Elgin climate

Elgin Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Pageland, 33.1 km from Elgin, elevation 520 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Pageland. 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 27 and the first fall freeze around November 8, a growing season of about 228 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 6, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last March 27, first November 8
Median at 28°F
last March 15, first November 20

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 12Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23
32°FApr 9Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 7
28°FMar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 23
24°FMar 21Mar 14Mar 9Mar 4Mar 1Feb 24Feb 18Feb 10Jan 31
20°FMar 12Mar 4Feb 27Feb 19Feb 11Feb 3Jan 29Jan 21Jan 10
16°FMar 4Feb 22Feb 11Feb 3Jan 29Jan 22Jan 16Jan 8Dec 31

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

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°F227220214211207203200195189
32°F255245238233228224219214206
28°F284273265259253248243236228
24°F319305298291285278269261251
20°F355342334327320309301293281
16°F365365363352343336331320305

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
95% of years
16°F or colder
71% 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
2,802
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,937
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,401
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,787
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,330
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,034
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,903

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January663042
February512161
March37010173
April14363379
May29193630
June2371819
July0499964
August0442907
September7272715
October11776429
November3808152
December581260

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 33.1 km from Elgin. 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 USC00386616 (Pageland). Public domain.