Charlotte, NC 28287 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Charlotte, NC, ZIP 28287
Around 03/30 is the usual last spring frost, about 214 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/03, about 221 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Charlotte 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 Charlotte has about 10 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
03/30 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/12 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Charlotte compares
About 221 days separate Charlotte's last and first frost, putting it 12,419 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NC, it ranks 517 of 1,078.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Charlotte's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Charlotte can differ from the 28287 normal.