Fontana Dam, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Tapoco (USC00318492), elevation 1,110 ft. The nearest Census place to the station coordinates is Fontana Dam town, 6.5 miles away.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Tapoco is Apr 17 and the median first fall freeze is Oct 27, for a typical freeze-free season of 193 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after May 4, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 13. The station averages 82 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 16 days later than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 8 days earlier than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #147 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 13 | Apr 30 | May 14 | Oct 5 | Oct 17 | Nov 1 | 151 / 171 / 192 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 29 | Apr 17 | May 4 | Oct 13 | Oct 27 | Nov 10 | 171 / 193 / 215 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Mar 15 | Apr 2 | Apr 20 | Oct 23 | Nov 6 | Nov 23 | 195 / 218 / 243 |
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 Fontana Dam
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 Tapoco: Fontana Dam (6 mi), Lake Santeetlah (7 mi).
Nearby stations
- Robbinsville Ag 5 NE, NC — 14 mi; median last freeze Apr 13, first freeze Oct 26
- Andrews, NC — 18 mi; median last freeze Apr 17, first freeze Oct 23
- Murphy 4ESE, NC — 26 mi; median last freeze Apr 22, first freeze Oct 20
- Bryson City 4, NC — 27 mi; median last freeze Apr 16, first freeze Oct 24
- Hayesville 1 NE, NC — 28 mi; median last freeze Apr 21, first freeze Oct 21
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00318492 · Latitude 35.4478, longitude -83.9389 · Elevation 338 m (1,110 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 18.
- Source file: USC00318492.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 05/04 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 04/17 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/29 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/13 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 10/27 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/10 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 215.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 193.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 171.0 |