NOAA station USC00385493 · South Carolina
Frost Dates for Manning, SC
NOAA weather station Manning (USC00385493), South Carolina · elevation 85 ft (26 m) · hardiness zone 8b*
- Lower-risk planting dateafter April 11only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
- Typical last frostMarch 2550% chance of a frost after it
- Typical first fall frostNovember 1150% chance of a frost before it
- Frost-free season232 daystypical year, 32°F
- Hardiness zone8bcalculated*
The year at a glance
Frost dates (32°F)
| Chance | Last frost in spring after | First frost in fall before |
|---|---|---|
| 10% (unlikely) | April 11 | October 30 |
| 50% (typical) | March 25 | November 11 |
| 90% (likely) | March 1 | December 1 |
- Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
- 232 days
- Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
- March 9
- Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
- November 24
The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)
Typical last frost March 26 (1 day later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 9 (2 days earlier). Frost-free season 230 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 3 | November 20 |
| 2022 | April 11 | October 19 |
| 2023 | March 22 | November 2 |
| 2024 | February 26 | November 22 |
| 2025 | March 7 | November 11 |
| 2026 | March 29 | season not over yet |
What these dates mean
Between the two 32 °F 50% dates, March 25 and November 11, there are 232 days that define the central frost-free period for Manning.
For a gardener, the 50% date of March 25 indicates an even chance that a light frost could still arrive later in spring, while the 50% date of November 11 indicates an even chance that a light frost may already have occurred earlier in fall. The cautious spring date to set out tender crops is April 11, which carries only a 10 % chance of a later frost. In autumn the cautious date to finish harvesting tender crops is October 30, with only a 10 % chance that frost has arrived earlier. Planting on March 1 or holding crops until December 1 would be a gamble, each bearing a 90 % chance of frost at the opposite end of the season.
A hard frost at 28 °F—recorded by the median dates March 9 and November 24—can damage plants more severely 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 11" 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 30" 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
- Andrews, SC 41 mi (65 km)
- Florence, SC 43 mi (70 km)
- Darlington, SC 46 mi (73 km)
- Hartsville, SC 49 mi (79 km)
- Columbia University of SC, SC 51 mi (83 km)
Sources
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, station USC00385493
- 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 USC00385493
- NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network – Daily (GHCN-Daily), observed daily minimum temperature, retrieved 2026-10-08
* 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: 33.6989, -80.1992.