Belwood, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Vale Ag 2 SW (USC00318906), elevation 985 ft. The nearest Census place to the station coordinates is Belwood town, 5.4 miles away.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Vale Ag 2 SW is Apr 12 and the median first fall freeze is Oct 28, for a typical freeze-free season of 198 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 26, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 16. The station averages 95 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 7 days earlier than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #139 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 26 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 11 | Apr 24 | May 10 | Oct 8 | Oct 20 | Nov 1 | 159 / 177 / 196 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 31 | Apr 12 | Apr 26 | Oct 16 | Oct 28 | Nov 9 | 179 / 198 / 217 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Mar 18 | Apr 1 | Apr 15 | Oct 24 | Nov 5 | Nov 18 | 202 / 219 / 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 Belwood
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 Vale Ag 2 SW: Belwood (5 mi), Fallston (7 mi), Casar (10 mi).
Nearby stations
- Lincolnton 4 W, NC — 8 mi; median last freeze Apr 9, first freeze Oct 28
- Hickory FAA AP, NC — 16 mi; median last freeze Mar 31, first freeze Nov 4
- Shelby 2 NW, NC — 16 mi; median last freeze Apr 12, first freeze Oct 25
- Morganton, NC — 19 mi; median last freeze Apr 7, first freeze Oct 28
- Catawba 5 SW, NC — 19 mi; median last freeze Mar 24, first freeze Nov 8
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00318906 · Latitude 35.5236, longitude -81.4444 · Elevation 300 m (985 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 10.
- Source file: USC00318906.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/26 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 04/12 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/31 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/16 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 10/28 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/09 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 217.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 198.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 179.0 |