Revised 12/96 -- Author Reviewed 12/98 HIL-709
Growing season is defined as the number of days without an air temperature of 32 0F or lower. The standard deviation is an important statistic to consider along with the average date. The standard deviation tells the amount of dispersion around the average. The average growing season length plus and minus one standard deviation gives the range of growing season length into which 68% of all observed growing seasons will fall. For example, the average growing season in Albemarle is 200 days (Table 1). Further, 68% of all the growing seasons will be from 187 to 213 days long (200 minus 13 and 200 plus 13).
Below the growing season data are listed by Station Name (Table 1) and by County (Table 2).
There are several published references for North Carolina climate data. These references are available from the North Carolina State University Department of Communication Services, Publications, Box 7603, Raleigh, NC 27695-7603; (919) 515-2861.
Station County Ave Standard Albemarle 4 N Stanly 200 13 Andrews 2 E Cherokee 159 17 Asheboro 2 W Randolph 209 18 Asheville Buncombe 197 13 Banner Elk Avery 143 18 Bent Creek Buncombe 157 14 Black Mountain Buncombe 173 17 Blowing Rock Watauga 162 15 Brevard Transylvania 158 13 Burlington Alamance 214 17 Canton 1 SW Haywood 159 14 Celo 2 S Yancey 132 23 Chapel Hill 2 W Orange 190 14 Charlotte WSO AP Mecklenburg 213 27 Clinton Sampson 208 27 Concord Cabarrus 214 18 Coweeta Exp Station Macon 154 14 Cullowhee Jackson 161 14 Durham Durham 194 14 Edenton Chowan 233 17 Elizabeth City FAA AP Pasquotank 222 17 Enka Buncombe 182 18 Fayetteville Cumberland 213 17 Franklin 1 SSW Macon 161 14 Gastonia Gaston 208 22 Goldsboro 1 SSW Wayne 216 16 Greensboro Pump Station Guilford 205 15 Greensboro WSO AP Guilford 199 10 Greenville Pitt 212 16 Hamlet Richmond 199 14 Hatteras Dare 282 28 Henderson 2 NNW Vance 185 17 Hendersonville 1 NE Henderson 169 15 Hickory Burke 206 16 Highlands 2 S Macon 180 19 High Point Guilford 210 17 Hot Springs 2 Madison 183 15 Jackson Northampton 198 12 Kinston 5 E Lenoir 214 21 Laurinburg Scotland 217 17 Lenoir Caldwell 188 15 Lexington Davidson 214 19 Lumberton 6 NW Robeson 207 21 Marion McDowell 205 14 Marshall Madison 168 16 Maysville 6 W Jones 186 17 Monroe 4 SE Union 196 16 Morehead City 2 WNW Carteret 245 24 Morganton Burke 180 17 Mount Airy Surry 176 11 Nashville Nash 210 17 New Bern FAA AP Craven 232 18 New Holland Hyde 226 18 Oxford 2 SW Granville 206 17 Pisgah Forest 1 N Transvylvania 161 14 Plymouth 5 E Washington 195 15 Raleigh-Durham WSO AP Wake 199 17 Raleigh 4 SW Wake 213 20 Raleigh NCSU Wake 220 19 Reidsville 2 NW Rockingham 203 15 Rocky Mount 8 ESE Edgecombe 203 19 Rowan Research Station Rowan 185 13 Salisbury Rowan 201 16 Sanford 8 NE Lee 186 16 Shelby 2 NNE Cleveland 196 14 Siler City 2 NW Chatham 172 17 Smithfield Johnston 201 15 Southport 5 N Brunswick 238 24 Statesville 2 NNE Iredell 179 22 Tarboro 1 S Edgecombe 206 19 Transou Ashe 139 16 Tryon Polk 208 19 Wadesboro Anson 221 18 Waterville 2 Haywood 199 21 Waynesville 1 E Haywood 155 15 Whiteville 7 NW Columbus 212 21 Willard 4 SW Pender 212 20 Williamston 1 ENE Martin 219 19 Wilmington 7 N New Hanover 210 20 Wilmington WSO AP New Hanover 242 16 Wilson 3 SW Wilson 210 15
Name
Length
(days)
Deviation
(days)
County Station Ave Standard Alamance Burlington 214 17 Anson Wadesboro 221 18 Ashe Transou 139 16 Avery Banner Elk 143 18 Brunswick Southport 5 N 238 24 Buncombe Asheville 197 13 . Black Mountain 173 17 . Bent Creek 157 14 . Enka 182 18 Burke Morganton 180 17 . Hickory 206 16 Cabarrus Concord 214 18 Caldwell Lenoir 188 15 Carteret Morehead City 2 WNW 245 24 Chatham Siler City 2 NW 172 17 Cherokee Andrews 2 E 159 17 Chowan Edenton 233 17 Cleveland Shelby 2 NNE 196 14 Columbus Whiteville 7 NW 212 21 Craven New Bern FAA AP 232 18 Cumberland Fayetteville 213 17 Dare Hatteras 282 28 Davidson Lexington 214 19 Durham Durham 194 14 Edgecombe Rocky Mount 8 ESE 203 19 . Tarboro 1 S 206 19 Gaston Gastonia 208 22 Granville Oxford 2 SW 206 17 Guilford High Point 210 17 . Greensboro Pump Station 205 15 . Greensboro WSO AP 199 10 Haywood Canton 1 SW 159 14 . Waynesville 1 E 155 15 . Waterville 2 199 21 Henderson Hendersonville 1 NE 169 15 Hyde New Holland 226 18 Iredell Statesville 2 NNE 179 22 Jackson Cullowhee 161 14 Johnston Smithfield 201 15 Jones Maysville 6 W 186 17 Lee Sanford 8 NE 186 16 Lenoir Kinston 5 E 214 21 Macon Coweeta Exp Station 154 14 . Highlands 2 S 180 19 . Franklin 1 SSW 161 14 Madison Marshall 168 16 . Hot Springs 2 183 15 Martin Williamston 1 ENE 219 19 McDowell Marion 205 14 Mecklenburg Charlotte WSO AP 213 27 Nash Nashville 210 17 New Hanover Wilmington WSO AP 242 16 . Wilmington 7 N 210 20 Northampton Jackson 198 12 Orange Chapel Hill 2 W 190 14 Pasquotank Elizabeth City FAA AP 222 17 Pender Willard 4 SW 212 20 Pitt Greenville 212 16 Polk Tryon 208 19 Randolph Asheboro 2 W 209 18 Richmond Hamlet 199 14 Robeson Lumberton 6 NW 207 21 Rockingham Reidsville 2 NW 203 15 Rowan Salisbury 201 16 . Rowan Research Station 185 13 Sampson Clinton 208 27 Scotland Laurinburg 217 17 Stanly Albemarle 4 N 200 13 Surry Mount Airy 176 11 Transvylvania Pisgah Forest 1 N 161 14 . Brevard 158 13 Union Monroe 4 SE 196 16 Vance Henderson 2 NNW 185 17 Wake Raleigh NCSU 220 19 . Raleigh 4 SW 213 20 . Raleigh-Durham WSO AP 199 17 Washington Plymouth 5 E 195 15 Watauga Blowing Rock 162 15 Wayne Goldsboro 1 SSW 216 16 Wilson Wilson 3 SW 210 15 Yancey Celo 2 S 132 23 . . . .
Name
Length
(days)
Deviation
(days)
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June
30, 1914. Employment and program opportunities are offered to all
people regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or
disability. North Carolina State University at Raleigh, North
Carolina A & T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
and local governments cooperating.