Elizabeth City, NC 27976 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Elizabeth City, NC, ZIP 27976
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/20, about 235 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/27, about 190 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Elizabeth City 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
Zone 8a around Elizabeth City has about 9 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.
Why 04/20 isn't a guarantee
04/20 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/02 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/09 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Elizabeth City compares
At roughly 190 frost-free days, Elizabeth City places 21,063 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within NC, it ranks 971 of 1,078.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Elizabeth City can differ from the 27976 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 8a and Elizabeth City's frost date answer different questions.