Kershaw climate

Kershaw Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Wateree Dam, 26.5 km from Kershaw, elevation 230 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Wateree Dam. 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 23 and the first fall freeze around November 14, a growing season of about 237 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 3, first November 3
Median at 32°F
last March 23, first November 14
Median at 28°F
last March 11, first December 1

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 17Apr 12Apr 8Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 19
32°FApr 7Apr 2Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 20Mar 17Mar 13Mar 5
28°FMar 27Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 25Feb 18
24°FMar 17Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 22Feb 15Feb 7Feb 1Jan 25
20°FMar 6Feb 28Feb 16Feb 7Feb 2Jan 29Jan 22Jan 15Jan 4
16°FFeb 23Feb 7Feb 1Jan 28Jan 22Jan 18Jan 13Jan 7Dec 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 22Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 17
32°FNov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 27Dec 3
28°FNov 10Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Dec 1Dec 3Dec 8Dec 16Dec 27
24°FNov 24Dec 1Dec 6Dec 12Dec 20Dec 27Jan 1Jan 8Jan 17
20°FDec 9Dec 19Dec 27Jan 1Jan 5Jan 11Jan 17Jan 25Feb 4
16°FDec 21Dec 31Jan 4Jan 10Jan 14Jan 18Jan 25Jan 31Feb 8

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°F233227223218214211207202195
32°F261254247242237232228223215
28°F297285276270263258252245237
24°F334323313304297290283275263
20°F365359349340333327317306294
16°F365365365365365355344334323

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
88% of years
16°F or colder
51% 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
2,759
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,024
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,513
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,888
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,421
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,130
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,993

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January656044
February528156
March38011166
April13653373
May27195633
June0402852
July0507972
August0466931
September5300745
October10179445
November35310153
December573052

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 26.5 km from Kershaw. 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 USC00388979 (Wateree Dam). Public domain.