Nov 5
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00313356 · Latitude 35.2672, longitude -81.1436 · Elevation 213 m (700 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 24.
- Source file: USC00313356.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/09 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 03/27 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/09 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/28 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/09 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/26 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 252.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 228.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 207.0 |