Ocracoke, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Ocracoke (USC00316349), elevation 4 ft. The station is named for Ocracoke, and its coordinates are 2.5 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Ocracoke CDP.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Ocracoke is Mar 1 and the median first fall freeze is Dec 20, for a typical freeze-free season of 293 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Mar 21, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Nov 29. The station averages 18 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 31 days earlier than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 46 days later than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #1 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 43 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) | Feb 26 | Mar 16 | Apr 2 | Nov 14 | Dec 2 | Dec 26 | 238 / 262 / 290 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Feb 6 | Mar 1 | Mar 21 | Nov 29 | Dec 20 | Jan 14 | 265 / 293 / 320 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Jan 15 | Feb 8 | Mar 5 | Dec 11 | Jan 5 | Jan 30 | 296 / 322 / 353 |
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 Ocracoke
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 Ocracoke: Ocracoke (2 mi).
Nearby stations
- Cedar Is, NC — 20 mi; median last freeze Mar 11, first freeze Nov 30
- Cape Hatteras AP, NC — 22 mi; median last freeze Mar 4, first freeze Dec 22
- Frisco 2NNE, NC — 24 mi; median last freeze Mar 1, first freeze Dec 20
- Swanquarter Ferry, NC — 28 mi; median last freeze Mar 18, first freeze Nov 25
- Fairfield, NC — 35 mi; median last freeze Apr 7, first freeze Nov 4
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00316349 · Latitude 35.1075, longitude -75.9872 · Elevation 1 m (4 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 18.
- Source file: USC00316349.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 03/21 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 03/01 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 02/06 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 11/29 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 12/20 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 01/14 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 320.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 293.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 265.0 |