U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00382260 · South Carolina

Frost Dates for Darlington, SC

NOAA weather station Darlington (USC00382260), South Carolina · elevation 150 ft (46 m) · hardiness zone 8b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 13only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 3050% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 650% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season221 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone8bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Darlington, SCSpring: a frost after March 13 in 9 years out of 10, after March 30 in half of the years, after April 13 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 26 in 1 year out of 10, before November 6 in half of the years, before November 21 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 221 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 30First frost ~Nov 6Frost season at Darlington, SCSpring: a frost after March 13 in 9 years out of 10, after March 30 in half of the years, after April 13 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 26 in 1 year out of 10, before November 6 in half of the years, before November 21 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 221 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 30First frost ~Nov 6
frost likely chance fading 90% → 10% frost-free in a typical yearThe year at a glance. Blue: frost is likely; the gradient fades as the chance drops from 90% to 10%; green: the frost-free part of a typical year.

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 26 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 13October 26
50% (typical)March 30November 6
90% (likely)March 13November 21
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
221 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 18
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 17

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 28 (2 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 9 (3 days later). Frost-free season 229 days.

A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.

Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).

How the chance of frost changes with the date

Spring at Darlington: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 13, 20% April 9, 30% April 5, 40% April 1, 50% March 30, 60% March 27, 70% March 23, 80% March 18, 90% March 13. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 3, 2022 March 29, 2023 March 22.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Mar 1Apr 1Apr 13Mar 30Mar 132021: April 32022: March 292023: March 22Fall at Darlington: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 26, 20% October 31, 30% November 1, 40% November 4, 50% November 6, 60% November 9, 70% November 12, 80% November 16, 90% November 21. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2024 November 23.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Oct 26Nov 6Nov 212024: November 23
Two charts, because spring and fall answer different questions: in spring, the chance that a frost still comes after a date; in fall, the chance that the first frost has already come before it. NOAA publishes these odds from 10% to 90%, so the lines stop there. ◆ marks the actual date in each recent year.

What actually happened in recent years

Observed dates of the last spring and first fall frost (32°F) at this station; ◆ marks them on the charts above
YearLast spring frostFirst fall frost
2021April 3incomplete record
2022March 29incomplete record
2023March 22incomplete record
2024incomplete recordNovember 23
2025incomplete recordincomplete record
2026incomplete recordseason not over yet

What these dates mean

There are 221 days between the 50% dates in Darlington, March 30 and November 6, and that span marks the interval when a light frost is equally likely to have happened or not. The 50% dates mean a gardener faces a 50% chance of a light frost occurring after the spring date or before the fall date, so timing can be based on that balance.

The cautious plan for tender crops in spring uses April 13, the date with only a 10% chance of a frost later, while planting on March 13 carries a 90% chance and is a gamble. In the fall the cautious date to finish harvesting tender crops is October 26, which has only a 10% chance of a frost earlier; November 21 carries a 90% chance and is risky. A hard frost at 28 °F—its 50% dates are March 18 and November 17—can cause far more severe damage than a light frost at 32 °F.

How to read the probabilities

The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.

  • Spring: "10% after April 13" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
  • Fall: "10% before October 26" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
  • 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
  • A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.

Nearby weather stations

Map of weather stations near Darlington, SCNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Hartsville, SC — 12 mi; 2 — Florence, SC — 12 mi; 3 — Cheraw, SC — 28 mi; 4 — Laurinburg, NC — 39 mi; 5 — Manning, SC — 46 mi.SCNC25 mi · 40 km1. Hartsville, SC — 12 mi12. Florence, SC — 12 mi23. Cheraw, SC — 28 mi34. Laurinburg, NC — 39 mi45. Manning, SC — 46 mi5
  1. Hartsville, SC 12 mi (19 km)
  2. Florence, SC 12 mi (19 km)
  3. Cheraw, SC 28 mi (45 km)
  4. Laurinburg, NC 39 mi (63 km)
  5. Manning, SC 46 mi (73 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 8b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 34.3011, -79.8767.