Spruce Pine, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Spruce Pine 2 NE (USC00318221), elevation 2,850 ft. The station is named for Spruce Pine, and its coordinates are 4.0 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Spruce Pine town.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Spruce Pine 2 NE is Apr 26 and the median first fall freeze is Oct 20, for a typical freeze-free season of 177 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after May 13, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 6. The station averages 125 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 25 days later than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 15 days earlier than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #172 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 33 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 22 | May 7 | May 23 | Sep 27 | Oct 9 | Oct 25 | 136 / 155 / 176 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 10 | Apr 26 | May 13 | Oct 6 | Oct 20 | Nov 2 | 156 / 177 / 197 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Mar 28 | Apr 11 | Apr 30 | Oct 15 | Oct 29 | Nov 12 | 178 / 199 / 219 |
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 Spruce Pine
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 Spruce Pine 2 NE: Spruce Pine (4 mi), Crossnore (7 mi).
Nearby stations
- Celo 2 S, NC — 13 mi; median last freeze Apr 26, first freeze Oct 15
- Grandfather Mtn, NC — 15 mi; median last freeze May 5, first freeze Oct 13
- Burnsville Ag, NC — 15 mi; median last freeze Apr 24, first freeze Oct 19
- Marion, NC — 17 mi; median last freeze Apr 5, first freeze Nov 1
- Banner Elk, NC — 17 mi; median last freeze Apr 30, first freeze Oct 14
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00318221 · Latitude 35.9325, longitude -82.0019 · Elevation 869 m (2,850 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 11.
- Source file: USC00318221.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 05/13 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 04/26 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 04/10 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/06 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 10/20 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/02 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 197.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 177.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 156.0 |