Swannanoa, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Swannanoa 2 SSE (USC00318448), elevation 4,320 ft. The station is named for Swannanoa, and its coordinates are 1.9 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Swannanoa CDP.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Swannanoa 2 SSE is Apr 22 and the median first fall freeze is Oct 24, for a typical freeze-free season of 184 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 11. The station averages 102 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 11 days earlier than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #165 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 36 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 17 | May 5 | May 21 | Sep 29 | Oct 14 | Oct 27 | 142 / 161 / 182 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 5 | Apr 22 | May 11 | Oct 11 | Oct 24 | Nov 6 | 162 / 184 / 205 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Mar 23 | Apr 9 | Apr 27 | Oct 19 | Nov 1 | Nov 16 | 182 / 205 / 227 |
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 Swannanoa
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 Swannanoa 2 SSE: Fairview (4 mi), Gerton (7 mi).
Nearby stations
- Black Mtn 2 W, NC — 3 mi; median last freeze Apr 19, first freeze Oct 23
- N Fk 2, NC — 7 mi; median last freeze Apr 5, first freeze Oct 31
- Asheville, NC — 10 mi; median last freeze Apr 6, first freeze Oct 31
- Bent Creek, NC — 13 mi; median last freeze Apr 26, first freeze Oct 18
- Asheville Rgnl AP, NC — 13 mi; median last freeze Apr 9, first freeze Oct 28
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00318448 · Latitude 35.5733, longitude -82.3850 · Elevation 1317 m (4,320 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 17.
- Source file: USC00318448.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 | 04/05 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/11 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 10/24 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/06 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 205.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 184.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 162.0 |