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USDA Hardiness Zone 8b

Frost Dates for 29448 — Harleyville, South Carolina

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Holly Hill 1 SW, SC (95 ft), 6 miles north.

Updated

In Harleyville, 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

50% probability

First fall frost
November 12

50% probability

Growing season
237 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
8b

15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°C) coldest night

First snow
Rare

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
Rare

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
5%

1 of 19 observed

Snow per year
0.3"

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Harleyville

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%.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%
36°FMar 18Mar 24Mar 29Apr 1Apr 4Apr 7Apr 11Apr 14Apr 19
32°FFeb 28Mar 8Mar 14Mar 18Mar 22Mar 26Mar 30Apr 1Apr 6
28°FFeb 6Feb 18Feb 25Mar 2Mar 6Mar 11Mar 16Mar 20Mar 27
24°F97% of yrsJan 15Jan 27Feb 1Feb 6Feb 13Feb 22Mar 1Mar 6Mar 14
20°F79% of yrsDec 31Jan 11Jan 17Jan 24Jan 29Feb 2Feb 9Feb 19Mar 1
16°F40% of yrstoo rare for a date
Fall: the chance the first night this cold has come by the date
Low10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 22Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 18
32°FOct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 25Dec 2
28°FNov 8Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 12Dec 24
24°F97% of yrsNov 21Nov 28Dec 4Dec 10Dec 17Dec 23Dec 31Jan 6Jan 16
20°F79% of yrsDec 6Dec 16Dec 25Dec 31Jan 4Jan 9Jan 15Jan 25Feb 5
16°F40% of yrstoo 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 29448 →Compare Harleyville with another place →

Compared with the next station

The nearest other station, Summerville 4W, SC, 19 miles southeast of Harleyville, has the same 50% last-frost date, the same first-frost date, a season 1 day longer.

Frost dates for 29485 (Summerville) →

When it snows in Harleyville, South Carolina

Measurable snow is rare here: only 1 of 19 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Givhans Ferry 2 ESE, SC, 16.3 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.

Planting calendar for 29448

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Harleyville, South Carolina
WhenWhat to do
January 11 – January 25Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
January 25 – February 8Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
February 22 – March 8Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
March 22 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by August 20Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by October 29Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
November 12 onwardPlant 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 29448 is 6 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 29448 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.

ZIP codes measured at the same station

Other zone 8b places in South Carolina