Calabash, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Longwood (USC00315116), elevation 40 ft. The nearest Census place to the station coordinates is Calabash town, 7.1 miles away.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Longwood is Mar 26 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 11, for a typical freeze-free season of 231 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 11, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 29. The station averages 55 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 earlier than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 7 days later than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #38 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 39 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 21 | Apr 6 | Apr 20 | Oct 20 | Nov 1 | Nov 16 | 189 / 210 / 232 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 3 | Mar 26 | Apr 11 | Oct 29 | Nov 11 | Dec 1 | 207 / 231 / 258 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Feb 14 | Mar 10 | Mar 31 | Nov 6 | Nov 25 | Dec 21 | 229 / 259 / 294 |
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 Calabash
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 Longwood: Calabash (7 mi), Carolina Shores (7 mi).
Nearby stations
- Shallotte Ag, NC — 11 mi; median last freeze Mar 20, first freeze Nov 17
- N Myrtle Bch AP, SC — 17 mi; median last freeze Mar 13, first freeze Nov 20
- Myrtle Beach, SC — 24 mi; median last freeze Mar 21, first freeze Nov 13
- Southport 5 N, NC — 31 mi; median last freeze Mar 24, first freeze Nov 17
- Whiteville 7 NW, NC — 31 mi; median last freeze Mar 29, first freeze Nov 6
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00315116 · Latitude 34.0106, longitude -78.5464 · Elevation 12 m (40 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: S — Standard: meets WMO data-availability standards for 24 or more years. Years of data used: 30.
- Source file: USC00315116.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/11 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 03/26 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/03 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/29 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/11 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 12/01 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 258.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 231.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 207.0 |