Lamar climate

Lamar Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Bishopville 1ENE, 16.1 km from Lamar, elevation 203 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Bishopville 1ENE. 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 29 and the first fall freeze around November 4, a growing season of about 222 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 9, first October 27
Median at 32°F
last March 29, first November 4
Median at 28°F
last March 16, 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 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 30Mar 24
32°FApr 11Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 22Mar 17Mar 12
28°FApr 3Mar 29Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 13Mar 8Mar 2Feb 23
24°FMar 21Mar 15Mar 9Mar 3Feb 27Feb 22Feb 15Feb 7Jan 31
20°FMar 6Feb 27Feb 20Feb 11Feb 5Jan 31Jan 27Jan 18Jan 8
16°FFeb 20Feb 7Feb 1Jan 28Jan 23Jan 16Jan 11Jan 3Dec 25

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 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7
32°FOct 23Oct 27Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 20
28°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23Nov 29Dec 6
24°FNov 12Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 21Jan 1
20°FNov 25Dec 1Dec 8Dec 14Dec 24Dec 31Jan 6Jan 12Jan 20
16°FDec 6Dec 18Dec 25Jan 1Jan 5Jan 11Jan 16Jan 24Feb 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°F222216211206203199195190184
32°F244237230226222218214209203
28°F275265258253247242237231223
24°F313302293285278271264258248
20°F350338332324316307301292279
16°F365365364355346339334324310

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
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
2,752
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,921
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,435
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,822
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,357
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,050
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,900

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January649255
February504370
March36313186
April14159375
May28192629
June1373822
July0493958
August0436901
September8267709
October12771416
November36510159
December566478

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 16.1 km from Lamar. 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 USC00380736 (Bishopville 1ENE). Public domain.