South Carolina frost dates
The typical last spring frost ranges from Feb 4 in Charleston to Mar 21 in Myrtle Beach.
5 of the 5 South Carolina cities listed have typical frost dates. The longest frost-free season is 321 days in Charleston; the shortest is 239 days in Myrtle Beach. For a single address, look up your ZIP code: rural ZIPs use their nearest suitable station.
| City | Last spring frost | 1 in 10 after | First fall frost | 1 in 10 before | Hard freeze (28°F) | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | Feb 4 | Mar 4 | Dec 30 | Dec 2 | Jan 24 / Jan 8 | 321 days |
| Columbia | Mar 16 | Apr 3 | Nov 16 | Nov 2 | Mar 1 / Dec 2 | 245 days |
| Hilton Head Island | Feb 28 | Mar 21 | Dec 3 | Nov 14 | Feb 8 / Dec 27 | 279 days |
| Myrtle Beach | Mar 21 | Apr 7 | Nov 13 | Oct 31 | Mar 7 / Nov 26 | 239 days |
| North Charleston | Mar 7 | Mar 27 | Nov 27 | Nov 8 | Feb 20 / Dec 15 | 266 days |
Reading the table: North Charleston
In North Charleston, the last spring frost typically comes around Mar 7: in half of years it is earlier, in half later. In 1 year in 10 it comes after Mar 27, 20 days later, so tender plants set out after that date have a 90% chance of escaping frost. In fall, the first frost typically arrives around Nov 27, and in 1 year in 10 before Nov 8. Hard freezes (28°F) usually end earlier in spring and start later in fall: around Feb 20 and Dec 15 in North Charleston.
Frost dates at more South Carolina weather stations
NOAA stations across South Carolina used by our ZIP code lookup, named for the town they are in.
| Station | Elevation | Last spring frost | First fall frost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aiken 5SE | 492 ft | Mar 21 (1 in 10 after Apr 6) | Nov 7 (before Oct 25) |
| Allendale 2 Nw | 180 ft | Mar 28 (1 in 10 after Apr 13) | Nov 7 (before Oct 23) |
| Anderson Co Airport | 760 ft | Mar 29 (1 in 10 after Apr 13) | Nov 8 (before Oct 26) |
| Andrews | 35 ft | Mar 23 (1 in 10 after Apr 7) | Nov 13 (before Nov 1) |
| Bamberg | 156 ft | Mar 18 (1 in 10 after Apr 4) | Nov 12 (before Nov 1) |
| Bishopville 1ENE | 203 ft | Mar 29 (1 in 10 after Apr 11) | Nov 4 (before Oct 23) |
| Blackville 3 W | 317 ft | Mar 20 (1 in 10 after Apr 8) | Nov 13 (before Oct 29) |
| Brookgreen Gardens | 20 ft | Mar 18 (1 in 10 after Apr 3) | Nov 18 (before Nov 4) |
| Cades 4 W | 80 ft | Mar 27 (1 in 10 after Apr 13) | Nov 9 (before Oct 26) |
| Caesars Head | 3,200 ft | Apr 10 (1 in 10 after Apr 28) | Nov 2 (before Oct 22) |
| Calhoun Falls | 530 ft | Mar 27 (1 in 10 after Apr 11) | Nov 7 (before Oct 26) |
| Camden 3 W | 140 ft | Apr 4 (1 in 10 after Apr 18) | Nov 4 (before Oct 21) |
| Cheraw | 150 ft | Mar 26 (1 in 10 after Apr 9) | Nov 9 (before Oct 29) |
| Chesnee 7 Wsw | 748 ft | Apr 13 (1 in 10 after Apr 27) | Oct 26 (before Oct 15) |
| Chester 1 Se | 560 ft | Apr 3 (1 in 10 after Apr 19) | Nov 2 (before Oct 20) |
| Chesterfield 3 E | 205 ft | Apr 1 (1 in 10 after Apr 17) | Nov 3 (before Oct 21) |
| Clarks Hill 1 W | 400 ft | Mar 15 (1 in 10 after Apr 3) | Nov 18 (before Nov 3) |
| Clemson Oconee Co Airport | 891 ft | Mar 21 (1 in 10 after Apr 7) | Nov 11 (before Oct 28) |
| Clemson Univ | 800 ft | Apr 1 (1 in 10 after Apr 18) | Nov 3 (before Oct 21) |
| Clinton | 655 ft | Mar 29 (1 in 10 after Apr 13) | Nov 4 (before Oct 21) |
| Columbia | 231 ft | Mar 25 (1 in 10 after Apr 10) | Nov 7 (before Oct 26) |
| Conway | 20 ft | Mar 15 (1 in 10 after Apr 1) | Nov 22 (before Nov 5) |
| Darlington | 150 ft | Mar 30 (1 in 10 after Apr 13) | Nov 6 (before Oct 26) |
| Dillon | 118 ft | Mar 28 (1 in 10 after Apr 12) | Nov 8 (before Oct 27) |
| Edisto Is Middleton Plantation | 12 ft | Mar 1 (1 in 10 after Mar 22) | Dec 6 (before Nov 15) |
| Florence Rgnl Airport | 146 ft | Mar 19 (1 in 10 after Apr 5) | Nov 13 (before Nov 1) |
| Greenville Downtown Airport | 1,048 ft | Mar 16 (1 in 10 after Apr 2) | Nov 20 (before Nov 4) |
| Greenwood | 615 ft | Mar 26 (1 in 10 after Apr 10) | Nov 12 (before Oct 28) |
| Greenwood Co Airport | 631 ft | Apr 1 (1 in 10 after Apr 18) | Nov 2 (before Oct 20) |
| Greer | 940 ft | Mar 28 (1 in 10 after Apr 14) | Nov 7 (before Oct 26) |
| Hampton 1S | 95 ft | Mar 6 (1 in 10 after Mar 26) | Nov 26 (before Nov 6) |
| Hartsville | 185 ft | Mar 30 (1 in 10 after Apr 13) | Nov 6 (before Oct 26) |
| Hemingway 8 Ese | 40 ft | Mar 23 (1 in 10 after Apr 7) | Nov 15 (before Nov 1) |
| Johnston 4 Sw | 629 ft | Mar 26 (1 in 10 after Apr 11) | Nov 8 (before Oct 25) |
| Laurens | 589 ft | Apr 1 (1 in 10 after Apr 17) | Nov 5 (before Oct 23) |
| Little Mtn | 711 ft | Mar 22 (1 in 10 after Apr 7) | Nov 11 (before Oct 29) |
| Long Creek | 1,625 ft | Apr 9 (1 in 10 after Apr 27) | Oct 29 (before Oct 13) |
| Manning | 85 ft | Mar 25 (1 in 10 after Apr 11) | Nov 11 (before Oct 30) |
| Marion | 75 ft | Mar 22 (1 in 10 after Apr 13) | Nov 11 (before Oct 30) |
| Mccoll 3 Nnw | 190 ft | Mar 26 (1 in 10 after Apr 12) | Nov 8 (before Oct 26) |
| Mccormick | 507 ft | Mar 28 (1 in 10 after Apr 13) | Nov 7 (before Oct 25) |
| Moncks Corner 4 N | 49 ft | Mar 10 (1 in 10 after Mar 29) | Nov 26 (before Nov 7) |
| Mullins | 110 ft | Mar 26 (1 in 10 after Apr 9) | Nov 11 (before Nov 1) |
| Ninety Nine Is | 500 ft | Apr 20 (1 in 10 after May 6) | Oct 24 (before Oct 11) |
| Orangeburg Muni Airport | 197 ft | Mar 15 (1 in 10 after Mar 31) | Nov 19 (before Nov 3) |
| Pageland | 520 ft | Mar 27 (1 in 10 after Apr 9) | Nov 8 (before Oct 28) |
| Pelion 0.8 Nw | 451 ft | Mar 28 (1 in 10 after Apr 10) | Nov 4 (before Oct 23) |
| Pickens | 1,075 ft | Apr 1 (1 in 10 after Apr 18) | Nov 3 (before Oct 21) |
| Rock Hill York Co Airport | 669 ft | Mar 31 (1 in 10 after Apr 15) | Nov 4 (before Oct 23) |
| Saluda | 480 ft | Mar 31 (1 in 10 after Apr 15) | Nov 4 (before Oct 21) |
| Santuck | 520 ft | Apr 4 (1 in 10 after Apr 20) | Nov 1 (before Oct 19) |
| Spartanburg 3 Sse | 610 ft | Apr 8 (1 in 10 after Apr 23) | Nov 1 (before Oct 17) |
| Summerville 4W | 65 ft | Mar 22 (1 in 10 after Apr 7) | Nov 12 (before Oct 29) |
| Sumter | 177 ft | Mar 24 (1 in 10 after Apr 7) | Nov 7 (before Oct 28) |
| Walhalla | 980 ft | Apr 11 (1 in 10 after Apr 25) | Oct 30 (before Oct 17) |
| Walterboro 1 Sw | 56 ft | Mar 19 (1 in 10 after Apr 9) | Nov 12 (before Oct 29) |
| Wedgefield | 250 ft | Mar 21 (1 in 10 after Apr 9) | Nov 13 (before Oct 30) |
| Winnsboro | 530 ft | Mar 31 (1 in 10 after Apr 18) | Nov 6 (before Oct 25) |
| Winthrop Univ | 650 ft | Mar 27 (1 in 10 after Apr 11) | Nov 5 (before Oct 24) |
| Yemassee 1 N | 44 ft | Mar 23 (1 in 10 after Apr 11) | Nov 6 (before Oct 25) |
32°F dates from NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for each city's station. "1 in 10 after": a 10% chance of a later spring frost (planting is 90% safe after it). How to read frost dates.