U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00380165 · South Carolina

Frost Dates for Anderson, SC

NOAA weather station Anderson (USC00380165), South Carolina · elevation 800 ft (244 m) · hardiness zone 8b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 6only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 2350% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 1150% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season234 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone8bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Anderson, SCSpring: a frost after March 3 in 9 years out of 10, after March 23 in half of the years, after April 6 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 31 in 1 year out of 10, before November 11 in half of the years, before December 1 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 234 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 23First frost ~Nov 11Frost season at Anderson, SCSpring: a frost after March 3 in 9 years out of 10, after March 23 in half of the years, after April 6 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 31 in 1 year out of 10, before November 11 in half of the years, before December 1 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 234 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 23First frost ~Nov 11
frost likely chance fading 90% → 10% frost-free in a typical yearThe year at a glance. Blue: frost is likely; the gradient fades as the chance drops from 90% to 10%; green: the frost-free part of a typical year.

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 28 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 6October 31
50% (typical)March 23November 11
90% (likely)March 3December 1
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
234 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 11
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 26

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 19 (4 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 13 (2 days later). Frost-free season 241 days.

A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.

Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).

How the chance of frost changes with the date

Spring at Anderson: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 6, 20% April 3, 30% March 31, 40% March 27, 50% March 23, 60% March 19, 70% March 15, 80% March 11, 90% March 3. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 2, 2022 April 10, 2023 March 22.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Mar 1Apr 1Apr 6Mar 23Mar 32021: April 22022: April 102023: March 22Fall at Anderson: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 31, 20% November 2, 30% November 6, 40% November 9, 50% November 11, 60% November 14, 70% November 18, 80% November 24, 90% December 1. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 14, 2022 November 14.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Oct 31Nov 11Dec 12021: November 142022: November 14
Two charts, because spring and fall answer different questions: in spring, the chance that a frost still comes after a date; in fall, the chance that the first frost has already come before it. NOAA publishes these odds from 10% to 90%, so the lines stop there. ◆ marks the actual date in each recent year.

What actually happened in recent years

Observed dates of the last spring and first fall frost (32°F) at this station; ◆ marks them on the charts above
YearLast spring frostFirst fall frost
2021April 2November 14
2022April 10November 14
2023March 22incomplete record
2024incomplete recordno data
2025no datano data
2026no dataseason not over yet

What these dates mean

April 6 marks the cautious spring date for tender crops in Anderson; with only a 10 % chance of a later light frost, a gardener can plan to set out those sensitive plants around that time.

The 50 % spring date of March 23 and the 50 % fall date of November 11 each indicate an even chance of a light frost occurring, giving a reference point for the middle of the frost-free window. For hard frosts, the median dates are March 11 in spring and November 26 in fall, and a hard frost can damage or kill plants that survive a 32 °F event, making it a more critical threshold.

October 31 is the cautious fall date, with only a 10 % chance that a light frost has arrived earlier, allowing the gardener to finish harvesting tender crops by then.

How to read the probabilities

The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.

  • Spring: "10% after April 6" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
  • Fall: "10% before October 31" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
  • 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
  • A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.

Nearby weather stations

Map of weather stations near Anderson, SCNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Anderson County Airport, SC — 3 mi; 2 — Clemson, SC — 13 mi; 3 — Walhalla, SC — 28 mi; 4 — Elberton, GA — 29 mi; 5 — Calhoun Falls, SC — 31 mi.SCGANC25 mi · 40 km1. Anderson County Airport, SC — 3 mi12. Clemson, SC — 13 mi23. Walhalla, SC — 28 mi34. Elberton, GA — 29 mi45. Calhoun Falls, SC — 31 mi5
  1. Anderson County Airport, SC 3 mi (6 km)
  2. Clemson, SC 13 mi (21 km)
  3. Walhalla, SC 28 mi (45 km)
  4. Elberton, GA 29 mi (47 km)
  5. Calhoun Falls, SC 31 mi (49 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 8b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 34.5283, -82.6608.