Awendaw climate

Awendaw Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Mcclellanville, 14 km from Awendaw, elevation 12 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Mcclellanville. 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 17 and the first fall freeze around November 21, a growing season of about 250 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 31, first November 9
Median at 32°F
last March 17, first November 21
Median at 28°F
last March 2, first December 6

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 15Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 19Mar 14
32°FApr 4Mar 30Mar 26Mar 21Mar 17Mar 14Mar 8Mar 3Feb 25
28°FMar 25Mar 18Mar 12Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20Feb 12Jan 31
24°FMar 13Mar 3Feb 26Feb 18Feb 10Feb 5Jan 31Jan 25Jan 13
20°FFeb 28Feb 18Feb 8Feb 2Jan 30Jan 25Jan 18Jan 11Jan 3
16°FFeb 15Feb 6Jan 31Jan 28Jan 25Jan 19Jan 14Jan 9Jan 5

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 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 20Nov 27
32°FNov 4Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Nov 30Dec 5Dec 12
28°FNov 16Nov 22Nov 28Dec 2Dec 6Dec 12Dec 20Dec 28Jan 5
24°FDec 1Dec 9Dec 16Dec 22Dec 30Jan 2Jan 7Jan 14Jan 26
20°FDec 18Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 9Jan 15Jan 20Jan 26Feb 3
16°FJan 3Jan 7Jan 11Jan 15Jan 18Jan 24Jan 27Jan 31Feb 8

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°F249240234229225221216209201
32°F282270262256250245240234225
28°F318305296289282275268260249
24°F352339331324316308302293282
20°F365365365353345337331320307
16°F365365365365365365365350334

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
96% of years
20°F or colder
69% of years
16°F or colder
28% 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
2,061
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,238
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,348
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,624
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,020
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,576
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,320

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January520182
February410196
March28015232
April9676431
May12238691
June0402852
July0521986
August0482947
September1345793
October59128535
November24425256
December4404118

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 14 km from Awendaw. 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 USC00385628 (Mcclellanville). Public domain.