Columbia climate

Columbia Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Columbia Univ Of Sc, 1.4 km from Columbia, elevation 223 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Columbia Univ Of Sc. 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 16 and the first fall freeze around November 16, a growing season of about 245 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 28, first November 5
Median at 32°F
last March 16, first November 16
Median at 28°F
last March 1, first December 2

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 13Apr 8Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11
32°FApr 3Mar 28Mar 24Mar 19Mar 16Mar 13Mar 8Mar 1Feb 24
28°FMar 23Mar 16Mar 11Mar 5Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 11Jan 31
24°FMar 11Mar 3Feb 25Feb 18Feb 11Feb 4Jan 29Jan 23Jan 11
20°FFeb 28Feb 18Feb 9Feb 1Jan 28Jan 22Jan 17Jan 9Dec 31
16°FFeb 20Feb 4Jan 30Jan 26Jan 19Jan 14Jan 10Jan 6Dec 30

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 24Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 15Nov 20
32°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24Dec 1Dec 6
28°FNov 12Nov 18Nov 24Nov 28Dec 2Dec 5Dec 12Dec 20Dec 30
24°FNov 29Dec 4Dec 9Dec 19Dec 26Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 20
20°FDec 11Dec 22Dec 30Jan 3Jan 7Jan 11Jan 17Jan 25Feb 7
16°FDec 25Jan 1Jan 5Jan 8Jan 12Jan 16Jan 23Jan 29Feb 10

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°F245235230225221217212208201
32°F275264257251245240235228221
28°F310298290283277269263256247
24°F348335328320311304297290278
20°F365365359350340335328316304
16°F365365365365365365357344330

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
97% of years
20°F or colder
75% of years
16°F or colder
34% 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
2,016
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,595
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,759
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,043
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,450
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,006
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,715

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January525393
February3758131
March23038300
April63126514
May8302760
June0473922
July05841,049
August05411,006
September3370817
October68126523
November27520225
December4694110

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 1.4 km from Columbia. 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 USC00381944 (Columbia Univ Of Sc). Public domain.