Pineville climate

Pineville Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Anderson, 8 km from Pineville, elevation 1050 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Anderson. A median date has an even chance of a later freeze in spring, or an earlier one in fall.

The last spring freeze typically comes around April 15 and the first fall freeze around October 23, a growing season of about 191 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 25, first October 13
Median at 32°F
last April 15, first October 23
Median at 28°F
last March 31, first November 1

Last freeze in spring

The chance of a later freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one spring in ten still freezes after the date; planting after the 10 percent date for 32°F is the cautious choice.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FMay 9May 5May 1Apr 29Apr 25Apr 22Apr 19Apr 14Apr 7
32°FMay 1Apr 26Apr 22Apr 19Apr 15Apr 10Apr 5Mar 31Mar 26
28°FApr 23Apr 16Apr 9Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 20Mar 13
24°FApr 7Apr 2Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 15Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28
20°FMar 29Mar 21Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 22Feb 16
16°FMar 16Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 21Feb 16Feb 9Jan 31

First freeze in fall

The chance of an earlier freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one fall in ten freezes before the date.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 1Oct 5Oct 8Oct 11Oct 13Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 27
32°FOct 10Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1Nov 6
28°FOct 18Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 7Nov 12Nov 17
24°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Dec 1
20°FNov 4Nov 9Nov 14Nov 19Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11
16°FNov 13Nov 21Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 14Dec 21Dec 30

Growing season length

Days between the last spring and first fall freeze at each threshold, with the chance of a season at least that long.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F196186180177172167163158152
32°F216208201195191186181176168
28°F240231224219214209204197189
24°F263255249243238233227219209
20°F287278272266260254249241231
16°F315305298291285278271263255

How often it gets that cold

The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.

36°F or colder
100% of years
32°F or colder
100% of years
28°F or colder
100% of years
24°F or colder
100% of years
20°F or colder
100% of years
16°F or colder
100% of years

Degree days

A degree day is one degree of the daily mean temperature beyond a base, for one day. Heating degree days count cold (the fuel a house burns), cooling degree days heat, growing degree days the warmth a crop needs; each crop has its own base.

Heating degree days, base 65°F
4,139
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,341
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,877
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,465
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,208
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,098
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,138

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January912013
February706124
March5147105
April25430259
May8696475
June7259702
July0391856
August2358821
September44170576
October25027272
November540385
December825020

What this means

NOAA computes these from the daily lows at the station over 1991-2020, fitting the dates of each year's last and first freeze to a distribution, so a date can be stated at any level of risk. 36°F is a frost risk for tender plants on a clear, calm night, since the ground cools below the air above it; 32°F is a freeze; 28°F is a hard freeze that kills most annuals.

The station is 8 km from Pineville. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

More

Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00230164 (Anderson). Public domain.