USDA Hardiness Zone 8a
Frost Dates for 29666 — Ninety Six, South Carolina
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Lake Greenwood, SC (422 ft), 6 miles east.
Updated
In Ninety Six, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 1 in half of years and has passed by April 16 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 4, as early as October 23 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 217 days (NOAA, Lake Greenwood, SC).
- Last spring frost
- April 1
- First fall frost
- November 4
- Growing season
- 217 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
- 45%
- Snow per year
- —
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
9 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Ninety Six
Half of springs at Lake Greenwood, SC see their last 32°F night by April 1; only one in ten is past it by March 15, and one in ten still has one after April 16. Planting tender crops after April 7 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 10 20%, and after April 16 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 4 in half of years, as early as October 23 one year in ten, and holds off past November 17 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around November 13; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 5, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 217 days in a typical year, shorter than at 82% of the 105 South Carolina stations; it reaches 239 days one year in ten and falls short of 197 one year in ten. On average 68 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 12, and return around October 26. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 100% of winters and 16°F in 80%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 30 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 12 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 |
| 32°F | Mar 15 | Mar 21 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 16 |
| 28°F | Feb 25 | Mar 4 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 19 | Mar 23 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 5 |
| 24°F | Feb 4 | Feb 15 | Feb 21 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 8 | Mar 14 | Mar 19 | Mar 26 |
| 20°F98% of yrs | Jan 16 | Jan 25 | Feb 1 | Feb 5 | Feb 11 | Feb 19 | Feb 28 | Mar 5 | Mar 14 |
| 16°F80% of yrs | Dec 31 | Jan 12 | Jan 19 | Jan 26 | Jan 31 | Feb 3 | Feb 9 | Feb 21 | Mar 5 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 6 |
| 32°F | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 17 |
| 28°F | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 26 | Dec 2 |
| 24°F | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 13 | Dec 26 |
| 20°F98% of yrs | Nov 23 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 | Dec 10 | Dec 20 | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Jan 7 | Jan 15 |
| 16°F80% of yrs | Dec 5 | Dec 15 | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 10 | Jan 16 | Jan 24 | Feb 4 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Lake Greenwood, 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 29666 →Compare Ninety Six with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Greenwood 8NE, SC, 8 miles north of Ninety Six, has a last frost 10 days earlier (March 22), a first frost 9 days later (November 13), a season 19 days longer.
When it snows in Ninety Six, South Carolina
Measurable snow is rare here: only 9 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Greenwood, SC, 10.4 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 29666
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 21 – February 4 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 4 – February 18 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 4 – March 18 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 1 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 12 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 21 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 4 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 29666 is 6 miles from Lake Greenwood, SC, which stands at 422 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 29666 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.