Surfside Beach climate

Surfside Beach Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Freeport 2 Nw, 10 km from Surfside Beach, elevation 8 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Freeport 2 Nw. 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 January 27 and the first fall freeze around January 1, a growing season of about 338 days.

Median at 36°F
last February 12, first December 10
Median at 32°F
last January 27, first January 1
Median at 28°F
last January 18, first January 8

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°FMar 9Mar 2Feb 26Feb 18Feb 12Feb 5Jan 31Jan 25Jan 14
32°FFeb 28Feb 16Feb 6Jan 31Jan 27Jan 20Jan 12Jan 4Dec 24
28°FFeb 14Feb 3Jan 30Jan 22Jan 18Jan 11Jan 6Jan 2Dec 23
24°FFeb 5Jan 31Jan 22Jan 19Jan 15Jan 10Jan 9Jan 4Jan 2
20°F–––––––––
16°F–––––––––

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°FNov 17Nov 25Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 17Dec 23Jan 1Jan 8
32°FDec 1Dec 9Dec 17Dec 26Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 17Jan 30
28°FDec 14Dec 27Jan 1Jan 4Jan 8Jan 13Jan 19Jan 29Feb 4
24°FJan 1Jan 3Jan 6Jan 9Jan 12Jan 16Jan 20Jan 26Feb 4
20°F–––––––––
16°F–––––––––

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°F339327317309303296288278266
32°F365365355347338332323312301
28°F365365365365365365358346334
24°F365365365365365365365365365
20°F365365365365365365365365365
16°F365365365365365365365365365

How often it gets that cold

The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.

36°F or colder
99% of years
32°F or colder
82% of years
28°F or colder
42% of years
24°F or colder
11% of years
20°F or colder
2% of years
16°F or colder
0% 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
1,039
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,386
Growing degree days, base 40°F
11,482
Growing degree days, base 45°F
9,685
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,938
Growing degree days, base 55°F
6,283
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,755

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January32116209
February20527264
March9882455
April22185614
May1385849
June0541991
July06171,082
August06221,087
September0486936
October15291741
November11998438
December25936272

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 10 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 USC00413340 (Freeport 2 Nw). Public domain.