Honea Path climate

Honea Path Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for W Pelzer, 22.5 km from Honea Path, elevation 705 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for W Pelzer. 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 4, a growing season of about 219 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 13, first October 26
Median at 32°F
last April 1, first November 4
Median at 28°F
last March 19, first November 16

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 26Apr 21Apr 18Apr 16Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 2Mar 28
32°FApr 17Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 26Mar 21Mar 14
28°FApr 5Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 16Mar 11Mar 6Feb 27
24°FMar 25Mar 19Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 6
20°FMar 14Mar 5Feb 28Feb 22Feb 14Feb 7Jan 31Jan 25Jan 11
16°FFeb 28Feb 18Feb 8Feb 1Jan 28Jan 23Jan 15Jan 6Dec 28

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 14Oct 17Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8
32°FOct 22Oct 26Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 9Nov 13Nov 20
28°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 21Nov 25Dec 1Dec 6
24°FNov 13Nov 20Nov 25Nov 29Dec 1Dec 5Dec 12Dec 21Jan 1
20°FNov 29Dec 3Dec 9Dec 14Dec 22Dec 27Jan 2Jan 8Jan 19
16°FDec 9Dec 18Dec 25Dec 30Jan 3Jan 9Jan 14Jan 23Feb 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F216209204200197193190184177
32°F242233228224219215210204197
28°F272262256250245240234229221
24°F307297288281275268262256247
20°F346333325317308302293286275
16°F365362351344338333325315303

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
97% of years
16°F or colder
79% 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
3,195
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,623
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,741
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,184
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,792
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,571
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,515

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January727024
February575033
March4157144
April18934308
May41149574
June3325772
July0445910
August0397862
September13221658
October16039353
November4225117
December652138

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 22.5 km from Honea Path. 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 USC00389122 (W Pelzer). Public domain.