Columbia, SC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Columbia (USW00013883), elevation 231 ft. The station is named for Columbia, and its coordinates are 13.7 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 is Mar 25 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 7, for a typical freeze-free season of 229 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 10, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 26. The station averages 46 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 1 day 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 #55 of 103 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 37 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 20 | Apr 5 | Apr 19 | Oct 17 | Oct 29 | Nov 11 | 187 / 207 / 230 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 4 | Mar 25 | Apr 10 | Oct 26 | Nov 7 | Nov 24 | 207 / 229 / 256 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Feb 14 | Mar 10 | Mar 28 | Nov 4 | Nov 22 | Dec 14 | 231 / 259 / 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 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: Springdale (1 mi), South Congaree (3 mi), Oak Grove (3 mi), West Columbia (3 mi), Pine Ridge (4 mi), Lexington (7 mi), Red Bank (7 mi), Seven Oaks (7 mi), Edmund (7 mi), White Knoll (8 mi), Gaston (9 mi).
Nearby stations
- Columbia Univ Of SC, SC — 6 mi; median last freeze Mar 16, first freeze Nov 16
- Columbia Owens Dwtn AP, SC — 7 mi; median last freeze Mar 13, first freeze Nov 19
- Pelion 0.8 NW, SC — 15 mi; median last freeze Mar 28, first freeze Nov 4
- Cedar Creek 2E, SC — 19 mi; median last freeze Apr 10, first freeze Oct 28
- Sandhill Rsch - Elgin, SC — 19 mi; median last freeze Mar 22, first freeze Nov 15
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USW00013883 · Latitude 33.9486, longitude -81.1186 · Elevation 70 m (231 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: S — Standard: meets WMO data-availability standards for 24 or more years. Years of data used: 30.
- Source file: USW00013883.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/10 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 03/25 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/04 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/26 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/07 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/24 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 256.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 229.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 207.0 |