Socastee climate

Socastee Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Conway, 17.2 km from Socastee, elevation 20 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Conway. 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 15 and the first fall freeze around November 22, a growing season of about 254 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 28, first November 9
Median at 32°F
last March 15, first November 22
Median at 28°F
last February 28, first December 7

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

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 26Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 20Nov 28
32°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 6Dec 18
28°FNov 17Nov 24Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 13Dec 22Dec 30Jan 7
24°FDec 3Dec 10Dec 17Dec 25Dec 30Jan 3Jan 9Jan 15Jan 28
20°FDec 15Dec 28Jan 1Jan 6Jan 10Jan 14Jan 19Jan 26Feb 3
16°FJan 2Jan 6Jan 9Jan 13Jan 16Jan 20Jan 25Jan 30Feb 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°F252244236231227223218212204
32°F284274265259254249242235226
28°F321308301293287281274265254
24°F356343334328320311305298286
20°F365365365361352343335328313
16°F365365365365365365365354335

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
94% of years
20°F or colder
65% of years
16°F or colder
24% 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
2,288
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,141
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,054
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,365
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,813
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,420
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,191

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January571371
February442486
March30317224
April10772419
May16220670
June1397846
July0515979
August0470935
September4315762
October78104493
November28419221
December4836107

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 17.2 km from Socastee. 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 USC00381997 (Conway). Public domain.