Climateby Month

Columbia, SC climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 299 ft elevation

Summers in Columbia are hot and oppressively humid; winters are cool. Highs peak at 96°F in July and fall to 60°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 7 to 12 a month. Normal snowfall is about 1.2 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is March and November.

Warmest month
96°F
July normal high
Coldest month
37°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
109
45.2 in of precipitation
Snow a year
1.2 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Columbia?

Normal highs range from 60°F in January to 96°F in July.

20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 60°F (16°C), low 37°F (3°C) 60° 37° February: normal high 64°F (18°C), low 40°F (4°C) March: normal high 72°F (22°C), low 46°F (8°C) April: normal high 81°F (27°C), low 54°F (12°C) May: normal high 87°F (31°C), low 62°F (17°C) June: normal high 93°F (34°C), low 69°F (21°C) July: normal high 96°F (36°C), low 72°F (22°C) 96° 72° August: normal high 94°F (34°C), low 71°F (22°C) September: normal high 89°F (32°C), low 66°F (19°C) October: normal high 80°F (27°C), low 54°F (12°C) November: normal high 69°F (21°C), low 44°F (7°C) December: normal high 61°F (16°C), low 39°F (4°C) JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is Columbia?

July has the most wet days (about 12); the year brings about 45 in of precipitation.

January: 10 wet days February: 9 wet days March: 9 wet days April: 8 wet days May: 9 wet days June: 11 wet days July: 12 wet days 12 August: 10 wet days September: 8 wet days October: 7 wet days 7 November: 7 wet days December: 9 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 1.2 in a year, most of it in January.

January: 0.6 in of snow 0.6 February: 0.4 in of snow March: 0.1 in of snow April: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 May: 0.0 in of snow 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: 0.0 in of snow November: 0.0 in of snow December: 0.1 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Columbia?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 28 days.

January: 0 muggy days February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days 0 April: 1 muggy days May: 7 muggy days June: 21 muggy days July: 28 muggy days 28 August: 27 muggy days September: 16 muggy days October: 4 muggy days November: 1 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Columbia Metropolitan Airport, 6.3 mi SW of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.9 hours in December to 14.4 hours in June.

January: 10.2 hours of daylight February: 11.0 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.1 hours of daylight May: 13.9 hours of daylight June: 14.4 hours of daylight 14.4 July: 14.2 hours of daylight August: 13.4 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.3 hours of daylight November: 10.4 hours of daylight December: 9.9 hours of daylight 9.9 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Columbia, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 60°F37°F 3.5 in10 0.6 in 0 10.2 h
February 64°F40°F 3.4 in9 0.4 in 0 11.0 h
March 72°F46°F 3.6 in9 0.1 in 0 12.0 h
April 81°F54°F 2.8 in8 0.0 in 1 13.1 h
May 87°F62°F 3.5 in9 0.0 in 7 13.9 h
June 93°F69°F 5.0 in11 0.0 in 21 14.4 h
July 96°F72°F 5.3 in12 0.0 in 28 14.2 h
August 94°F71°F 4.7 in10 0.0 in 27 13.4 h
September 89°F66°F 3.9 in8 0.0 in 16 12.4 h
October 80°F54°F 3.1 in7 0.0 in 4 11.3 h
November 69°F44°F 2.8 in7 0.0 in 1 10.4 h
December 61°F39°F 3.7 in9 0.1 in 0 9.9 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 Columbia

By our comfort score, the best months are March and November.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 551061
Feb 631360
Mar 691760
Apr 651253
May 504512
Jun 380722
Jul 340728
Aug 340725
Sep 411515
Oct 631342
Nov 661650
Dec 561160

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 Columbia

The last spring frost typically comes around Mar 16, and the first fall frost around Nov 16, leaving 245 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Columbia
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Mar 16after Apr 3
First fall frost (32°F)Nov 16before Nov 2
Last hard freeze (28°F)Mar 1after Mar 23
First hard freeze (28°F)Dec 2before Nov 12
Frost-free season245 daysunder 221 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: Columbia Univ Of Sc (USC00381944), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in South Carolina.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 113°F (June 29, 2012); the lowest was 11°F (January 20, 1994, and 1 other day).

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

Near Columbia

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature and frost dates: Columbia Univ Of Sc (USC00381944), 0.9 mi SE of the city center, 223 ft (76 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Rain, snowfall, snow depth, humidity and wind by hour and cloud cover: Columbia (USW00013883), 6.0 mi SW of the city center, 231 ft (68 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Columbia Metropolitan Airport (723100-13883), 6.3 mi SW of the city center, 224 ft (75 ft lower than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

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