Charlotte, NC Frost Dates: Last Spring and First Fall Frost

Charlotte gardeners can count on March 30 as the even-odds date for the last spring frost and November 3 as the even-odds date for the first fall frost, which adds up to 221 days without a freeze in a typical year.

Because half of all years do worse than the typical date, the dates that matter for tender plants are the late spring date, April 14, and the early fall date, October 22, each of which one year in ten fails to beat. At 221 days, Charlotte's typical season sits close to the 229 days median of the 100 cities on these pages.

Behind every date on this page is one weather station, Charlotte Douglas AP (NOAA USW00013881), 7.1 miles west of Charlotte's internal point in the Census Bureau's files and about 730 feet up.

Charlotte's last spring frost, by chance

One year in ten has a freeze on or after April 14. In nine years out of ten there is still a freeze on or after March 12, and half of years see one on or after March 30.

Spring dates in Charlotte spread over 33 days from the 90% date to the 10% date, close to the middle of the cities covered here.

Charlotte's first fall frost, by chance

In Charlotte the first freeze has arrived by October 22 in one fall out of ten, by November 3 in five, and by November 17 in nine.

The early and late fall dates are only 26 days apart, a narrow band next to most cities here, so the first freeze keeps close to its schedule in Charlotte.

The growing season in Charlotte

Neither long nor short next to the other cities here. Seasons here barely vary: the typical year gives 221 days and a short one still gives 201 days, only 20 days less, a steadier record than most cities on these pages.

NOAA counts these days from its own simulations, so they will not equal the number of days between the two typical dates exactly. A night at or below 32°F happens in 100% of years at this station, so frost is a yearly event here.

28°F dates in Charlotte

The typical 28°F night comes on November 14 in fall, 11 days after the first 32°F frost, and the last one comes on March 17 in spring, 13 days before the last 32°F frost. One spring in ten still has a 28°F night on or after April 3, and one fall in ten sees the first by November 1.

Using Charlotte's frost dates in the garden

The University of New Hampshire Extension sheet times each crop from the last frost. For Charlotte's typical date, March 30, that means cabbage on March 2, lettuce from March 2 to March 9, seed potatoes from March 16 to March 23, and, once the frost is behind you, peppers on April 13 and beans on or after March 30. Peas are the exception to the count: University of New Hampshire Extension says to plant them as soon as the soil thaws, whatever the frost date.

The late date comes 15 days after the typical one; choose it for plants you cannot cover.

Charlotte's first frost leaves room for only 32 of the 34 fall crops, counting back NC State Extension's days to harvest and University of Georgia Extension's harvest allowance of 18 days; for the other 2 the last planting day falls before July. The slowest crop that still fits is lima/pole beans, at 113 days, and it has to be planted by July 1 to beat the early date.

Worked example: planting broccoli for fall in Charlotte

Take fall broccoli in Charlotte. NC State Extension lists up to 80 days from transplant to harvest, and University of Georgia Extension adds a harvest allowance of 18 days, so the plants need 98 days before the first frost. Counting back from the typical first frost, November 3, the last planting day is July 28. Counting back from the early date, October 22, it is July 16.

Typical and early differ by just 12 days here, so a gardener can plant on the later of them without taking much more risk.

In spring the same family goes in earlier: counting from March 30, University of New Hampshire Extension puts cabbage transplants out on March 2, weeks ahead of the last frost.

Where Charlotte's numbers are measured

The station is 7.1 miles west of the Census Bureau's internal point for Charlotte, several miles out, so look at the nearest-station list in the frost dates tool before you rely on it.

NOAA lists it at about 730 feet, higher than 57 and lower than 42 of the 100 stations in this set. NOAA flags this station's record as standard, the code S, for the data behind its 50% last-frost value.

Because the Census file has no elevation for Charlotte, we cannot say how far your yard is above or below this station. When yours is clearly higher or lower, open the nearby stations in the frost dates tool and favor the colder one.

How Charlotte's frost dates compare

The nearest city on these pages is Winston-Salem, NC, 70 miles away, and the other two below are farther out, so these are regional comparisons, not neighbors.

• Winston-Salem, NC (70 miles, north-east): spring frost ends 4 days sooner than in Charlotte, and the season is about the same length as Charlotte's. Its typical dates are March 26 and November 9, with 228 days frost-free.
• Greensboro, NC (83 miles, north-east): spring frost ends about when it does in Charlotte, and frost-free days differ from Charlotte's by less than a week. Its typical dates are April 1 and November 4, with 217 days frost-free.
• Fayetteville, NC lies 105 miles east of Charlotte. Typical last frost March 30, first frost November 10, 227 days between; its last frost falls within a few days of Charlotte's, and the season is about the same length as Charlotte's.

Put the frost dates to work

To go beyond the crops above, use the spring planting planner and fall planting planner, both set to this station. The frost dates tool shows the full odds for Charlotte, and the hardiness zone lookup gives the winter-cold zone for your ZIP code.

Looking for another city? The city frost dates index lists every page, grouped by state.

For North Carolina, the state planting pages copy the Extension calendar (NC State Extension) crop by crop and region by region: tomatoes in North Carolina, peppers in North Carolina, cucumbers in North Carolina, summer squash in North Carolina, green beans in North Carolina. Set those windows beside the frost dates above.

Where these numbers come from

Every frost and freeze date comes from the station's entry in NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals for 1991–2020 (doi:10.25921/4ek7-fk11), with no adjustment, and NOAA's documentation explains what each probability means. The Census Bureau's 2024 Gazetteer places Charlotte on the map, and its Vintage 2024 estimates, 943,476 people here, decide which cities get a page.

The planting dates apply the count rules in University of New Hampshire Extension, NC State Extension and University of Georgia Extension to this station's dates, with nothing added. Our methodology describes the tests behind every number.

Frost dates are long-term odds, not a forecast. Before you plant, check the local forecast for the coming week, and keep row cover or old sheets handy for the nights the odds get wrong.