Jefferson, NC 28640 Frost Dates
Jefferson, NC: when does the frost end?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/07, about 252 days from today. Fall's first freeze usually shows up around 10/08, roughly 154 days after the last spring frost.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Jefferson in Zone 7a (0 to 5°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
Stretching the season past the first frost
With roughly 6 weeks until Jefferson's first fall frost, a row cover or cold frame is what stretches the last few weeks of harvest here.
How much risk comes with planting early here
05/07 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Getting tender plants in by 04/22 carries real risk, frost has hit that late in about 9 of 10 years here. Wait until 05/24 and only about 1 year in 10 sees frost after that.
Jefferson against the rest of the dataset
About 154 days separate Jefferson's last and first frost, putting it 34,342 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NC, it ranks 1,073 of 1,078.
Learn more
Before leaning on 28640's figures: local microclimates explains what one yard in Jefferson can differ from the 28640 normal, while zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 7a and Jefferson's frost date answer different questions.