Climateby Month

Columbus, OH climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 780 ft elevation

Summers in Columbus are warm and often humid; winters are cold and snowy. Highs peak at 85°F in July and fall to 37°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 9 to 15 a month. Normal snowfall is about 28 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is May.

Warmest month
85°F
July normal high
Coldest month
22°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
141
41.6 in of precipitation
Snow a year
28.2 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Columbus?

Normal highs range from 37°F in January to 85°F in July.

20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 37°F (3°C), low 22°F (-6°C) 37° 22° February: normal high 41°F (5°C), low 24°F (-4°C) March: normal high 51°F (11°C), low 32°F (0°C) April: normal high 64°F (18°C), low 42°F (6°C) May: normal high 74°F (23°C), low 52°F (11°C) June: normal high 82°F (28°C), low 62°F (17°C) July: normal high 85°F (29°C), low 65°F (18°C) 85° 65° August: normal high 84°F (29°C), low 64°F (18°C) September: normal high 78°F (26°C), low 57°F (14°C) October: normal high 66°F (19°C), low 45°F (7°C) November: normal high 52°F (11°C), low 35°F (2°C) December: normal high 42°F (6°C), low 27°F (-3°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Columbus?

January has the most wet days (about 15); the year brings about 42 in of precipitation.

January: 15 wet days 15 February: 12 wet days March: 13 wet days April: 14 wet days May: 14 wet days June: 12 wet days July: 11 wet days August: 10 wet days September: 9 wet days 9 October: 10 wet days November: 11 wet days December: 13 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 28.2 in a year, most of it in January.

January: 9.5 in of snow 9.5 February: 7.6 in of snow March: 4.1 in of snow April: 0.5 in of snow May: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 June: 0.0 in of snow July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.0 in of snow October: 0.2 in of snow November: 1.2 in of snow December: 5.1 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Columbus?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 14 days.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 2 muggy days June: 8 muggy days July: 14 muggy days 14 August: 12 muggy days September: 5 muggy days October: 1 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Port Columbus International Airport, 6.8 mi ENE of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.4 hours in December to 15.0 hours in June.

January: 9.7 hours of daylight February: 10.7 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.3 hours of daylight May: 14.4 hours of daylight June: 15.0 hours of daylight 15.0 July: 14.7 hours of daylight August: 13.7 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.1 hours of daylight November: 10.0 hours of daylight December: 9.4 hours of daylight 9.4 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Columbus, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 37°F22°F 3.0 in15 9.5 in 0 9.7 h
February 41°F24°F 2.4 in12 7.6 in 0 10.7 h
March 51°F32°F 3.6 in13 4.1 in 0 12.0 h
April 64°F42°F 3.9 in14 0.5 in 0 13.3 h
May 74°F52°F 4.0 in14 0.0 in 2 14.4 h
June 82°F62°F 4.3 in12 0.0 in 8 15.0 h
July 85°F65°F 4.7 in11 0.0 in 14 14.7 h
August 84°F64°F 3.7 in10 0.0 in 12 13.7 h
September 78°F57°F 3.1 in9 0.0 in 5 12.4 h
October 66°F45°F 2.9 in10 0.2 in 1 11.1 h
November 52°F35°F 2.8 in11 1.2 in 0 10.0 h
December 42°F27°F 3.1 in13 5.1 in 0 9.4 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Columbus

By our comfort score, the best month is May.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 301720
Feb 351615
Mar 48587
Apr 661381
May 701491
Jun 61885
Jul 53478
Aug 54566
Sep 651362
Oct 621360
Nov 45565
Dec 321615

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Columbus

The last spring frost typically comes around Apr 18, and the first fall frost around Oct 27, leaving 191 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Columbus
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Apr 18after May 5
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 27before Oct 14
Last hard freeze (28°F)Apr 5after Apr 21
First hard freeze (28°F)Nov 6before Oct 26
Frost-free season191 daysunder 169 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Columbus Port Columbus Intl Airport (USW00014821), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Ohio.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 101°F (July 7, 2012, and 1 other day); the lowest was -22°F (January 19, 1994).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Columbus

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall, snow depth, frost dates and humidity and wind by hour: Columbus Port Columbus Intl Airport (USW00014821), 6.6 mi ENE of the city center, 810 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Cloud cover: Wright Patterson AFB (USW00013840), 56 mi W of the city center, 823 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Port Columbus International Airport (724280-14821), 6.8 mi ENE of the city center, 810 ft . Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error