NOAA station USW00003870 · South Carolina
Frost Dates for Greer, SC
NOAA weather station Greer (USW00003870), South Carolina · elevation 940 ft (287 m) · hardiness zone 8a*
- Lower-risk planting dateafter April 14only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
- Typical last frostMarch 2850% chance of a frost after it
- Typical first fall frostNovember 750% chance of a frost before it
- Frost-free season224 daystypical year, 32°F
- Hardiness zone8acalculated*
The year at a glance
Frost dates (32°F)
| Chance | Last frost in spring after | First frost in fall before |
|---|---|---|
| 10% (unlikely) | April 14 | October 26 |
| 50% (typical) | March 28 | November 7 |
| 90% (likely) | March 10 | November 24 |
- Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
- 224 days
- Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
- March 15
- Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
- November 20
The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)
Typical last frost March 26 (2 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 7. Frost-free season 224 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
What actually happened in recent years
| Year | Last spring frost | First fall frost |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | April 22 | November 14 |
| 2022 | April 10 | October 18 |
| 2023 | March 21 | November 1 |
| 2024 | March 19 | November 22 |
| 2025 | March 7 | November 10 |
| 2026 | March 29 | season not over yet |
What these dates mean
Setting out tender crops on the early spring date, March 10, is a gamble because there is a 90 % chance of a light frost later in the season. In Greer the cautious date for planting tender varieties is April 14, when only a 10 % chance of frost remains.
The 50% date for light frost is March 28 in spring and November 7 in fall; at those points the odds of frost are even. The median hard-frost dates are March 15 and November 20, and a hard frost at 28 °F can injure plants that would survive a 32 °F light frost. For finishing tender crops the cautious fall date is October 26, with a 10 % chance that frost has already arrived, while counting on harvests as late as November 24 carries a 90 % gamble. The two 32 °F 50% dates are 224 days apart, based on 27 years of record.
How to read the probabilities
The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.
- Spring: "10% after April 14" 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
- Spartanburg, SC 17 mi (28 km)
- Tryon, NC 22 mi (36 km)
- Caesars Head, SC 28 mi (45 km)
- Laurens, SC 29 mi (46 km)
- Anderson, SC 35 mi (56 km)
Sources
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, station USW00003870
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals
- PRISM Group, Oregon State University — 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone GIS datasets
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 2006–2020 (15-year normals), station USW00003870
- NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network – Daily (GHCN-Daily), observed daily minimum temperature, retrieved 2026-10-08
* Hardiness zone 8a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.
Station coordinates: 34.8831, -82.2203.