Beaufort, SC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Beaufort MCAS (USW00093831), elevation 37 ft. The station is named for Beaufort, and its coordinates are 1.8 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Beaufort city.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Beaufort MCAS is Feb 28 and the median first fall freeze is Dec 3, for a typical freeze-free season of 279 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Mar 21, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Nov 14. The station averages 17 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 26 days earlier than the state median (Mar 26), the median first freeze is 24 days later than the state median (Nov 9), and the growing season ranks #5 of 103 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 47 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) | Feb 22 | Mar 14 | Mar 31 | Nov 4 | Nov 18 | Dec 8 | 226 / 249 / 278 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Feb 2 | Feb 28 | Mar 21 | Nov 14 | Dec 3 | Jan 1 | 248 / 279 / 312 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Jan 8 | Feb 8 | Mar 8 | Dec 1 | Dec 27 | Jan 28 | 277 / 312 / 348 |
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 Beaufort
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 Beaufort MCAS: Beaufort (2 mi), Seabrook (4 mi), Laurel Bay (4 mi), Lobeco (5 mi), Dale (5 mi), Ridgeland (12 mi).
Nearby stations
- Beaufort WWTP, SC — 6 mi; median last freeze Mar 3, first freeze Dec 9
- Yemassee 1 N, SC — 17 mi; median last freeze Mar 23, first freeze Nov 6
- Edisto Is Middleton Plantation, SC — 24 mi; median last freeze Mar 1, first freeze Dec 6
- Edisto Beach Sp, SC — 25 mi; median last freeze Mar 1, first freeze Dec 6
- Walterboro 1 SW, SC — 28 mi; median last freeze Mar 19, first freeze Nov 12
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USW00093831 · Latitude 32.4833, longitude -80.7167 · Elevation 11 m (37 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: S — Standard: meets WMO data-availability standards for 24 or more years. Years of data used: 27.
- Source file: USW00093831.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 03/21 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 02/28 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 02/02 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 11/14 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 12/03 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 01/01 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 312.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 279.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 248.0 |