Morganton, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Morganton (USC00315838), elevation 1,180 ft. The station is named for Morganton, and its coordinates are 1.7 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Morganton city.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Morganton is Apr 7 and the median first fall freeze is Oct 28, for a typical freeze-free season of 202 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 26, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 14. The station averages 91 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 later than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 7 days earlier than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #130 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 33 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 5 | Apr 22 | May 10 | Oct 7 | Oct 19 | Nov 1 | 158 / 179 / 200 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 24 | Apr 7 | Apr 26 | Oct 14 | Oct 28 | Nov 9 | 180 / 202 / 224 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Mar 9 | Mar 28 | Apr 13 | Oct 25 | Nov 6 | Nov 22 | 203 / 225 / 252 |
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 Morganton
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 Morganton: Morganton (2 mi), Salem (3 mi), Drexel (4 mi), Valdese (6 mi), Glen Alpine (6 mi).
Nearby stations
- Lenoir, NC — 15 mi; median last freeze Apr 7, first freeze Oct 31
- Hickory FAA AP, NC — 16 mi; median last freeze Mar 31, first freeze Nov 4
- Marion, NC — 19 mi; median last freeze Apr 5, first freeze Nov 1
- Vale Ag 2 SW, NC — 19 mi; median last freeze Apr 12, first freeze Oct 28
- Spruce Pine 2 NE, NC — 23 mi; median last freeze Apr 26, first freeze Oct 20
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00315838 · Latitude 35.7297, longitude -81.6728 · Elevation 360 m (1,180 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: USC00315838.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/26 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 04/07 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/24 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/14 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 10/28 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/09 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 224.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 202.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 180.0 |