Aiken, SC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Aiken 5SE (USC00380074), elevation 492 ft. The station is named for Aiken, and its coordinates are 3.2 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Aiken city.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Aiken 5SE is Mar 21 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 7, for a typical freeze-free season of 232 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 6, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 25. The station averages 51 nights per year with a low of 32°F or colder.
Compared with the median of 103 South Carolina stations in this dataset, the median last freeze here is 5 days earlier than the state median (Mar 26), the median first freeze is 2 days earlier than the state median (Nov 9), and the growing season ranks #50 of 103 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 35 days, a measure of how variable spring is here.
Freeze probability table
| Threshold | Last spring occurrence | First fall occurrence | Season length (days) 90% / 50% / 10% | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early (90% chance of a later freeze) | Median (50%) | Cautious (10% chance of a later freeze) | Early (10% chance by then) | Median (50%) | Late (90% chance by then) | ||
| 36°F (light frost possible) | Mar 16 | Apr 1 | Apr 18 | Oct 16 | Oct 30 | Nov 10 | 188 / 211 / 234 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 2 | Mar 21 | Apr 6 | Oct 25 | Nov 7 | Nov 24 | 208 / 232 / 259 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Feb 14 | Mar 9 | Mar 28 | Nov 3 | Nov 19 | Dec 14 | 230 / 256 / 288 |
Read the spring “Cautious” column as the safer planting date: only about 1 year in 10 has a freeze after it. NOAA computes these from daily minimum temperatures at the station; your yard can differ, especially in low spots or at a different elevation.
Planting calendar for Aiken
Pick how much frost risk you accept. The calendar applies generic, extension-published timing rules to this station’s dates. See the rules and sources.
| Crop | Start seeds indoors | Plant outdoors (spring) | Latest fall planting (est.) | Days to harvest |
|---|
Fall estimates count back from the median first fall freeze (32°F for tender crops, 28°F hard freeze for cool-season crops) by the longer days-to-harvest figure. These are rough planning aids, not recommendations for any specific variety; check seed packets and your county extension office.
Towns that use this station as their nearest
Census places within 15 miles whose closest station in this dataset is Aiken 5SE: New Ellenton (5 mi), Windsor (10 mi).
Nearby stations
- Aiken 2 E, SC — 4 mi; median last freeze Mar 19, first freeze Nov 14
- Graniteville 1.2 NE, SC — 8 mi; median last freeze Apr 9, first freeze Nov 1
- Augusta Bush Fld AP, GA — 18 mi; median last freeze Mar 23, first freeze Nov 9
- Augusta Daniel Fld AP, GA — 20 mi; median last freeze Feb 27, first freeze Dec 4
- Wagener 1SW, SC — 21 mi; median last freeze Mar 26, first freeze Nov 9
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00380074 · Latitude 33.4925, longitude -81.6958 · Elevation 150 m (492 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 16.
- Source file: USC00380074.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/06 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 03/21 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/02 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/25 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/07 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/24 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 259.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 232.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 208.0 |