Pinehurst climate

Pinehurst Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Carthage Wtp, 16.2 km from Pinehurst, elevation 440 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Carthage Wtp. A median date has an even chance of a later freeze in spring, or an earlier one in fall.

The last spring freeze typically comes around April 1 and the first fall freeze around November 5, a growing season of about 219 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 14, first October 28
Median at 32°F
last April 1, first November 5
Median at 28°F
last March 17, first November 15

Last freeze in spring

The chance of a later freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one spring in ten still freezes after the date; planting after the 10 percent date for 32°F is the cautious choice.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FApr 28Apr 23Apr 19Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3Mar 29
32°FApr 19Apr 14Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 20Mar 13
28°FApr 5Mar 31Mar 26Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Mar 3Feb 26
24°FMar 22Mar 15Mar 10Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27Feb 23Feb 18Feb 9
20°FMar 11Mar 4Feb 27Feb 22Feb 16Feb 11Feb 5Jan 31Jan 20
16°FFeb 28Feb 16Feb 9Feb 3Jan 30Jan 25Jan 19Jan 13Jan 3

First freeze in fall

The chance of an earlier freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one fall in ten freezes before the date.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 16Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7
32°FOct 24Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 19
28°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27Dec 2
24°FNov 11Nov 16Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 16Dec 25
20°FNov 25Dec 2Dec 7Dec 13Dec 19Dec 25Dec 31Jan 6Jan 15
16°FDec 9Dec 18Dec 24Dec 31Jan 5Jan 10Jan 15Jan 21Jan 31

Growing season length

Days between the last spring and first fall freeze at each threshold, with the chance of a season at least that long.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F215209204200197193190185178
32°F242232227223219215210205198
28°F271261255249244239235229219
24°F303292284278272266261252244
20°F333323315308302296290281271
16°F365356346339333327319311301

How often it gets that cold

The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.

36°F or colder
100% of years
32°F or colder
100% of years
28°F or colder
100% of years
24°F or colder
100% of years
20°F or colder
99% of years
16°F or colder
85% of years

Degree days

A degree day is one degree of the daily mean temperature beyond a base, for one day. Heating degree days count cold (the fuel a house burns), cooling degree days heat, growing degree days the warmth a crop needs; each crop has its own base.

Heating degree days, base 65°F
3,172
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,641
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,813
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,250
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,842
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,602
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,531

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January725029
February588045
March3949162
April18232311
May45152572
June2332780
July0455920
August0389854
September15228663
October16340348
November4123111
December647147

What this means

NOAA computes these from the daily lows at the station over 1991-2020, fitting the dates of each year's last and first freeze to a distribution, so a date can be stated at any level of risk. 36°F is a frost risk for tender plants on a clear, calm night, since the ground cools below the air above it; 32°F is a freeze; 28°F is a hard freeze that kills most annuals.

The station is 16.2 km from Pinehurst. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

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Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00311515 (Carthage Wtp). Public domain.