Chapel Hill, NC 27517 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Chapel Hill, NC?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 03/29, about 213 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/05, about 222 frost-free days later.
Chapel Hill sits in USDA Zone 8a (10 to 15°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 10 weeks of growing season left in Chapel Hill before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
03/29 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/11 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/12 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Chapel Hill compares
Chapel Hill's growing season runs about 222 days, ranking 12,192 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NC, it ranks 453 of 1,078.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Chapel Hill's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Chapel Hill can differ from the 27517 normal.