Pacolet climate

Pacolet Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Spartanburg 3 Sse, 13.9 km from Pacolet, elevation 610 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Spartanburg 3 Sse. 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 8 and the first fall freeze around November 1, a growing season of about 206 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 21, first October 22
Median at 32°F
last April 8, first November 1
Median at 28°F
last March 24, first November 11

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°FMay 7May 1Apr 27Apr 23Apr 21Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 5
32°FApr 23Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 20
28°FApr 10Apr 5Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11Mar 3
24°FMar 28Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 22Feb 15
20°FMar 17Mar 10Mar 3Feb 26Feb 20Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31Jan 23
16°FMar 4Feb 25Feb 12Feb 4Jan 31Jan 26Jan 19Jan 12Jan 1

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

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°F203197192187183180176170163
32°F229221215211206202197192186
28°F259252244238233228223217211
24°F295283275269263259252245236
20°F331318310304298291284274262
16°F365358348339333327318307299

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
99% of years
16°F or colder
85% 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
3,015
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,664
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,935
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,344
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,916
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,660
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,576

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January688035
February529152
March3837159
April15940339
May39147574
June2326774
July0445910
August0405870
September12237675
October15351370
November4225115
December630145

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 13.9 km from Pacolet. 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 USC00388188 (Spartanburg 3 Sse). Public domain.