Cold/Wind Chill in Abbeville, South Carolina

The 2017 growing season began early across Upstate South Carolina, due to an unusually warm February and early March that saw average temperatures of almost 10 degrees above normal. An episode of cold arctic high pressure in the middle of March led to a hard freeze on the morning of the 16th, when low temperatures in the lower to mid 20s were reported. This devastated the peach crop across the Upstate, with crop losses estimated at 80-90%. Other crops were damaged as well. While subsequent days of freezing temperatures caused further damage, the vast majority of the damage occurred on the 16th.