Cayce climate

Cayce Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Columbia, 4.5 km from Cayce, elevation 231 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Columbia. 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 25 and the first fall freeze around November 7, a growing season of about 229 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 5, first October 29
Median at 32°F
last March 25, first November 7
Median at 28°F
last March 10, first November 22

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 19Apr 15Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 20
32°FApr 10Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 4
28°FMar 28Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 23Feb 14
24°FMar 15Mar 9Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 13Feb 7Jan 31Jan 23
20°FMar 2Feb 20Feb 11Feb 4Jan 31Jan 26Jan 19Jan 12Dec 31
16°FFeb 11Feb 3Jan 30Jan 23Jan 19Jan 14Jan 8Jan 1Dec 22

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 17Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 11
32°FOct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 24
28°FNov 4Nov 9Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 14
24°FNov 18Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 13Dec 21Dec 30Jan 7
20°FDec 1Dec 7Dec 14Dec 22Dec 29Jan 3Jan 8Jan 16Jan 29
16°FDec 13Dec 23Dec 30Jan 3Jan 7Jan 12Jan 17Jan 25Feb 3

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°F230222215211207202199194187
32°F256246240234229224220215207
28°F288277271265259253246239231
24°F327313305299292287279271260
20°F365354344336331323313306294
16°F365365365365365356345336324

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
91% of years
16°F or colder
53% 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
2,473
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,237
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,984
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,326
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,815
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,457
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,260

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January600266
February451490
March30221229
April10982427
May18239687
June1425874
July05381,003
August0496961
September6321765
October10592456
November34313173
December540484

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 4.5 km from Cayce. 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 USW00013883 (Columbia). Public domain.