Frost dates by state › South Carolina

South Carolina frost dates

Average last spring and first fall frost dates for South Carolina’s largest cities, with each city’s USDA hardiness zone.

Reviewed October 2026

Among South Carolina’s 20 largest cities, the average last spring frost ranges from Feb 4 in Charleston to Apr 8 in Spartanburg. Elevation, distance from the coast and city heat all shift the date, so use your own ZIP code below for the closest match.

City	Average last spring frost	Average first fall frost	Frost-free days	Hardiness zone	Weather station used
Charleston	Feb 4	Dec 30	329	9a	Charleston City, SC, 4 mi
Columbia	Mar 22	Nov 15	238	8b	Sandhill RSch - Elgin, SC, 7 mi
North Charleston	Mar 7	Nov 27	265	8b–9a	Charleston Intl Airport, SC, 2 mi
Mount Pleasant	Mar 13	Nov 30	262	9a	Sullivans Is, SC, 3 mi
Rock Hill	Mar 27	Nov 5	223	8a	Winthrop Univ, SC
Greenville	Mar 28	Nov 7	224	8a	Greenville, SC
Summerville	Mar 22	Nov 12	235	8b	Summerville 4W, SC, 4 mi
Goose Creek	Mar 7	Nov 27	265	8b–9a	Charleston Intl Airport, SC, 7 mi
Greer	Mar 28	Nov 7	224	8a	Greer, SC, 4 mi
Sumter	Mar 24	Nov 7	228	8b	Sumter, SC, 2 mi
Florence	Mar 19	Nov 13	239	8b	Florence Rgnl Airport, SC, 4 mi
Myrtle Beach	Mar 21	Nov 13	237	8b	Myrtle Beach, SC, 5 mi
Spartanburg	Apr 8	Nov 1	207	8a	Spartanburg 3 Sse, SC, 3 mi
Hilton Head Island	Mar 3	Dec 9	281	9b	Beaufort Wwtp, SC, 14 mi
Fort Mill	Mar 31	Nov 4	218	8a	Rock Hill York Co Airport, SC, 7 mi
Bluffton	Mar 2	Nov 30	273	9a	Savannah Intl Airport, GA, 17 mi
Aiken	Mar 19	Nov 14	240	8b	Aiken 2 E, SC, 2 mi
Anderson	Mar 23	Nov 11	233	8a	Anderson, SC
Mauldin	Mar 28	Nov 7	224	8a	Greenville, SC, 4 mi
Conway	Mar 15	Nov 22	252	8b	Conway, SC

Frost dates are the dates after (spring) or before (fall) which the chance of a 32°F freeze is below 50%, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals for the weather station nearest each city’s center. Zones are from the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map for the ZIP codes around each city; a range means nearby ZIP codes differ. Cities are the 20 largest by Census Bureau 2024 population estimates.

An average is not a guarantee. There’s still about a 1 in 2 chance of frost after the average last spring date. Many gardeners wait an extra week or two before setting out tomatoes, peppers and basil, and keep covers handy.

Planting dates for Charleston

Timed from Charleston’s average last frost of Feb 4, using University of New Hampshire Extension’s planting guidance. For your exact dates, enter your ZIP code in the calendar below.

Crop	Start seeds indoors	Plant outside
Tomatoes	Dec 17 to Dec 31	Feb 11 to Feb 18
Peppers	Dec 10 to Dec 24	Feb 18
Lettuce	Dec 3 to Dec 10	Jan 7 to Jan 14
Broccoli	Nov 26 to Dec 10	Jan 7 to Jan 21
Cucumbers	Jan 14 to Jan 21	Feb 11 to Feb 18
Basil	Dec 24 to Jan 7	Feb 18

When to plant, for your garden

Your seed-starting and planting dates, timed from your last spring frost. Full calendar, 12 crops.

ZIP code

Last frost date

Enter your ZIP code to look up your average last frost date and hardiness zone, or type the date in yourself.

Frost dates: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023, ZIP code data from PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed Oct. 20, 2026.

More about frost dates

How to find your last frost date, and what your zone means · Full planting calendar · How to start seeds indoors

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