Madison, NC 27025 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Madison, NC?
Around 04/11 is the usual last spring frost, about 226 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/30, about 202 frost-free days later.
Zone 7b (5 to 10°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Madison, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 9 weeks of growing season left in Madison before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/11 isn't a guarantee
04/11 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/25 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/29 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Madison compares
About 202 days separate Madison's last and first frost, putting it 17,260 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NC, it ranks 860 of 1,078.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Madison can differ from the 27025 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Madison's frost date answer different questions.