Kingstree climate

Kingstree Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Cades 4 W, 15.8 km from Kingstree, elevation 80 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cades 4 W. 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 9, a growing season of about 227 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 6, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last March 27, first November 9
Median at 28°F
last March 13, 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 22Apr 18Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 20
32°FApr 13Apr 7Apr 3Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 18Mar 13Mar 4
28°FApr 2Mar 27Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 7Mar 2Feb 25Feb 14
24°FMar 19Mar 11Mar 5Feb 28Feb 22Feb 14Feb 8Jan 31Jan 23
20°FMar 6Feb 27Feb 17Feb 6Jan 31Jan 27Jan 19Jan 11Dec 31
16°FFeb 23Feb 4Jan 31Jan 24Jan 20Jan 15Jan 9Jan 2Dec 24

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

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°F229221215211206203198194186
32°F253244237232227222216211204
28°F287276268260254248241236227
24°F329315305296288281273264253
20°F365350340333327318308300287
16°F365365365365358350342334323

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
89% of years
16°F or colder
54% 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
2,451
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,151
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,928
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,273
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,757
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,393
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,185

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January593481
February455595
March32020219
April12473404
May24218659
June1404853
July0516981
August0479944
September5311756
October9498473
November32316190
December5127104

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 15.8 km from Kingstree. 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 USC00381241 (Cades 4 W). Public domain.