USDA Hardiness Zone 8a
Frost Dates for 29058 — Heath Springs, South Carolina
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Wateree Dam, SC (230 ft), 18 miles south.
Updated
In Heath Springs, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 23 in half of years and has passed by April 7 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 14, as early as November 1 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 237 days (NOAA, Wateree Dam, SC).
- Last spring frost
- March 23
- First fall frost
- November 14
- Growing season
- 237 days
- Hardiness zone
- 8a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
10 to 15°F (-12.2 to -9.4°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 15%
- Snow per year
- 0.5"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
3 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Heath Springs
Half of springs at Wateree Dam, SC see their last 32°F night by March 23; only one in ten is past it by March 5, and one in ten still has one after April 7. Planting tender crops after March 30 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 2 20%, and after April 7 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 66% of the 105 South Carolina stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 14 in half of years, as early as November 1 one year in ten, and holds off past December 3 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 17 days later, around December 1; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 27, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 237 days in a typical year, longer than at 64% of the 105 South Carolina stations; it reaches 261 days one year in ten and falls short of 215 one year in ten. On average 59 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 11 days longer, to about April 3, and return around November 3. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 99% of winters and 16°F in 51%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 19 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 8 | Apr 12 | Apr 17 |
| 32°F | Mar 5 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 20 | Mar 23 | Mar 27 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 7 |
| 28°F | Feb 18 | Feb 25 | Mar 2 | Mar 6 | Mar 11 | Mar 14 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 27 |
| 24°F99% of yrs | Jan 25 | Feb 1 | Feb 7 | Feb 15 | Feb 22 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 9 | Mar 17 |
| 20°F88% of yrs | Jan 4 | Jan 15 | Jan 22 | Jan 29 | Feb 2 | Feb 7 | Feb 16 | Feb 28 | Mar 6 |
| 16°F51% of yrs | Dec 28 | Jan 7 | Jan 13 | Jan 18 | Jan 22 | Jan 28 | Feb 1 | Feb 7 | Feb 23 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 17 |
| 32°F | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 27 | Dec 3 |
| 28°F | Nov 10 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Dec 1 | Dec 3 | Dec 8 | Dec 16 | Dec 27 |
| 24°F99% of yrs | Nov 24 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 | Dec 12 | Dec 20 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 8 | Jan 17 |
| 20°F88% of yrs | Dec 9 | Dec 19 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 11 | Jan 17 | Jan 25 | Feb 4 |
| 16°F51% of yrs | Dec 21 | Dec 31 | Jan 4 | Jan 10 | Jan 14 | Jan 18 | Jan 25 | Jan 31 | Feb 8 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Wateree Dam, SC, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 29058 →Compare Heath Springs with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Pageland, SC, 22 miles northeast of Heath Springs and 290 feet higher, has a last frost 4 days later (March 27), a first frost 6 days earlier (November 8), a season 9 days shorter.
When it snows in Heath Springs, South Carolina
Measurable snow is rare here: only 3 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Great Falls, SC, 11 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 29058
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 12 – January 26 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| January 26 – February 9 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| February 23 – March 9 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 23 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 22 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 31 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 14 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 29058 is 18 miles from Wateree Dam, SC, which stands at 230 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 29067 (Kershaw). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 29058 in zone 8a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 10 to 15°F (-12.2 to -9.4°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Frost dates across South Carolina →
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.