Saluda climate

Saluda Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Tryon, 9.5 km from Saluda, elevation 1320 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Tryon. 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 March 27 and the first fall freeze around November 12, a growing season of about 231 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 7, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 27, first November 12
Median at 28°F
last March 14, first November 27

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°FApr 26Apr 19Apr 15Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 23
32°FApr 14Apr 6Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 9
28°FMar 31Mar 26Mar 22Mar 17Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 20
24°FMar 20Mar 13Mar 7Mar 2Feb 27Feb 23Feb 14Feb 7Jan 30
20°FMar 10Mar 1Feb 23Feb 13Feb 6Feb 1Jan 28Jan 19Jan 10
16°FFeb 26Feb 13Feb 4Jan 31Jan 28Jan 22Jan 16Jan 10Jan 1

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 20Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10Nov 15
32°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Dec 1
28°FNov 8Nov 13Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 19
24°FNov 19Nov 28Dec 2Dec 6Dec 12Dec 18Dec 24Jan 1Jan 7
20°FDec 6Dec 13Dec 20Dec 25Dec 30Jan 3Jan 8Jan 14Jan 26
16°FDec 16Dec 25Dec 31Jan 3Jan 8Jan 13Jan 18Jan 27Feb 4

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°F228221216211206202198192184
32°F256248241235231226222216209
28°F287276269263257252246240231
24°F320309302295289283276269258
20°F354341334328321313306298288
16°F365365361353344337332324309

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
95% of years
16°F or colder
73% 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
3,332
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,383
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,416
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,873
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,494
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,284
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,245

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January752022
February591034
March4445129
April19732301
May57119528
June5276721
July0386851
August0341806
September20185615
October17135337
November4282114
December667137

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 9.5 km from Saluda. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

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Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00318744 (Tryon). Public domain.