(WGHP) — Temperatures are getting lower, and we’re getting closer to that benchmark first freeze of the season.

From May 1 to Oct. 20, the National Weather Service keeps an eye on the temperature for possible freezes. A “Freeze,” which would prompt a Freeze Warning or Freeze Watch, is when the surface air temperature falls between 29 and 32 degrees Fahrenheit for a “climatologically significant period of time.” A “Hard Freeze” watch or warning would be for when temperatures hit 28 degrees or lower.

Average first freeze of fall dates for the PIedmont Triad.
Average first freeze of fall dates for the Piedmont Triad.

To help prepare you, we put together a rundown of when cities in North Carolina typically see their first day with low temperatures of 32º or colder, averaging the 30-year period from 1991-2020.

  • Asheboro – Nov. 3
  • Asheville – Oct. 27
  • Chapel Hill – Nov. 3
  • Charlotte – Nov. 2
  • Durham – Nov. 5
  • Fayetteville – Nov. 9
  • Gastonia – Nov. 8
  • Grandfather Mountain – Oct. 10
  • Greensboro – Nov. 1
  • Greenville – Nov. 8
  • Hatteras – Dec. 17
  • High Point – Nov. 3
  • Lexington – Nov. 3
  • Lumberton – Nov. 8
  • Marion – Oct. 22
  • Morehead City – Nov. 24
  • Mount Airy – Oct. 20
  • North Wilkesboro – Oct. 23
  • Raleigh – Nov. 3
  • Reidsville – Nov. 4
  • Wilmington – Nov. 18
  • Winston-Salem – Nov. 3

The above data is from North Carolina State University’s Climate Office.