Atkinson, NC 28435 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Atkinson, NC, ZIP 28435
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 03/29, roughly 213 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/08, about 226 frost-free days later.
Atkinson sits in USDA Zone 8b (15 to 20°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 8b around Atkinson 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.
Why 03/29 isn't a guarantee
03/29 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. 04/11 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Atkinson compares
Atkinson's growing season runs about 226 days, ranking 11,288 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NC, it ranks 400 of 1,078.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 8b and Atkinson's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around Atkinson's dates instead of trusting one.