Forestbrook Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Myrtle Beach. 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 21 and the first fall freeze around November 13, a growing season of about 239 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 3, first November 3
- Median at 32°F
- last March 21, first November 13
- Median at 28°F
- last March 7, first November 26
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 18 | Apr 11 | Apr 8 | Apr 6 | Apr 3 | Mar 31 | Mar 27 | Mar 23 | Mar 16 |
| 32°F | Apr 7 | Apr 2 | Mar 29 | Mar 26 | Mar 21 | Mar 18 | Mar 14 | Mar 9 | Mar 2 |
| 28°F | Mar 28 | Mar 21 | Mar 16 | Mar 12 | Mar 7 | Mar 3 | Feb 27 | Feb 21 | Feb 8 |
| 24°F | Mar 13 | Mar 6 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 16 | Feb 9 | Feb 3 | Jan 30 | Jan 19 |
| 20°F | Feb 27 | Feb 17 | Feb 7 | Feb 2 | Jan 30 | Jan 25 | Jan 18 | Jan 11 | Dec 31 |
| 16°F | Feb 13 | Feb 2 | Jan 30 | Jan 25 | Jan 21 | Jan 16 | Jan 11 | Jan 7 | Dec 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 22 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 18 |
| 32°F | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 25 | Dec 3 |
| 28°F | Nov 7 | Nov 12 | Nov 17 | Nov 20 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 13 | Dec 26 |
| 24°F | Nov 16 | Nov 24 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 | Dec 16 | Dec 25 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 14 |
| 20°F | Dec 1 | Dec 10 | Dec 23 | Dec 30 | Jan 4 | Jan 9 | Jan 16 | Jan 22 | Feb 1 |
| 16°F | Dec 18 | Dec 30 | Jan 3 | Jan 8 | Jan 13 | Jan 18 | Jan 22 | Jan 27 | Feb 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 239 | 231 | 225 | 220 | 216 | 212 | 208 | 203 | 196 |
| 32°F | 265 | 256 | 249 | 244 | 239 | 234 | 229 | 223 | 216 |
| 28°F | 301 | 288 | 280 | 274 | 267 | 261 | 255 | 248 | 238 |
| 24°F | 335 | 325 | 315 | 306 | 301 | 294 | 286 | 277 | 265 |
| 20°F | 365 | 361 | 350 | 340 | 334 | 329 | 319 | 309 | 301 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 361 | 349 | 340 | 328 |
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
- 99% of years
- 20°F or colder
- 84% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 44% 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
- 2,671
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,748
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 8,307
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 6,660
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 5,167
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 3,847
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 2,706
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 634 | 0 | 41 |
| February | 514 | 0 | 48 |
| March | 382 | 3 | 148 |
| April | 148 | 30 | 336 |
| May | 26 | 157 | 597 |
| June | 1 | 337 | 786 |
| July | 0 | 450 | 914 |
| August | 0 | 411 | 876 |
| September | 4 | 274 | 720 |
| October | 88 | 78 | 459 |
| November | 328 | 7 | 173 |
| December | 545 | 1 | 69 |
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 13.1 km from Forestbrook. 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 USC00386153 (Myrtle Beach). Public domain.