Chesnee climate

Chesnee Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Chesnee 7 Wsw, 10.5 km from Chesnee, elevation 748 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Chesnee 7 Wsw. 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 13 and the first fall freeze around October 26, a growing season of about 195 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 25, first October 17
Median at 32°F
last April 13, first October 26
Median at 28°F
last April 1, first November 4

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 7May 3Apr 30Apr 27Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11
32°FApr 27Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 29
28°FApr 16Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 26Mar 21Mar 14
24°FApr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11Mar 4Feb 26
20°FMar 27Mar 20Mar 14Mar 9Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23Feb 14Feb 5
16°FMar 14Mar 4Feb 28Feb 20Feb 12Feb 6Jan 31Jan 26Jan 15

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 7Oct 11Oct 13Oct 15Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 31
32°FOct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 2Nov 7
28°FOct 23Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 16Nov 23
24°FNov 2Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 6
20°FNov 14Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 6Dec 14Dec 24Jan 2
16°FNov 28Dec 3Dec 8Dec 14Dec 21Dec 28Jan 2Jan 8Jan 17

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°F195189184180177173169164157
32°F217209204199195192189185178
28°F242235229223219214210204198
24°F275264257251245240234228220
20°F307298289281275268262252244
16°F343331323316309302296287276

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
98% 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
3,681
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,400
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,140
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,655
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,343
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,200
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,221

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January795017
February632024
March501295
April23521257
May65113514
June5282727
July0406871
August0358823
September23188615
October21029298
November494277
December722025

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 10.5 km from Chesnee. 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 USC00381625 (Chesnee 7 Wsw). Public domain.