Marion, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Marion (USC00315340), elevation 1,410 ft. The station is named for Marion, and its coordinates are 0.7 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Marion city.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Marion is Apr 5 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 1, for a typical freeze-free season of 209 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 21, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 18. The station averages 101 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 4 days later than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 3 days earlier than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #113 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 3 | Apr 19 | May 6 | Oct 10 | Oct 22 | Nov 4 | 165 / 186 / 207 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 20 | Apr 5 | Apr 21 | Oct 18 | Nov 1 | Nov 15 | 189 / 209 / 231 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Mar 2 | Mar 24 | Apr 8 | Oct 29 | Nov 11 | Dec 1 | 210 / 233 / 259 |
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 Marion
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 Marion: Marion (1 mi), West Marion (2 mi), Glenwood (5 mi), Nebo (6 mi).
Nearby stations
- Old Ft Ag 3 W, NC — 7 mi; median last freeze Apr 21, first freeze Oct 23
- Celo 2 S, NC — 14 mi; median last freeze Apr 26, first freeze Oct 15
- Mt Mitchell, NC — 16 mi; median last freeze May 16, first freeze Oct 4
- Spruce Pine 2 NE, NC — 17 mi; median last freeze Apr 26, first freeze Oct 20
- N Fk 2, NC — 19 mi; median last freeze Apr 5, first freeze Oct 31
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00315340 · Latitude 35.6847, longitude -82.0083 · Elevation 430 m (1,410 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 21.
- Source file: USC00315340.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/21 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 04/05 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/20 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/18 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/01 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/15 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 231.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 209.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 189.0 |