USDA Hardiness Zone 8a
Frost Dates for 29824 — Edgefield, South Carolina
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Edgefield 2.2 ENE, SC (607 ft), 4 miles southeast.
Updated
In Edgefield, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 16 in half of years and has passed by April 2 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 13, as early as October 30 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 244 days (NOAA, Edgefield 2.2 ENE, SC).
- Last spring frost
- March 16
- First fall frost
- November 13
- Growing season
- 244 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
- 25%
- Snow per year
- 0.6"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
5 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Edgefield
Half of springs at Edgefield 2.2 ENE, SC see their last 32°F night by March 16; only one in ten is past it by February 23, and one in ten still has one after April 2. Planting tender crops after March 24 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after March 29 20%, and after April 2 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 57% of the 105 South Carolina stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 13 in half of years, as early as October 30 one year in ten, and holds off past December 2 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 18 days later, around December 1; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 23, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 244 days in a typical year, longer than at 79% of the 105 South Carolina stations; it reaches 274 days one year in ten and falls short of 219 one year in ten. On average 30 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 15 days longer, to about March 31, and return around November 1. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 97% of winters and 16°F in 36%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 13 | Mar 18 | Mar 23 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 6 | Apr 10 | Apr 15 |
| 32°F | Feb 23 | Mar 1 | Mar 6 | Mar 12 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 24 | Mar 29 | Apr 2 |
| 28°F | Jan 31 | Feb 9 | Feb 17 | Feb 23 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 10 | Mar 15 | Mar 23 |
| 24°F97% of yrs | Jan 13 | Jan 23 | Jan 30 | Feb 2 | Feb 7 | Feb 15 | Feb 24 | Mar 2 | Mar 10 |
| 20°F75% of yrs | Dec 31 | Jan 10 | Jan 17 | Jan 22 | Jan 27 | Jan 31 | Feb 4 | Feb 11 | Feb 27 |
| 16°F36% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 17 |
| 32°F | Oct 30 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 25 | Dec 2 |
| 28°F | Nov 9 | Nov 15 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 10 | Dec 21 | Jan 1 |
| 24°F97% of yrs | Nov 26 | Dec 3 | Dec 9 | Dec 19 | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Jan 4 | Jan 11 | Jan 19 |
| 20°F75% of yrs | Dec 10 | Dec 22 | Dec 31 | Jan 3 | Jan 8 | Jan 13 | Jan 17 | Jan 24 | Feb 4 |
| 16°F36% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Edgefield 2.2 ENE, 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 29824 →Compare Edgefield with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Johnston 4 SW, SC, 7 miles southeast of Edgefield, has a last frost 10 days later (March 26), a first frost 5 days earlier (November 8), a season 16 days shorter.
When it snows in Edgefield, South Carolina
Measurable snow is rare here: only 5 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Edgefield 3 NNE, SC, 2.2 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 29824
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 5 – January 19 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| January 19 – February 2 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| February 16 – March 2 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 16 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 21 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 30 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 13 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 29824 is 4 miles from Edgefield 2.2 ENE, SC, which stands at 607 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 29824 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.