Montreat, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Mt Mitchell (USC00315923), elevation 6,240 ft. The nearest Census place to the station coordinates is Montreat town, 7.8 miles away.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Mt Mitchell is May 16 and the median first fall freeze is Oct 4, for a typical freeze-free season of 140 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after May 31, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Sep 20. 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 45 days later than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 31 days earlier than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #187 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 28 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 12 | May 26 | Jun 10 | Sep 12 | Sep 27 | Oct 9 | 102 / 123 / 142 |
| 32°F (freeze) | May 3 | May 16 | May 31 | Sep 20 | Oct 4 | Oct 18 | 120 / 140 / 158 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Apr 24 | May 7 | May 23 | Sep 29 | Oct 12 | Oct 25 | 137 / 157 / 176 |
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 Montreat
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.
Nearby stations
- Celo 2 S, NC — 7 mi; median last freeze Apr 26, first freeze Oct 15
- N Fk 2, NC — 8 mi; median last freeze Apr 5, first freeze Oct 31
- Old Ft Ag 3 W, NC — 10 mi; median last freeze Apr 21, first freeze Oct 23
- Burnsville Ag, NC — 11 mi; median last freeze Apr 24, first freeze Oct 19
- Black Mtn 2 W, NC — 12 mi; median last freeze Apr 19, first freeze Oct 23
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00315923 · Latitude 35.7586, longitude -82.2711 · Elevation 1902 m (6,240 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: S — Standard: meets WMO data-availability standards for 24 or more years. Years of data used: 26.
- Source file: USC00315923.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 05/31 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 05/16 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 05/03 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 09/20 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 10/04 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 10/18 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 158.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 140.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 120.0 |