Easley climate

Easley Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Pickens, 12.2 km from Easley, elevation 1075 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Pickens. 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 1 and the first fall freeze around November 3, a growing season of about 216 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 15, first October 26
Median at 32°F
last April 1, first November 3
Median at 28°F
last March 20, first November 15

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 30Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Mar 31
32°FApr 18Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 21Mar 16
28°FApr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 6Feb 26
24°FMar 24Mar 18Mar 14Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 16Feb 8
20°FMar 13Mar 5Feb 28Feb 21Feb 14Feb 7Feb 1Jan 28Jan 16
16°FMar 2Feb 19Feb 9Feb 4Jan 31Jan 27Jan 21Jan 13Jan 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 13Oct 17Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 6
32°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 18
28°FOct 31Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 28Dec 4
24°FNov 11Nov 15Nov 20Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 14Dec 28
20°FNov 23Dec 1Dec 6Dec 11Dec 20Dec 27Jan 3Jan 9Jan 20
16°FDec 7Dec 17Dec 27Jan 1Jan 6Jan 12Jan 17Jan 24Feb 2

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°F213207202197193189185180175
32°F238231226219216212208204198
28°F270260253246240236231224217
24°F305292283276271265258251241
20°F341329319312305299292283270
16°F365365353344337330321309300

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
98% of years
16°F or colder
82% 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
3,229
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,643
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,736
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,177
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,789
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,572
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,525

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January730027
February577035
March4274129
April18834307
May47147565
June3325772
July0445910
August0408873
September11232670
October16045359
November4344106
December651037

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 12.2 km from Easley. 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 USC00386831 (Pickens). Public domain.