USDA Hardiness Zone 8b
Frost Dates for 29164 — Wagener, South Carolina
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Wagener 1SW, SC (380 ft), 3 miles southeast.
Updated
In Wagener, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 26 in half of years and has passed by April 10 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 9, as early as October 27 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 230 days (NOAA, Wagener 1SW, SC).
- Last spring frost
- March 26
- First fall frost
- November 9
- Growing season
- 230 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
- 22%
- Snow per year
- —
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
5 of 23 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Wagener
Half of springs at Wagener 1SW, SC see their last 32°F night by March 26; only one in ten is past it by March 7, and one in ten still has one after April 10. Planting tender crops after April 1 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 5 20%, and after April 10 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 9 in half of years, as early as October 27 one year in ten, and holds off past November 27 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 14 days later, around November 23; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 30, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 230 days in a typical year, shorter than at 51% of the 105 South Carolina stations; it reaches 256 days one year in ten and falls short of 208 one year in ten. On average 45 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 6, and return around November 1. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 99% of winters and 16°F in 55%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 21 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 17 | Apr 23 |
| 32°F | Mar 7 | Mar 14 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 26 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 5 | Apr 10 |
| 28°F | Feb 15 | Feb 24 | Mar 1 | Mar 7 | Mar 12 | Mar 16 | Mar 21 | Mar 25 | Mar 30 |
| 24°F99% of yrs | Jan 21 | Jan 31 | Feb 7 | Feb 15 | Feb 22 | Feb 28 | Mar 6 | Mar 13 | Mar 19 |
| 20°F88% of yrs | Jan 1 | Jan 14 | Jan 21 | Jan 28 | Jan 31 | Feb 5 | Feb 15 | Feb 27 | Mar 8 |
| 16°F55% of yrs | Dec 31 | Jan 8 | Jan 13 | Jan 19 | Jan 24 | Jan 30 | Feb 2 | Feb 9 | Feb 25 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 17 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 13 |
| 32°F | Oct 27 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 20 | Nov 27 |
| 28°F | Nov 5 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 | Dec 16 |
| 24°F99% of yrs | Nov 19 | Nov 27 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 12 | Dec 20 | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Jan 9 |
| 20°F88% of yrs | Dec 5 | Dec 12 | Dec 21 | Dec 28 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 11 | Jan 17 | Jan 30 |
| 16°F55% of yrs | Dec 17 | Dec 28 | Jan 2 | Jan 6 | Jan 10 | Jan 14 | Jan 19 | Jan 29 | Feb 8 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Wagener 1SW, 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 29164 →Compare Wagener with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Pelion 0.8 NW, SC, 12 miles northeast of Wagener, has a last frost 2 days later (March 28), a first frost 5 days earlier (November 4), a season 9 days shorter.
When it snows in Wagener, South Carolina
Measurable snow is rare here: only 5 of 23 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Pelion 0.8 NW, SC, 11.6 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 29164
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 15 – January 29 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| January 29 – February 12 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| February 26 – March 12 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 26 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 17 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 26 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 9 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 29164 is 3 miles from Wagener 1SW, SC, which stands at 380 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 29164 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.