Sumter, SC frost dates
From NOAA weather station Sumter (USC00388440), elevation 177 ft. The station is named for Sumter, and its coordinates are 2.2 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Sumter city.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Sumter is Mar 24 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 7, for a typical freeze-free season of 230 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 7, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 28. The station averages 56 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 2 days 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 #53 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) | Mar 18 | Apr 3 | Apr 20 | Oct 17 | Oct 31 | Nov 12 | 188 / 209 / 229 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 5 | Mar 24 | Apr 7 | Oct 28 | Nov 7 | Nov 26 | 209 / 230 / 257 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Feb 17 | Mar 13 | Mar 30 | Nov 4 | Nov 21 | Dec 14 | 229 / 257 / 289 |
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 Sumter
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 Sumter: Mulberry (2 mi), Sumter (2 mi), East Sumter (4 mi), South Sumter (4 mi), Oswego (6 mi), Lakewood (7 mi), Dalzell (7 mi), Privateer (8 mi), Mayesville (9 mi).
Nearby stations
- Wedgefield, SC — 10 mi; median last freeze Mar 21, first freeze Nov 13
- Elliott 0.8 NW, SC — 16 mi; median last freeze Mar 19, first freeze Nov 15
- Manning, SC — 19 mi; median last freeze Mar 25, first freeze Nov 11
- Bishopville 1ENE, SC — 20 mi; median last freeze Mar 29, first freeze Nov 4
- Camden 3 W, SC — 27 mi; median last freeze Apr 4, first freeze Nov 4
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00388440 · Latitude 33.9364, longitude -80.3569 · Elevation 54 m (177 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 24.
- Source file: USC00388440.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/07 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 03/24 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/05 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/28 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/07 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/26 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 257.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 230.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 209.0 |