Sparta, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Sparta 3.5 SSW (USC00318158), elevation 3,011 ft. The station is named for Sparta, and its coordinates are 3.5 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Sparta town.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Sparta 3.5 SSW is Apr 22 and the median first fall freeze is Oct 22, for a typical freeze-free season of 180 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after May 11, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 8. The station averages 108 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 21 days later than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 13 days earlier than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #170 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 35 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 18 | May 5 | May 21 | Sep 27 | Oct 11 | Oct 24 | 135 / 156 / 177 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 6 | Apr 22 | May 11 | Oct 8 | Oct 22 | Nov 3 | 156 / 180 / 202 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Mar 23 | Apr 6 | Apr 27 | Oct 18 | Oct 31 | Nov 14 | 180 / 205 / 225 |
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 Sparta
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 Sparta 3.5 SSW: Sparta (4 mi).
Nearby stations
- Transou, NC — 9 mi; median last freeze May 4, first freeze Oct 10
- Jefferson 2 E, NC — 16 mi; median last freeze May 7, first freeze Oct 8
- N Wilkesboro, NC — 20 mi; median last freeze Apr 10, first freeze Oct 29
- Elkin, NC — 21 mi; median last freeze Apr 15, first freeze Oct 26
- W Kerr Scott Resv, NC — 23 mi; median last freeze Apr 7, first freeze Nov 1
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00318158 · Latitude 36.4592, longitude -81.1528 · Elevation 918 m (3,011 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: E — Estimated: fewer complete years at this site; NOAA estimated the normals statistically from nearby stations. Treat these dates with extra caution. Years of data used: 5.
- Source file: USC00318158.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 05/11 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 04/22 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 04/06 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/08 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 10/22 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/03 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 202.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 180.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 156.0 |