Frost dates in Durham, North Carolina

NOAA 1991–2020 normals for a 32 °F freeze. Low spots and the edge of town run colder than downtown.

Short answer

The average last spring frost in Durham is March 31, and the average first fall frost is November 4, from NOAA's Raleigh Durham Intl Airport station, 9 miles from the middle of Durham. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 16, and the first one by October 23. That leaves about 218 frost-free days. Durham is in USDA planting zone 8a.

Weather stations around Durham

The first row is the date most people in Durham go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.

Station	Last spring frost	First fall frost	Frost-free
Raleigh Durham Intl Airport 9 mi away, 416 ft	March 31 1 in 10 after April 16	November 4 1 in 10 by October 23	218 days
Durham 6 mi away, 400 ft	April 2 1 in 10 after April 18	November 4 1 in 10 by October 24	216 days
Chapel Hill Williams Airport 10 mi away, 512 ft	March 29 1 in 10 after April 12	November 5 1 in 10 by October 23	221 days
Durham 11 W 11 mi away, 562 ft	March 31 1 in 10 after April 19	November 4 1 in 10 by October 22	218 days
Chapel Hill 2 W 11 mi away, 500 ft	March 31 1 in 10 after April 14	November 3 1 in 10 by October 23	217 days

Distances are from the middle of Durham as the Census Bureau maps it. The average date is NOAA's 50% date: half of years have a later last frost, or an earlier first one. Plan by the 1-in-10 date if a freeze would cost you plants. The planting zone is the USDA 2023 zone for ZIP code 27701, at the middle of the city.

Your exact ZIP code

Durham covers a lot of ground. For the station nearest your own street, and its planting zone, type your ZIP code.

How these dates work

Frost dates come from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 Climate Normals, which work out from each weather station's daily lows how likely the last spring freeze and the first fall freeze (32 °F) are by each date. We use the station nearest the middle of your ZIP code and show its height and distance, since a station on a hill or by a lake can differ from your yard.

The average date is the 50% date: half of years have a freeze after the spring date or before the fall one. The 1-in-10 dates are NOAA's 10% dates, the ones to plan by if a late freeze would cost you plants. Within one yard, cold air pools in low spots while walls and paving hold heat, so some corners freeze before others.

More frost dates

All of North Carolina, station by station.

Other North Carolina cities: Charlotte · Raleigh · Greensboro · Winston · Fayetteville · Cary