Climateby Month

North Charleston, SC climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 18 ft elevation

North Charleston has hot and oppressively humid summers and cool winters. Highs peak at 88°F in July and fall to 58°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 7 to 13 a month. Snow is rare. By our comfort score the best month is April.

Warmest month
88°F
July normal high
Coldest month
44°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
114
52.5 in of precipitation
Muggy days a year
137
dew point 65°F or higher

How warm is North Charleston?

Normal highs range from 58°F in January to 88°F in July.

40°50°60°70°80°90° January: normal high 58°F (14°C), low 44°F (7°C) 58° 44° February: normal high 60°F (16°C), low 46°F (8°C) March: normal high 66°F (19°C), low 52°F (11°C) April: normal high 72°F (22°C), low 60°F (16°C) May: normal high 79°F (26°C), low 68°F (20°C) June: normal high 84°F (29°C), low 74°F (23°C) July: normal high 88°F (31°C), low 77°F (25°C) 88° 77° August: normal high 86°F (30°C), low 77°F (25°C) September: normal high 83°F (28°C), low 73°F (23°C) October: normal high 76°F (24°C), low 63°F (17°C) November: normal high 67°F (19°C), low 53°F (12°C) December: normal high 61°F (16°C), low 47°F (8°C) JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is North Charleston?

July has the most wet days (about 13); the year brings about 53 in of precipitation.

January: 9 wet days February: 8 wet days March: 8 wet days April: 8 wet days May: 8 wet days June: 12 wet days July: 13 wet days 13 August: 13 wet days September: 10 wet days October: 7 wet days November: 7 wet days 7 December: 9 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

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

How humid is North Charleston?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 30 days.

January: 0 muggy days February: 0 muggy days 0 March: 0 muggy days April: 3 muggy days May: 13 muggy days June: 26 muggy days July: 30 muggy days 30 August: 30 muggy days September: 23 muggy days October: 9 muggy days November: 3 muggy days December: 1 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Charleston AFB/International Airport, 4.9 mi NW of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 10.0 hours in December to 14.3 hours in June.

January: 10.3 hours of daylight February: 11.0 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.0 hours of daylight May: 13.9 hours of daylight June: 14.3 hours of daylight 14.3 July: 14.1 hours of daylight August: 13.3 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.4 hours of daylight November: 10.5 hours of daylight December: 10.0 hours of daylight 10.0 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for North Charleston, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 58°F44°F 3.4 in9 0.2 in 0 10.3 h
February 60°F46°F 3.0 in8 0.1 in 0 11.0 h
March 66°F52°F 3.4 in8 0.0 in 0 12.0 h
April 72°F60°F 3.3 in8 0.0 in 3 13.0 h
May 79°F68°F 3.3 in8 0.0 in 13 13.9 h
June 84°F74°F 6.2 in12 0.0 in 26 14.3 h
July 88°F77°F 6.6 in13 0.0 in 30 14.1 h
August 86°F77°F 7.0 in13 0.0 in 30 13.3 h
September 83°F73°F 6.0 in10 0.0 in 23 12.4 h
October 76°F63°F 4.3 in7 0.0 in 9 11.4 h
November 67°F53°F 2.7 in7 0.0 in 3 10.5 h
December 61°F47°F 3.4 in9 0.0 in 1 10.0 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 North Charleston

By our comfort score, the best month is April.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 52761
Feb 57850
Mar 671550
Apr 721650
May 63851
Jun 49185
Jul 44099
Aug 44097
Sep 51372
Oct 641350
Nov 641440
Dec 55960

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 North Charleston

The last spring frost typically comes around Mar 7, and the first fall frost around Nov 27, leaving 266 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for North Charleston
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Mar 7after Mar 27
First fall frost (32°F)Nov 27before Nov 8
Last hard freeze (28°F)Feb 20after Mar 14
First hard freeze (28°F)Dec 15before Nov 21
Frost-free season266 daysunder 238 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: Charleston Intl Airport (USW00013880), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in South Carolina.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 103°F (August 1, 1999); the lowest was 19°F (February 5, 1996).

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

Near North Charleston

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature: Charleston City (USW00013782), 5.7 mi SSE of the city center, 10 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Rain, snowfall, snow depth, frost dates, humidity and wind by hour and cloud cover: Charleston Intl Airport (USW00013880), 4.9 mi NW of the city center, 40 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Charleston AFB/International Airport (722080-13880), 4.9 mi NW of the city center, 39 ft . Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

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