U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00387722 · South Carolina

Frost Dates for Santuck, SC

NOAA weather station Santuck (USC00387722), South Carolina · elevation 520 ft (159 m) · hardiness zone 8a*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 20only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 450% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 150% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season210 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone8acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Santuck, SCSpring: a frost after March 19 in 9 years out of 10, after April 4 in half of the years, after April 20 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 19 in 1 year out of 10, before November 1 in half of the years, before November 13 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 210 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 4First frost ~Nov 1Frost season at Santuck, SCSpring: a frost after March 19 in 9 years out of 10, after April 4 in half of the years, after April 20 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 19 in 1 year out of 10, before November 1 in half of the years, before November 13 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 210 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 4First frost ~Nov 1
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 28 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 20October 19
50% (typical)April 4November 1
90% (likely)March 19November 13
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
210 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 24
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 10

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 4 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 1. Frost-free season 211 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 Santuck: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 20, 20% April 14, 30% April 10, 40% April 7, 50% April 4, 60% April 1, 70% March 29, 80% March 25, 90% March 19. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 10, 2023 March 21, 2024 March 19, 2025 March 18, 2026 March 29.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 20Apr 4Mar 192021: April 222022: April 102023: March 212024: March 192025: March 182026: March 29Fall at Santuck: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 19, 20% October 24, 30% October 27, 40% October 30, 50% November 1, 60% November 3, 70% November 5, 80% November 9, 90% November 13. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 14, 2022 October 19, 2023 November 2, 2024 November 22, 2025 November 11.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Oct 19Nov 1Nov 132021: November 142022: October 192023: November 22024: November 222025: November 11
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 22November 14
2022April 10October 19
2023March 21November 2
2024March 19November 22
2025March 18November 11
2026March 29season not over yet

What these dates mean

The 210 days between the 50% dates in Santuck—April 4 and November 1—represent the period in which light frosts are equally likely to have occurred or not. Gardeners can view this span as the core growing window for most crops, while the surrounding dates indicate higher risk of frost.

For a cautious schedule the 10% spring date is April 20, which marks the point where only a small chance of a later frost remains and therefore is used for setting out tender crops. In the fall the comparable 10% date is October 19, the point at which the probability of an earlier frost is low enough to finish harvesting tender crops.

The hard-frost median dates are March 24 and November 10, and a 28°F frost can damage plants more severely than a 32°F light frost.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 20" 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 19" 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 Santuck, SCNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Chester, SC — 19 mi; 2 — near Gaffney, SC — 27 mi; 3 — Spartanburg, SC — 29 mi; 4 — Laurens, SC — 30 mi; 5 — near Chapin, SC — 31 mi.SCNCGA25 mi · 40 km1. Chester, SC — 19 mi12. near Gaffney, SC — 27 mi23. Spartanburg, SC — 29 mi34. Laurens, SC — 30 mi45. near Chapin, SC — 31 mi5
  1. Chester, SC 19 mi (30 km)
  2. near Gaffney, SC 27 mi (44 km)
  3. Spartanburg, SC 29 mi (47 km)
  4. Laurens, SC 30 mi (48 km)
  5. near Chapin, SC 31 mi (49 km)

Sources

* 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: 34.635, -81.5206.