Fontana Dam, NC 28733 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Fontana Dam, NC?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/17, about 232 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/27, about 193 frost-free days later.
Fontana Dam sits in USDA Zone 7b (5 to 10°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
About 9 weeks of growing season left in Fontana Dam 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
04/17 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/29 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/04 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Fontana Dam compares
Fontana Dam's growing season runs about 193 days, ranking 20,097 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NC, it ranks 951 of 1,078.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Fontana Dam's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Fontana Dam can differ from the 28733 normal.