What USDA zone is Hickory, NC?

The zone on this page is 8a, from ZIP 28601 in the 2023 PRISM table of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. That ZIP is 2.3 miles from the city point. USDA defines the zone as the average annual extreme minimum, shown here as 10°F to 15°F. It is a winter-cold band, not a frost date and not a forecast.

How far away is the weather station?

The station named on this page is 3.5 miles from the city point in a straight line. Frost dates are 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals for that instrument. They are not a National Weather Service forecast for one night, and they are not the temperature in every yard. The page names the station so the miles stay attached to the dates.

Frost dates in Hickory, NC

Direct answer. In Hickory, NC, the nearest qualified NOAA station is HICKORY FAA AP, NC US (USW00003810), 3.5 miles from the city point. The median last 32°F date is March 31, and the median first 32°F date is November 4, from the 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals. The 2023 USDA zone is 8a (10°F to 15°F), from ZIP 28601 in the PRISM table, 2.3 miles from the same city point.

Population in the Census 2024 estimate is 45,081. The station is HICKORY FAA AP, NC US (USW00003810).

Zone 8aUSDA average annual extreme minimum 10°F to 15°F, from ZIP 28601 (2.3 miles from the city point used on this page).

Median last 32°F is March 31. Median first 32°F is November 4. The 50% growing-season length is 219 days. The green band runs from the median last frost to the median first frost. Thin ticks mark the 10%, 50%, and 90% dates.

Outside the median season Growing seasonTicks: 10%, 50%, and 90%

Last 32°F in spring

NCEI’s probability is the chance the last spring minimum of 32°F or lower occurs on or after the date.

Probability	Date	How to read it
90%	March 13	Earlier date. A last 32°F on or after this day is common.
50%	March 31	Median.
10%	April 16	Later date. A last 32°F on or after this day is uncommon.

First 32°F in fall

NCEI’s probability is the chance the first autumn minimum of 32°F or lower occurs on or before the date.

Probability	Date	How to read it
10%	October 22	Earlier date. A first 32°F on or before this day is uncommon.
50%	November 4	Median.
90%	November 18	Later date. A first 32°F on or before this day is common.

32°F growing-season length

Days between the last spring 32°F and the first autumn 32°F. The figure is a length the season meets or exceeds at that probability, from NCEI, not a subtraction done on this site.

Probability the season is at least this long	Days
10%	241
50%	219
90%	198

28°F threshold

	10%	50%	90%
Last, on or after	April 3	March 18	February 26
First, on or before	November 1	November 15	December 5
Season at least	269 days	242 days	221 days

36°F threshold

	10%	50%	90%
Last, on or after	April 29	April 13	March 29
First, on or before	October 13	October 26	November 6
Season at least	215 days	196 days	175 days

Station HICKORY FAA AP, NC US (USW00003810). Completeness flag S, 29 years used for the 32°F dates. NCEI’s annual probability of at least one day at or below 32°F is 100%. Freeze dates are conditional on that threshold occurring. Elevation 348.4 m. The same probability language applies to the 28°F and 36°F rows when those dates passed the same quality checks.

Questions

When is the last spring frost in Hickory, NC?: The median last 32°F date at the station on this page is March 31. NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals give a 50% chance the last spring minimum of 32°F or lower occurs on or after that date. The 90% date is March 13. The 10% date, the later one, is April 16. These are normals, not a forecast for this spring.
What USDA zone is Hickory, NC?: The zone on this page is 8a, from ZIP 28601 in the 2023 PRISM table of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. That ZIP is 2.3 miles from the city point. USDA defines the zone as the average annual extreme minimum, shown here as 10°F to 15°F. It is a winter-cold band, not a frost date and not a forecast.
How far away is the weather station?: The station named on this page is 3.5 miles from the city point in a straight line. Frost dates are 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals for that instrument. They are not a National Weather Service forecast for one night, and they are not the temperature in every yard. The page names the station so the miles stay attached to the dates.

Planting calendar for Hickory · Zone 8a

Check a crop against this station

Hickory, NC

Zone 8aAverage annual extreme minimum 10°F to 15°F

Outside the median season Growing seasonTicks: 10%, 50%, and 90%

North Carolina. Nearest qualified station: HICKORY FAA AP, NC US (USW00003810), 3.5 miles. Median last 32°F March 31. Median first 32°F November 4. The 50% growing-season length is 219 days.

Open the ZIP page · Crop guides for North Carolina

32°F probabilities at this station

	10%	50%	90%
Last 32°F on or after	April 16	March 31	March 13
First 32°F on or before	October 22	November 4	November 18

Column order matches the NCEI file: for the last freeze, 10% is the later date and 90% is the earlier date. How to read the probabilities.

A wall calendar surrounded by vegetables, herbs, seed packets, and watering cans.

Planting calendar

Windows below are from NC State Extension, Eastern North Carolina Planting Calendar for Annual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs, retrieved 2026-10-10. Eastern, central, and western North Carolina are separate calendars. The publications do not define those regions by county. The eastern calendar says gardeners at the coast can plant up to two weeks earlier in the spring and two weeks later in the fall. That sentence is not turned into new dates. Half-month cells that carry the same mark are read as one run. A mark at both the start and the end of the year is one window that crosses New Year’s. Each region links to its own publication.

Crop

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