Saluda climate

Saluda Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Saluda, 1.1 km from Saluda, elevation 480 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Saluda. 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 31 and the first fall freeze around November 4, a growing season of about 218 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 10, first October 27
Median at 32°F
last March 31, first November 4
Median at 28°F
last March 17, 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 24Apr 20Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 8Apr 5Apr 1Mar 27
32°FApr 15Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 19Mar 13
28°FApr 2Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Mar 1Feb 23
24°FMar 21Mar 16Mar 11Mar 5Feb 28Feb 24Feb 17Feb 8Jan 31
20°FMar 10Mar 2Feb 24Feb 15Feb 7Feb 1Jan 28Jan 19Jan 7
16°FFeb 26Feb 13Feb 5Jan 31Jan 28Jan 21Jan 14Jan 7Dec 29

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 13Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 7
32°FOct 21Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 21
28°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 30Dec 6
24°FNov 13Nov 19Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 13Dec 23Jan 1
20°FNov 29Dec 5Dec 11Dec 20Dec 28Jan 1Jan 6Jan 13Jan 24
16°FDec 9Dec 21Dec 28Jan 1Jan 7Jan 12Jan 17Jan 26Feb 4

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°F216210205201197194190185179
32°F244235228223218214210204197
28°F276264257251246240235228220
24°F317304294287279271265257248
20°F352339331324315307300291280
16°F365365365357348339333326311

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
96% of years
16°F or colder
68% 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
2,954
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,970
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,306
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,722
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,294
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,025
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,916

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January688041
February524159
March37412175
April15359364
May31196630
June1388837
July0508973
August0462927
September10272712
October14263394
November4117127
December620254

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 1.1 km from Saluda. 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 USC00387631 (Saluda). Public domain.