Jacksonville, NC 28547 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Jacksonville, NC?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 03/23, about 207 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/16, about 240 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Jacksonville in Zone 8b (15 to 20°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 11 weeks of growing season left in Jacksonville before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
03/23 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/02 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/07 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Jacksonville compares
About 240 days separate Jacksonville's last and first frost, putting it 8,669 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NC, it ranks 77 of 1,078.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Jacksonville can differ from the 28547 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8b and Jacksonville's frost date answer different questions.