U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00389350 · South Carolina

Frost Dates near Rock Hill, SC

NOAA weather station Winthrop University (USC00389350), South Carolina · elevation 650 ft (198 m) · hardiness zone 8a*

Rock Hill is the nearest town to the station (1.1 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 April 11only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 2750% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 550% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season225 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone8acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Rock Hill, SCSpring: a frost after March 10 in 9 years out of 10, after March 27 in half of the years, after April 11 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 24 in 1 year out of 10, before November 5 in half of the years, before November 23 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 225 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 27First frost ~Nov 5Frost season near Rock Hill, SCSpring: a frost after March 10 in 9 years out of 10, after March 27 in half of the years, after April 11 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 24 in 1 year out of 10, before November 5 in half of the years, before November 23 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 225 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 27First frost ~Nov 5
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 11October 24
50% (typical)March 27November 5
90% (likely)March 10November 23
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
225 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 15
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 18

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 28 (1 day later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 6 (1 day later). Frost-free season 224 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 Rock Hill: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 11, 20% April 5, 30% April 2, 40% March 30, 50% March 27, 60% March 24, 70% March 20, 80% March 17, 90% March 10. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 10, 2024 March 19, 2025 April 13, 2026 March 29.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Mar 1Apr 1Apr 11Mar 27Mar 102021: April 222022: April 102024: March 192025: April 132026: March 29Fall near Rock Hill: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 24, 20% October 27, 30% October 31, 40% November 2, 50% November 5, 60% November 8, 70% November 11, 80% November 16, 90% November 23. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 20, 2022 October 19, 2023 November 2, 2024 November 22, 2025 November 11.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Oct 24Nov 5Nov 232021: November 202022: October 192023: November 22024: 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 22November 20
2022April 10October 19
2023incomplete recordNovember 2
2024March 19November 22
2025April 13November 11
2026March 29season not over yet

What these dates mean

Planting tender crops on the early spring date, March 10, carries a 90 % chance of a frost and is therefore a gamble for the Rock Hill area.

The cautious spring date is April 11, when only a 10 % chance of a frost later than that day remains, and the cautious fall date is October 24, with a 10 % chance of a frost earlier than that day. The 50 % date is March 27, indicating an even-odds chance of a frost later than this point in spring, while the 50 % date is November 5, indicating an even-odds chance of a frost earlier than this point in fall.

Hard frost at 28 °F, whose 50 % dates are March 15 and November 18, matters more than a light frost at 32 °F because it can injure plants that survive milder temperatures.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 11" 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 24" 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 Rock Hill, SCNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Chester, SC — 20 mi; 2 — near Charlotte, NC — 20 mi; 3 — near Gaffney, SC — 27 mi; 4 — Santuck, SC — 35 mi; 5 — Lincolnton, NC — 40 mi.NC25 mi · 40 km1. Chester, SC — 20 mi12. near Charlotte, NC — 20 mi23. near Gaffney, SC — 27 mi34. Santuck, SC — 35 mi45. Lincolnton, NC — 40 mi5
  1. Chester, SC 20 mi (32 km)
  2. near Charlotte, NC 20 mi (32 km)
  3. near Gaffney, SC 27 mi (43 km)
  4. Santuck, SC 35 mi (56 km)
  5. Lincolnton, NC 40 mi (64 km)

Sources

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

Station coordinates: 34.9389, -81.0331.