Jefferson, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Jefferson 2 E (USC00314496), elevation 2,759 ft. The station is named for Jefferson, and its coordinates are 2.2 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Jefferson town.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Jefferson 2 E is May 7 and the median first fall freeze is Oct 8, for a typical freeze-free season of 154 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after May 24, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Sep 25. The station averages 136 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 36 days later than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 27 days earlier than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #186 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) | May 3 | May 19 | Jun 3 | Sep 14 | Sep 30 | Oct 12 | 113 / 135 / 154 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 22 | May 7 | May 24 | Sep 25 | Oct 8 | Oct 22 | 134 / 154 / 175 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Apr 8 | Apr 25 | May 13 | Oct 6 | Oct 18 | Nov 1 | 152 / 175 / 197 |
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 Jefferson
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 Jefferson 2 E: Jefferson (2 mi), West Jefferson (4 mi), Lansing (7 mi).
Nearby stations
- Transou, NC — 7 mi; median last freeze May 4, first freeze Oct 10
- Sparta 3.5 SSW, NC — 16 mi; median last freeze Apr 22, first freeze Oct 22
- Boone 1 SE, NC — 19 mi; median last freeze May 2, first freeze Oct 13
- W Kerr Scott Resv, NC — 23 mi; median last freeze Apr 7, first freeze Nov 1
- N Wilkesboro, NC — 23 mi; median last freeze Apr 10, first freeze Oct 29
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00314496 · Latitude 36.4175, longitude -81.4297 · Elevation 841 m (2,759 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: S — Standard: meets WMO data-availability standards for 24 or more years. Years of data used: 29.
- Source file: USC00314496.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 05/24 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 05/07 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 04/22 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 09/25 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 10/08 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 10/22 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 175.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 154.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 134.0 |