Manteo, NC 27954 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Manteo, NC, ZIP 27954
The last spring frost here typically falls around 03/15, about 199 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/06, about 266 frost-free days later.
Zone 9a (20 to 25°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 Manteo, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 9a around Manteo has about 14 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
How much risk comes with planting early here
03/15 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/23 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 03/30 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Manteo compares
About 266 days separate Manteo's last and first frost, putting it 5,940 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NC, it ranks 23 of 1,078.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Manteo can differ from the 27954 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 9a and Manteo's frost date answer different questions.