U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00386293 · South Carolina

Frost Dates near Gaffney, SC

NOAA weather station Ninety Nine Island (USC00386293), South Carolina · elevation 500 ft (152 m) · hardiness zone 7b*

Gaffney is the nearest town to the station (9.3 mi away) in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). The dates below are measured at the station, not in the town itself.

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 6only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2050% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2450% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season186 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Gaffney, SCSpring: a frost after April 2 in 9 years out of 10, after April 20 in half of the years, after May 6 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 11 in 1 year out of 10, before October 24 in half of the years, before November 5 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 186 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 20First frost ~Oct 24Frost season near Gaffney, SCSpring: a frost after April 2 in 9 years out of 10, after April 20 in half of the years, after May 6 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 11 in 1 year out of 10, before October 24 in half of the years, before November 5 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 186 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 20First frost ~Oct 24
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 25 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 6October 11
50% (typical)April 20October 24
90% (likely)April 2November 5
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
186 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 6
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 1

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 15 (5 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 26 (2 days later). Frost-free season 195 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 near Gaffney: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 6, 20% May 1, 30% April 27, 40% April 23, 50% April 20, 60% April 16, 70% April 12, 80% April 8, 90% April 2.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 6Apr 20Apr 2Fall near Gaffney: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 11, 20% October 15, 30% October 18, 40% October 21, 50% October 24, 60% October 27, 70% October 30, 80% November 1, 90% November 5.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 11Oct 24Nov 5
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.

What these dates mean

May 6 marks the cautious spring date for the Gaffney area, with only a 10 % chance that a light frost will occur later. Gardeners can plan to set out tender crops on that day with relatively low risk.

The 50% date is April 20 for spring light frosts, carrying a 50 % chance of a frost later than that day, and the 50% date is October 24 for fall light frosts, carrying a 50 % chance of a frost earlier than that day. For a cautious fall schedule the 10 % chance date is October 11, the day to finish harvesting tender crops. The hard-frost median dates are April 6 and November 1; a hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants that survive a light frost at 32 °F. These probabilities come from a 25-year record (1991-2020).

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 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 11" 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 Gaffney, SCNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Shelby, NC — 20 mi; 2 — Spartanburg, SC — 25 mi; 3 — near Rock Hill, SC — 27 mi; 4 — Santuck, SC — 27 mi; 5 — Chester, SC — 29 mi.NC25 mi · 40 km1. Shelby, NC — 20 mi12. Spartanburg, SC — 25 mi23. near Rock Hill, SC — 27 mi34. Santuck, SC — 27 mi45. Chester, SC — 29 mi5
  1. Shelby, NC 20 mi (32 km)
  2. Spartanburg, SC 25 mi (41 km)
  3. near Rock Hill, SC 27 mi (43 km)
  4. Santuck, SC 27 mi (44 km)
  5. Chester, SC 29 mi (47 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 7b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 35.0317, -81.4928.