Frost dates in Greensboro, 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 Greensboro is March 30, and the average first fall frost is November 5, from NOAA's Piedmont Triad Intl Airport station, 7 miles from the middle of Greensboro. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 14, and the first one by October 25. That leaves about 220 frost-free days. Greensboro is in USDA planting zone 8a.
Weather stations around Greensboro
The first row is the date most people in Greensboro go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piedmont Triad Intl Airport 7 mi away, 890 ft | March 30 1 in 10 after April 14 | November 5 1 in 10 by October 25 | 220 days |
| Greensboro Wtp 1 mi away, 765 ft | April 1 1 in 10 after April 14 | November 4 1 in 10 by October 23 | 217 days |
| High Pt 12 mi away, 900 ft | March 30 1 in 10 after April 15 | November 5 1 in 10 by October 21 | 220 days |
| Randleman 19 mi away, 810 ft | March 29 1 in 10 after April 13 | November 6 1 in 10 by October 25 | 222 days |
| Burlington Alamance Airport 20 mi away, 617 ft | April 1 1 in 10 after April 17 | November 2 1 in 10 by October 21 | 215 days |
Distances are from the middle of Greensboro 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 27408, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Greensboro 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 · Durham · Winston · Fayetteville · Cary
Where the numbers come from
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University (zone data)
- NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, annual/seasonal
- NOAA, Normals calculation methodology (frost-freeze probability dates)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 ZCTA gazetteer (ZIP code centers)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 city population estimates and place gazetteer