Durham, NC 27704 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Durham, NC?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/02, about 217 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/04, about 217 frost-free days later.
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.
What to do before the first frost
About 10 weeks of growing season left in Durham before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Durham's last frost
04/02 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/15 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/18 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Durham compares
About 217 days separate Durham's last and first frost, putting it 13,377 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NC, it ranks 652 of 1,078.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8a and Durham's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Durham's dates instead of trusting one.