Durham, NC 27701 Frost Dates
Durham, NC: when does the frost end?
Around 04/02 is the usual last spring frost, about 217 days away. Fall's first freeze usually shows up around 11/04, roughly 217 days after the last spring frost.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Durham in Zone 8a (10 to 15°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
Stretching the season past the first frost
With roughly 10 weeks until Durham's first fall frost, a row cover or cold frame is what stretches the last few weeks of harvest here.
Why 04/02 isn't a guarantee
04/02 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Getting tender plants in by 03/15 carries real risk, frost has hit that late in about 9 of 10 years here. Wait until 04/18 and only about 1 year in 10 sees frost after that.
Durham against the rest of the dataset
Durham's growing season runs about 217 days, ranking 13,375 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NC, it ranks 650 of 1,078.
Learn more
Before leaning on 27701's figures: the frost range explains how to read the range around Durham's dates instead of trusting one, while local microclimates explains what one yard in Durham can differ from the 27701 normal.