With the record warmth this week, it has certainly felt like springtime (especially with the return of pollen). It is also a reminder that we are getting closer to the growing season, but we are not there quite yet. Let's dive into when we typically see our last freeze of the spring and when frost/freeze alerts will be issued again.
For Raleigh, our average last freeze happens on April 8 with our earliest last freeze happening on March 7, 2010. The latest last freeze on record was May 8, 1989.
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Statewide, it is usually in late March that we see our last freeze towards the coastline. For our area, it's typically in the first couple of weeks of April, but it varies by location. For the mountains, it is later in April into early May.
You can see the variation in last freezes just across our area. Microclimates play a big part in this as just small changes in elevation can cause a variation in temperatures. Some spots see the last freeze occur just before the end of March, while other areas don't see it until the middle of April.
The National Weather Service in Raleigh will not begin issuing frost/freeze alerts until the end of March and early April to coincide with our average last freeze.
A Frost Advisory is issued when temperatures are forecast to be between 33° and 36°, and a Freeze Warning issued when temperatures are forecast to the 32° or less. A Hard Freeze Warning will be issued if temperatures are forecast to drop to 28° or colder.