U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00013744 · South Carolina

Frost Dates for Florence, SC

NOAA weather station Florence Regional Airport (USW00013744), South Carolina · elevation 146 ft (45 m) · hardiness zone 8b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 5only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 1950% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 1350% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season241 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone8bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Florence, SCSpring: a frost after February 28 in 9 years out of 10, after March 19 in half of the years, after April 5 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 1 in 1 year out of 10, before November 13 in half of the years, before December 2 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 241 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 19First frost ~Nov 13Frost season at Florence, SCSpring: a frost after February 28 in 9 years out of 10, after March 19 in half of the years, after April 5 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 1 in 1 year out of 10, before November 13 in half of the years, before December 2 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 241 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 19First frost ~Nov 13
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.Today

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 5November 1
50% (typical)March 19November 13
90% (likely)February 28December 2
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
241 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 4
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 27

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 21 (2 days later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 11 (2 days earlier). Frost-free season 236 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 Florence: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 5, 20% March 31, 30% March 27, 40% March 23, 50% March 19, 60% March 16, 70% March 11, 80% March 6, 90% February 28. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 3, 2022 March 28, 2023 March 21, 2024 February 22, 2025 March 7, 2026 March 29.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Mar 1Apr 1Apr 5Mar 19Feb 282021: April 32022: March 282023: March 212024: February 222025: March 72026: March 29Fall at Florence: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% November 1, 20% November 5, 30% November 8, 40% November 11, 50% November 13, 60% November 17, 70% November 21, 80% November 27, 90% December 2. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 23, 2022 October 19, 2023 November 3, 2024 November 22, 2025 November 11.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Nov 1Nov 13Dec 22021: November 232022: October 192023: November 32024: November 222025: November 11
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 3November 23
2022March 28October 19
2023March 21November 3
2024February 22November 22
2025March 7November 11
2026March 29season not over yet

What these dates mean

The cautious fall date to finish harvesting tender crops in Florence is November 1, when there is only a 10 % chance that a light frost has arrived. In spring, the cautious date for setting out tender crops is April 5, which carries a 10 % chance of a frost later than that day.

The 50 % light-frost dates—March 19 for spring and November 13 for fall—mean a gardener faces an even chance of frost; they are not frost dates themselves.

Hard-frost dates at 28 °F—March 4 in spring and November 27 in fall—matter more than the 32 °F light-frost dates because the colder temperature can kill plant tissue that survives the milder frost. The frost record spans 28 years, giving a solid climatological basis for these probabilities. There are 241 days between the spring and fall 50 % light-frost dates.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 5" 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 November 1" 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 Florence, SCNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Darlington, SC — 12 mi; 2 — Hartsville, SC — 24 mi; 3 — Cheraw, SC — 37 mi; 4 — Laurinburg, NC — 42 mi; 5 — Manning, SC — 43 mi.SCNC25 mi · 40 km1. Darlington, SC — 12 mi12. Hartsville, SC — 24 mi23. Cheraw, SC — 37 mi34. Laurinburg, NC — 42 mi45. Manning, SC — 43 mi5
  1. Darlington, SC 12 mi (19 km)
  2. Hartsville, SC 24 mi (38 km)
  3. Cheraw, SC 37 mi (59 km)
  4. Laurinburg, NC 42 mi (67 km)
  5. Manning, SC 43 mi (70 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: 34.1853, -79.7239.