Watha, NC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Willard 4 SW (USC00319423), elevation 55 ft. The nearest Census place to the station coordinates is Watha town, 5.0 miles away.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Willard 4 SW is Apr 2 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 5, for a typical freeze-free season of 217 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 16, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 24. The station averages 49 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 1 day later than the state median (Apr 1), the median first freeze is 1 day later than the state median (Nov 4), and the growing season ranks #98 of 187 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 32 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) | Mar 30 | Apr 14 | Apr 29 | Oct 15 | Oct 28 | Nov 8 | 177 / 195 / 214 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 15 | Apr 2 | Apr 16 | Oct 24 | Nov 5 | Nov 21 | 195 / 217 / 240 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Feb 26 | Mar 20 | Apr 5 | Nov 2 | Nov 15 | Dec 6 | 218 / 243 / 273 |
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 Watha
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 Willard 4 SW: Watha (5 mi), Harrells (10 mi), Burgaw (10 mi).
Nearby stations
- Wallace 1SE, NC — 6 mi; median last freeze Apr 1, first freeze Nov 7
- Moores Creek Nb, NC — 14 mi; median last freeze Mar 27, first freeze Nov 8
- Warsaw 5 E, NC — 24 mi; median last freeze Apr 7, first freeze Oct 30
- Wilmington 7 N, NC — 25 mi; median last freeze Mar 29, first freeze Nov 8
- Clinton 2 NE, NC — 28 mi; median last freeze Mar 26, first freeze Nov 7
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00319423 · Latitude 34.6606, longitude -78.0453 · Elevation 17 m (55 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: USC00319423.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/16 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 04/02 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/15 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/24 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/05 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/21 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 240.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 217.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 195.0 |