Chester, SC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Chester 1 SE (USC00381633), elevation 560 ft. The station is named for Chester, and its coordinates are 1.7 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Chester city.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Chester 1 SE is Apr 3 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 2, for a typical freeze-free season of 213 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 19, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 20. The station averages 82 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 8 days later than the state median (Mar 26), the median first freeze is 7 days earlier than the state median (Nov 9), and the growing season ranks #90 of 103 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 33 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) | Apr 1 | Apr 16 | Apr 30 | Oct 12 | Oct 26 | Nov 5 | 173 / 192 / 212 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 17 | Apr 3 | Apr 19 | Oct 20 | Nov 2 | Nov 18 | 193 / 213 / 237 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Feb 27 | Mar 20 | Apr 7 | Oct 31 | Nov 13 | Dec 3 | 214 / 237 / 264 |
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 Chester
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 Chester 1 SE: Chester (2 mi), Eureka Mill (2 mi), Gayle Mill (3 mi), Richburg (10 mi).
Nearby stations
- York 5 SSE, SC — 16 mi; median last freeze Apr 1, first freeze Nov 3
- Santuck, SC — 19 mi; median last freeze Apr 4, first freeze Nov 1
- Winthrop Univ, SC — 20 mi; median last freeze Mar 27, first freeze Nov 5
- Rock Hill York Co AP, SC — 22 mi; median last freeze Mar 31, first freeze Nov 4
- Winnsboro, SC — 23 mi; median last freeze Mar 31, first freeze Nov 6
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00381633 · Latitude 34.6844, longitude -81.1956 · Elevation 171 m (560 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: S — Standard: meets WMO data-availability standards for 24 or more years. Years of data used: 29.
- Source file: USC00381633.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/19 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 04/03 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/17 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/20 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/02 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/18 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 237.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 213.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 193.0 |