Columbia, SC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Columbia Univ Of SC (USC00381944), elevation 223 ft. The station is named for Columbia, and its coordinates are 7.6 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 Univ Of SC is Mar 16 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 16, for a typical freeze-free season of 245 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 3, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Nov 2. 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 10 days earlier than the state median (Mar 26), the median first freeze is 7 days later than the state median (Nov 9), and the growing season ranks #21 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 11 | Mar 28 | Apr 13 | Oct 24 | Nov 5 | Nov 20 | 201 / 221 / 245 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Feb 24 | Mar 16 | Apr 3 | Nov 2 | Nov 16 | Dec 6 | 221 / 245 / 275 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Jan 31 | Mar 1 | Mar 23 | Nov 12 | Dec 2 | Dec 30 | 247 / 277 / 310 |
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 Univ Of SC: Olympia (1 mi), Forest Acres (4 mi), Arcadia Lakes (5 mi), St. Andrews (6 mi).
Nearby stations
- Columbia Owens Dwtn AP, SC — 2 mi; median last freeze Mar 13, first freeze Nov 19
- Columbia, SC — 6 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 — 16 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: USC00381944 · Latitude 33.9917, longitude -81.0244 · Elevation 68 m (223 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: S — Standard: meets WMO data-availability standards for 24 or more years. Years of data used: 28.
- Source file: USC00381944.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/03 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 03/16 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 02/24 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 11/02 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/16 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 12/06 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 275.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 245.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 221.0 |