Frost dates in Charleston, South Carolina

NOAA 1991–2020 normals for a 32 °F freeze. Low spots and the edge of town run colder than downtown.

Short answer

The average last spring frost in Charleston is February 4, and the average first fall frost is December 30, from NOAA's Charleston City station, 4 miles from the middle of Charleston. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after March 4, and the first one by December 2. That leaves about 329 frost-free days. Charleston is in USDA planting zone 9a.

Weather stations around Charleston

The first row is the date most people in Charleston go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.

Station	Last spring frost	First fall frost	Frost-free
Charleston City 4 mi away, 10 ft	February 4 1 in 10 after March 4	December 30 1 in 10 by December 2	329 days
Charleston Intl Airport 6 mi away, 40 ft	March 7 1 in 10 after March 27	November 27 1 in 10 by November 8	265 days
Sullivans Is 8 mi away, 5 ft	March 13 1 in 10 after March 30	November 30 1 in 10 by November 11	262 days
Summerville 4W 21 mi away, 65 ft	March 22 1 in 10 after April 7	November 12 1 in 10 by October 29	235 days
Edisto Is Middleton Plantation 26 mi away, 12 ft	March 1 1 in 10 after March 22	December 6 1 in 10 by November 15	280 days

Distances are from the middle of Charleston as the Census Bureau maps it. The average date is NOAA's 50% date: half of years have a later last frost, or an earlier first one. Plan by the 1-in-10 date if a freeze would cost you plants. The planting zone is the USDA 2023 zone for ZIP code 29405, at the middle of the city.

Your exact ZIP code

Charleston covers a lot of ground. For the station nearest your own street, and its planting zone, type your ZIP code.

How these dates work

Frost dates come from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 Climate Normals, which work out from each weather station's daily lows how likely the last spring freeze and the first fall freeze (32 °F) are by each date. We use the station nearest the middle of your ZIP code and show its height and distance, since a station on a hill or by a lake can differ from your yard.

The average date is the 50% date: half of years have a freeze after the spring date or before the fall one. The 1-in-10 dates are NOAA's 10% dates, the ones to plan by if a late freeze would cost you plants. Within one yard, cold air pools in low spots while walls and paving hold heat, so some corners freeze before others.

More frost dates

All of South Carolina, station by station.

Other South Carolina cities: Columbia

Nearby: Savannah, GA · Augusta, GA · Fayetteville, NC