Columbia, SC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Columbia Owens Dwtn AP (USW00053867), elevation 212 ft. The station is named for Columbia, and its coordinates are 7.1 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Columbia city.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Columbia Owens Dwtn AP is Mar 13 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 19, for a typical freeze-free season of 253 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Mar 31, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Nov 5. The station averages 33 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 13 days earlier than the state median (Mar 26), the median first freeze is 10 days later than the state median (Nov 9), and the growing season ranks #14 of 103 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 38 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 8 | Mar 27 | Apr 10 | Oct 28 | Nov 8 | Nov 21 | 206 / 227 / 253 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Feb 21 | Mar 13 | Mar 31 | Nov 5 | Nov 19 | Dec 8 | 227 / 253 / 281 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Jan 28 | Feb 24 | Mar 18 | Nov 15 | Dec 4 | Jan 4 | 252 / 286 / 320 |
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 Columbia
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 Columbia Owens Dwtn AP: Arthurtown (0 mi), Cayce (3 mi), Capitol View (4 mi), Hopkins (9 mi).
Nearby stations
- Columbia Univ Of SC, SC — 2 mi; median last freeze Mar 16, first freeze Nov 16
- Columbia, SC — 7 mi; median last freeze Mar 25, first freeze Nov 7
- Sandhill Rsch - Elgin, SC — 13 mi; median last freeze Mar 22, first freeze Nov 15
- Cedar Creek 2E, SC — 18 mi; median last freeze Apr 10, first freeze Oct 28
- Pelion 0.8 NW, SC — 20 mi; median last freeze Mar 28, first freeze Nov 4
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USW00053867 · Latitude 33.9706, longitude -80.9958 · Elevation 65 m (212 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 19.
- Source file: USW00053867.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 03/31 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 03/13 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 02/21 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 11/05 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/19 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 12/08 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 281.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 253.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 227.0 |