Frost dates / North Carolina / Winston-Salem

Frost dates in Winston-Salem, NC

The station on this page is WINSTON SALEM RYNLDS AP, NC US (USW00093807), 3 miles from the city point. Population in the Census 2024 estimate is 255,769.

Zone 8aUSDA average annual extreme minimum 10°F to 15°F, from ZIP 27110 (2.2 miles from the city point used on this page).

Median last 32°F is March 26. Median first 32°F is November 9. The 50% growing-season length is 228 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 6Earlier date. A last 32°F on or after this day is common.
50%March 26Median.
10%April 11Later 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 28Earlier date. A first 32°F on or before this day is uncommon.
50%November 9Median.
90%November 26Later 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%253
50%228
90%205

28°F threshold

10%50%90%
Last, on or afterMarch 30March 13February 21
First, on or beforeNovember 5November 23December 14
Season at least284 days254 days230 days

36°F threshold

10%50%90%
Last, on or afterApril 27April 9March 23
First, on or beforeOctober 17October 30November 12
Season at least225 days203 days181 days

Station WINSTON SALEM RYNLDS AP, NC US (USW00093807). Completeness flag R, 21 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 295.7 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 Winston-Salem · Zone 8a

Check a crop against this station

Winston-Salem, NC

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

Median last 32°F is March 26. Median first 32°F is November 9. The 50% growing-season length is 228 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: WINSTON SALEM RYNLDS AP, NC US (USW00093807), 3 miles. Median last 32°F March 26. Median first 32°F November 9. The 50% growing-season length is 228 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 11March 26March 6
First 32°F on or beforeOctober 28November 9November 26

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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