USDA Hardiness Zone 8a
Frost Dates for 29078 — Lugoff, South Carolina
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Lugoff 2NE, SC (190 ft), 4 miles northeast.
Updated
In Lugoff, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 27 in half of years and has passed by April 12 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 7, as early as October 27 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 226 days (NOAA, Lugoff 2NE, SC).
- Last spring frost
- March 27
- First fall frost
- November 7
- Growing season
- 226 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
- 0%
- Snow per year
- 0"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
0 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Lugoff
Half of springs at Lugoff 2NE, SC see their last 32°F night by March 27; only one in ten is past it by March 9, and one in ten still has one after April 12. Planting tender crops after April 3 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 7 20%, and after April 12 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 44% of the 105 South Carolina stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 7 in half of years, as early as October 27 one year in ten, and holds off past November 25 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 17; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 1, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 226 days in a typical year, shorter than at 62% of the 105 South Carolina stations; it reaches 249 days one year in ten and falls short of 207 one year in ten. On average 60 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 12 days longer, to about April 8, and return around October 29. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 100% of winters and 16°F in 68%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 24 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 14 | Apr 18 | Apr 23 |
| 32°F | Mar 9 | Mar 16 | Mar 19 | Mar 24 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 7 | Apr 12 |
| 28°F | Feb 23 | Feb 28 | Mar 6 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 27 | Apr 1 |
| 24°F | Jan 31 | Feb 9 | Feb 17 | Feb 24 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 9 | Mar 14 | Mar 19 |
| 20°F96% of yrs | Jan 8 | Jan 20 | Jan 28 | Feb 2 | Feb 7 | Feb 15 | Feb 24 | Mar 2 | Mar 10 |
| 16°F68% of yrs | Dec 29 | Jan 7 | Jan 14 | Jan 21 | Jan 28 | Jan 31 | Feb 5 | Feb 13 | Feb 26 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 16 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 10 |
| 32°F | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 25 |
| 28°F | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 28 | Dec 2 | Dec 9 |
| 24°F | Nov 14 | Nov 20 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 9 | Dec 17 | Dec 26 | Jan 2 |
| 20°F96% of yrs | Nov 29 | Dec 7 | Dec 14 | Dec 22 | Dec 28 | Jan 2 | Jan 8 | Jan 15 | Jan 25 |
| 16°F68% of yrs | Dec 14 | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 11 | Jan 16 | Jan 22 | Jan 29 | Feb 8 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Lugoff 2NE, 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 29078 →Compare Lugoff with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Camden 3 W, SC, 4 miles northeast of Lugoff, has a last frost 8 days later (April 4), a first frost 3 days earlier (November 4), a season 13 days shorter.
When it snows in Lugoff, South Carolina
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Wateree Dam, SC, 9 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 29078
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 16 – January 30 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| January 30 – February 13 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| February 27 – March 13 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 27 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 15 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 24 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 7 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 29078 is 4 miles from Lugoff 2NE, SC, which stands at 190 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 29078 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.