Raleigh, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Raleigh Durham Intl AP (USW00013722), elevation 416 ft. The station is named for Raleigh, and its coordinates are 8.9 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Raleigh city.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Raleigh Durham Intl AP is Mar 31 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 4, for a typical freeze-free season of 219 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 16, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 23. The station averages 65 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 1 day earlier than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is the same day as the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #88 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) | Mar 29 | Apr 13 | Apr 28 | Oct 15 | Oct 27 | Nov 6 | 177 / 196 / 215 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 15 | Mar 31 | Apr 16 | Oct 23 | Nov 4 | Nov 17 | 198 / 219 / 241 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Feb 25 | Mar 18 | Apr 3 | Nov 2 | Nov 16 | Dec 5 | 221 / 245 / 272 |
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 Raleigh
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 Raleigh Durham Intl AP: Morrisville (5 mi).
Nearby stations
- Raleigh State Univ, NC — 8 mi; median last freeze Mar 28, first freeze Nov 8
- Falls Lake, NC — 9 mi; median last freeze Apr 4, first freeze Nov 4
- Apex, NC — 11 mi; median last freeze Mar 27, first freeze Nov 8
- Cary, NC — 12 mi; median last freeze Mar 31, first freeze Nov 10
- Raleigh 4 SW, NC — 13 mi; median last freeze Mar 28, first freeze Nov 9
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USW00013722 · Latitude 35.8922, longitude -78.7819 · Elevation 127 m (416 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: S — Standard: meets WMO data-availability standards for 24 or more years. Years of data used: 29.
- Source file: USW00013722.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/16 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 03/31 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/15 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/23 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/04 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/17 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 241.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 219.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 198.0 |