USDA Hardiness Zone 8b
Frost Dates for 29142 — Santee, South Carolina
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Holly Hill 1 SW, SC (95 ft), 11 miles southeast.
Updated
In Santee, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 22 in half of years and has passed by April 6 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 12, as early as October 31 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 237 days (NOAA, Holly Hill 1 SW, SC).
- Last spring frost
- March 22
- First fall frost
- November 12
- Growing season
- 237 days
- Hardiness zone
- 8b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 8%
- Snow per year
- 0.1"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
2 of 26 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Santee
Half of springs at Holly Hill 1 SW, SC see their last 32°F night by March 22; only one in ten is past it by February 28, and one in ten still has one after April 6. Planting tender crops after March 30 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 1 20%, and after April 6 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 12 in half of years, as early as October 31 one year in ten, and holds off past December 2 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 14 days later, around November 26; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 27, 10 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 264 days one year in ten and falls short of 214 one year in ten. On average 47 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 13 days longer, to about April 4, and return around November 3. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 97% of winters and 16°F in 40%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 18 | Mar 24 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 11 | Apr 14 | Apr 19 |
| 32°F | Feb 28 | Mar 8 | Mar 14 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 6 |
| 28°F | Feb 6 | Feb 18 | Feb 25 | Mar 2 | Mar 6 | Mar 11 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 27 |
| 24°F97% of yrs | Jan 15 | Jan 27 | Feb 1 | Feb 6 | Feb 13 | Feb 22 | Mar 1 | Mar 6 | Mar 14 |
| 20°F79% of yrs | Dec 31 | Jan 11 | Jan 17 | Jan 24 | Jan 29 | Feb 2 | Feb 9 | Feb 19 | Mar 1 |
| 16°F40% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 18 |
| 32°F | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 25 | Dec 2 |
| 28°F | Nov 8 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 12 | Dec 24 |
| 24°F97% of yrs | Nov 21 | Nov 28 | Dec 4 | Dec 10 | Dec 17 | Dec 23 | Dec 31 | Jan 6 | Jan 16 |
| 20°F79% of yrs | Dec 6 | Dec 16 | Dec 25 | Dec 31 | Jan 4 | Jan 9 | Jan 15 | Jan 25 | Feb 5 |
| 16°F40% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Holly Hill 1 SW, 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 29142 →Compare Santee with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Orangeburg Municipal Airport, SC, 20 miles west of Santee, has a last frost 7 days earlier (March 15), a first frost 7 days later (November 19), a season 12 days longer.
When it snows in Santee, South Carolina
Measurable snow is rare here: only 2 of 26 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Orangeburg 2, SC, 21.1 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 29142
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 11 – January 25 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| January 25 – February 8 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| February 22 – March 8 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 22 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 20 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 29 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 12 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 29142 is 11 miles from Holly Hill 1 SW, SC, which stands at 95 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 7 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 29477 (Saint George). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 29142 in zone 8b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°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.