Shelby, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Shelby 2 NW (USC00317845), elevation 820 ft. The station is named for Shelby, and its coordinates are 2.0 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Shelby city.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Shelby 2 NW is Apr 12 and the median first fall freeze is Oct 25, for a typical freeze-free season of 195 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 28, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 12. The station averages 88 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 11 days later than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 10 days earlier than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #141 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 10 | Apr 25 | May 11 | Oct 6 | Oct 16 | Oct 28 | 154 / 174 / 192 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 27 | Apr 12 | Apr 28 | Oct 12 | Oct 25 | Nov 5 | 173 / 195 / 215 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Mar 13 | Mar 31 | Apr 16 | Oct 21 | Nov 2 | Nov 18 | 196 / 217 / 240 |
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 Shelby
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 Shelby 2 NW: Shelby (2 mi), Kingstown (4 mi), Lattimore (5 mi), Light Oak (6 mi), Patterson Springs (6 mi), Boiling Springs (7 mi), Lawndale (7 mi), Mooresboro (7 mi), Earl (8 mi), Polkville (8 mi), Waco (9 mi), Ellenboro (11 mi), Cliffside (12 mi).
Nearby stations
- Vale Ag 2 SW, NC — 16 mi; median last freeze Apr 12, first freeze Oct 28
- Lincolnton 4 W, NC — 17 mi; median last freeze Apr 9, first freeze Oct 28
- Ninety Nine Is, SC — 20 mi; median last freeze Apr 20, first freeze Oct 24
- Forest City 8 W, NC — 24 mi; median last freeze Apr 11, first freeze Oct 27
- Gastonia, NC — 24 mi; median last freeze Mar 27, first freeze Nov 9
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00317845 · Latitude 35.3111, longitude -81.5708 · Elevation 250 m (820 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: S — Standard: meets WMO data-availability standards for 24 or more years. Years of data used: 27.
- Source file: USC00317845.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/28 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 04/12 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/27 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/12 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 10/25 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/05 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 215.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 195.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 173.0 |