USDA Hardiness Zone 8a
Frost Dates for 29684 — Starr, South Carolina
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Hartwell Dam, GA (690 ft), 7 miles west.
Updated
In Starr, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 25 in half of years and has passed by April 10 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 12, as early as October 30 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 235 days (NOAA, Hartwell Dam, GA).
- Last spring frost
- March 25
- First fall frost
- November 12
- Growing season
- 235 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
- 13%
- Snow per year
- 0"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
3 of 24 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Starr
Half of springs at Hartwell Dam, GA see their last 32°F night by March 25; only one in ten is past it by March 6, 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 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 12 in half of years, as early as October 30 one year in ten, and holds off past December 1 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 13 days later, around November 25; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 29, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 235 days in a typical year, longer than at 61% of the 105 South Carolina stations; it reaches 259 days one year in ten and falls short of 212 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 13 days longer, to about April 7, and return around November 1. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 99% of winters and 16°F in 58%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 20 | Mar 28 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 13 | Apr 17 | Apr 21 |
| 32°F | Mar 6 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 25 | Mar 28 | Apr 1 | Apr 5 | Apr 10 |
| 28°F | Feb 13 | Feb 23 | Mar 1 | Mar 6 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 19 | Mar 23 | Mar 29 |
| 24°F99% of yrs | Jan 20 | Jan 30 | Feb 5 | Feb 13 | Feb 20 | Feb 27 | Mar 4 | Mar 10 | Mar 17 |
| 20°F90% of yrs | Jan 4 | Jan 13 | Jan 20 | Jan 26 | Jan 31 | Feb 6 | Feb 13 | Feb 26 | Mar 6 |
| 16°F58% of yrs | Dec 27 | Jan 5 | Jan 12 | Jan 17 | Jan 22 | Jan 28 | Feb 1 | Feb 7 | Feb 21 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 |
| 32°F | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Dec 1 |
| 28°F | Nov 8 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 20 |
| 24°F99% of yrs | Nov 20 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 14 | Dec 21 | Dec 27 | Jan 2 | Jan 11 |
| 20°F90% of yrs | Dec 7 | Dec 14 | Dec 22 | Dec 28 | Jan 1 | Jan 7 | Jan 13 | Jan 19 | Feb 1 |
| 16°F58% of yrs | Dec 17 | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 10 | Jan 16 | Jan 19 | Jan 27 | Feb 6 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Hartwell Dam, GA, 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 29684 →Compare Starr with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Anderson Co Airport, SC, 8 miles north of Starr, has a last frost 4 days later (March 29), a first frost 4 days earlier (November 8), a season 8 days shorter.
When it snows in Starr, South Carolina
Measurable snow is rare here: only 3 of 24 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Antreville, SC, 12 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 29684
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 14 – January 28 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| January 28 – February 11 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| February 25 – March 11 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 25 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 29684 is 7 miles from Hartwell Dam, GA, which stands at 690 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station; its figures are presented in full for 29655 (Iva). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 29684 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.