Surfside Beach climate

Surfside Beach Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Brookgreen Gardens, 14.9 km from Surfside Beach, elevation 20 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Brookgreen Gardens. 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 18 and the first fall freeze around November 18, a growing season of about 247 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 28, first November 7
Median at 32°F
last March 18, first November 18
Median at 28°F
last March 1, first November 30

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 14Apr 8Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13
32°FApr 3Mar 28Mar 25Mar 21Mar 18Mar 14Mar 9Mar 3Feb 25
28°FMar 23Mar 17Mar 12Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 11Feb 2
24°FMar 12Mar 3Feb 24Feb 15Feb 7Feb 1Jan 27Jan 18Jan 7
20°FFeb 26Feb 11Feb 3Jan 30Jan 22Jan 16Jan 9Jan 2Dec 24
16°FFeb 5Jan 30Jan 24Jan 18Jan 13Jan 7Jan 2Dec 30Dec 21

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 25Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19Nov 26
32°FNov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 8
28°FNov 11Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 14Dec 27
24°FNov 24Nov 30Dec 5Dec 10Dec 17Dec 25Dec 31Jan 6Jan 18
20°FDec 3Dec 12Dec 21Dec 27Jan 1Jan 5Jan 11Jan 18Jan 30
16°FDec 14Dec 23Dec 30Jan 2Jan 6Jan 12Jan 17Jan 23Feb 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°F249242235230225220215209202
32°F277267259253247243237232224
28°F312300291283276270263256246
24°F346333326317308301294285273
20°F365365360349341334328316304
16°F365365365365365365357345334

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
97% of years
20°F or colder
76% of years
16°F or colder
34% 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
2,336
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,921
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,791
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,113
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,568
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,180
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,958

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January565177
February449285
March31211212
April11753389
May18189636
June1360809
July0473938
August0432897
September4284730
October7497490
November29516211
December501396

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 14.9 km from Surfside Beach. 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 USC00381093 (Brookgreen Gardens). Public domain.