Frost dates / North Carolina / Wake Forest

Frost dates in Wake Forest, NC

The station on this page is FALLS LAKE, NC US (USC00312993), 7.9 miles from the city point. Population in the Census 2024 estimate is 56,764.

Zone 8aUSDA average annual extreme minimum 10°F to 15°F, from ZIP 27587 (2.4 miles from the city point used on this page).

Median last 32°F is April 4. Median first 32°F is November 4. The 50% growing-season length is 213 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.

ProbabilityDateHow to read it
90%March 20Earlier date. A last 32°F on or after this day is common.
50%April 4Median.
10%April 19Later 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.

ProbabilityDateHow to read it
10%October 22Earlier date. A first 32°F on or before this day is uncommon.
50%November 4Median.
90%November 18Later 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 longDays
10%233
50%213
90%195

28°F threshold

10%50%90%
Last, on or afterApril 9March 24March 7
First, on or beforeNovember 1November 15December 1
Season at least263 days237 days216 days

36°F threshold

10%50%90%
Last, on or afterMay 2April 17April 2
First, on or beforeOctober 14October 26November 6
Season at least210 days191 days171 days

Station FALLS LAKE, NC US (USC00312993). Completeness flag R, 18 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 85.3 m. The same probability language applies to the 28°F and 36°F rows when those dates passed the same quality checks.

Planting calendar for Wake Forest · Zone 8a

Check a crop against this station

Wake Forest, NC

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

Median last 32°F is April 4. Median first 32°F is November 4. The 50% growing-season length is 213 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%

North Carolina. Nearest qualified station: FALLS LAKE, NC US (USC00312993), 7.9 miles. Median last 32°F April 4. Median first 32°F November 4. The 50% growing-season length is 213 days.

Open the ZIP page · Crop guides for North Carolina

32°F probabilities at this station
10%50%90%
Last 32°F on or afterApril 19April 4March 20
First 32°F on or beforeOctober 22November 4November 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.

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