Charleston climate — normals and trends

Q: What is the climate of Charleston?

Charleston has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 18.9 °C and it receives 1,160 mm of precipitation per year.

Q: What is the hottest day ever recorded in Charleston?

The hottest day measured in Charleston between 1940 and 2025 was 26 June 1952, reaching 38.5 °C.

Q: What is the coldest day in Charleston?

The coldest day measured in Charleston between 1940 and 2025 was 5 January 2018, at -12.8 °C.

Q: Does it snow in Charleston?

Almost never: Charleston sees virtually no snow, with about 11 frost days per year.

Q: Has the climate of Charleston warmed?

Yes: Charleston warmed by +0.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.

Q: What is the wettest day in Charleston?

The wettest day measured in Charleston between 1940 and 2025 was 5 September 2019, with 246 mm of rain in 24 hours.

Q: What was the windiest day in Charleston?

The windiest day measured in Charleston between 1940 and 2025 was 21 September 1989, with winds reaching 89.3 km/h.

Q: What is the warmest month in Charleston?

The warmest month in Charleston is July (27.0 °C on average); the coldest is January (10.0 °C).

Q: How much does it rain in Charleston?

Charleston receives on average 1,160 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 131 rainy days.

Q: Is it sunny in Charleston?

Charleston gets on average 9.6 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,504 hours per year over 1940-2025.

Charleston (United States) has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 18.9 °C and it receives 1,160 mm of precipitation per year.

These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.

The warmest month is July (27.0 °C on average) and the coldest is January (10.0 °C). Rainfall peaks in August.

Charleston averages 11 frost days, 61 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 131 rainy days per year.

Charleston has warmed by +0.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.09 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.

The hottest day of the period reached 38.5 °C (on 26 June 1952) and the coldest -12.8 °C (on 5 January 2018).

Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.

Climate normals · ERA5

CharlestonSouth Carolina

coords: 32.78°, -79.93°
period: 1940–2025 · 86 yrs

CfaHumid subtropicalWarmest monthJulyColdest monthJanuaryWettest monthAugustDriest monthNovember

Mean daily temperature

18.9°C

Average daily high

23.2°C

Average daily low

15.2°C

Annual rainfall

1,160mm

Sunshine / day

9.6h

Mean relative humidity

77%

Average peak wind

19.0km/h

Seasonal range

17.0°C

Frost days (< 0 °C)

11 d/yr

Hot days (≥ 30 °C)

61 d/yr

Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)

131 d/yr

Annual snowfall

0.9 cm

Average feels-like high

24.3 °C

Average feels-like low

14.8 °C

Average peak gust

37.2 km/h

Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)

133 d/yr

Solar radiation

16.9 MJ/m²

Has the climate changed?

One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025

+0.7 °C

since 1940

+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.13 · p = < 0.001

19402025

Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).

A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.

Records for the period

Hottest day

38.5 °C

26 June 1952

Coldest day

-12.8 °C

5 January 2018

Wettest day

246 mm

5 September 2019

Windiest day

89.3 km/h

21 September 1989

Strongest gust

156.6 km/h

21 September 1989

Hottest feels-like

45.3 °C

1 August 1999

Coldest feels-like

-19.0 °C

21 January 1985

Snowiest day

12.7 cm

23 December 1989

Sunniest day

13.8 h

19 June 2022

Year	Hottest day	Coldest day	Annual mean	Rainfall	Hot days	Frost days
2025	34.8 °C27 July 2025	-6.0 °C24 January 2025	19.1 °C	1,270 mm	74	17
2024	33.6 °C10 July 2024	-5.3 °C21 January 2024	19.7 °C	1,099 mm	68	5
2023	35.0 °C21 July 2023	0.0 °C15 January 2023	19.9 °C	1,281 mm	75	0
2022	34.4 °C23 June 2022	-7.3 °C24 December 2022	19.4 °C	1,216 mm	60	12
2021	32.9 °C31 July 2021	-1.2 °C4 February 2021	19.3 °C	1,317 mm	53	3
2020	34.6 °C29 June 2020	-2.5 °C26 December 2020	20.2 °C	1,314 mm	81	5
2019	36.7 °C27 May 2019	-0.5 °C13 November 2019	20.2 °C	1,495 mm	88	1
2018	33.5 °C21 June 2018	-12.8 °C5 January 2018	19.7 °C	1,475 mm	94	12
2017	34.2 °C16 August 2017	-3.4 °C8 January 2017	20.1 °C	1,114 mm	74	5
2016	36.3 °C29 July 2016	-2.8 °C19 January 2016	20.0 °C	1,164 mm	91	8
2015	35.3 °C11 July 2015	-7.5 °C8 January 2015	19.8 °C	1,427 mm	69	9
2014	35.8 °C23 August 2014	-7.2 °C7 January 2014	18.8 °C	1,294 mm	62	10
2013	33.9 °C13 June 2013	-1.4 °C18 February 2013	19.0 °C	1,231 mm	55	3
2012	34.6 °C27 July 2012	-3.3 °C4 January 2012	19.6 °C	1,099 mm	57	4
2011	36.8 °C20 June 2011	-5.2 °C14 January 2011	19.5 °C	774 mm	93	9
2010	36.4 °C8 July 2010	-5.8 °C14 December 2010	18.4 °C	881 mm	95	33
2009	34.9 °C27 June 2009	-4.9 °C5 February 2009	18.8 °C	1,223 mm	61	12
2008	35.6 °C21 July 2008	-4.5 °C4 January 2008	19.0 °C	1,222 mm	65	8
2007	34.9 °C7 August 2007	-1.7 °C17 February 2007	19.3 °C	1,087 mm	67	5
2006	34.5 °C4 August 2006	-4.0 °C9 December 2006	19.0 °C	874 mm	66	4
2005	34.6 °C27 July 2005	-7.1 °C24 January 2005	18.7 °C	1,231 mm	66	9
2004	34.5 °C6 July 2004	-4.1 °C20 December 2004	18.7 °C	1,129 mm	57	14
2003	33.8 °C9 July 2003	-8.1 °C24 January 2003	18.7 °C	1,244 mm	44	10
2002	35.0 °C30 July 2002	-4.4 °C28 February 2002	19.1 °C	1,222 mm	48	8
2001	33.1 °C11 July 2001	-5.4 °C3 January 2001	19.0 °C	823 mm	45	10
2000	35.1 °C20 July 2000	-4.8 °C20 December 2000	18.3 °C	874 mm	60	23
1999	37.0 °C1 August 1999	-4.6 °C6 January 1999	19.0 °C	1,312 mm	58	10
1998	36.6 °C30 June 1998	-2.1 °C1 January 1998	19.8 °C	1,279 mm	78	5
1997	33.3 °C4 July 1997	-4.5 °C18 January 1997	18.6 °C	1,423 mm	49	4
1996	35.6 °C2 July 1996	-8.0 °C5 February 1996	18.3 °C	1,151 mm	46	16
1995	35.8 °C14 August 1995	-6.4 °C9 February 1995	18.9 °C	1,231 mm	63	13
1994	33.8 °C17 July 1994	-6.8 °C19 January 1994	19.2 °C	1,286 mm	44	9
1993	35.9 °C16 July 1993	-3.9 °C15 March 1993	18.9 °C	1,188 mm	77	6
1992	34.6 °C10 July 1992	-2.5 °C20 January 1992	18.7 °C	1,552 mm	51	4
1991	34.2 °C4 August 1991	-6.0 °C16 February 1991	19.6 °C	1,234 mm	67	5
1990	36.7 °C6 July 1990	-0.6 °C14 January 1990	20.1 °C	859 mm	85	2
1989	35.7 °C6 August 1989	-12.3 °C25 December 1989	18.8 °C	1,416 mm	62	12
1988	34.2 °C15 July 1988	-4.1 °C13 December 1988	18.0 °C	1,087 mm	62	15
1987	35.5 °C23 August 1987	-1.5 °C27 January 1987	18.6 °C	1,403 mm	72	3
1986	37.9 °C19 July 1986	-9.3 °C28 January 1986	19.6 °C	1,154 mm	89	8
1985	36.7 °C2 June 1985	-11.9 °C21 January 1985	19.1 °C	1,109 mm	65	21
1984	35.3 °C20 June 1984	-4.4 °C22 January 1984	18.7 °C	1,092 mm	50	12
1983	36.0 °C24 July 1983	-9.9 °C25 December 1983	18.1 °C	1,504 mm	51	9
1982	34.0 °C4 July 1982	-9.7 °C11 January 1982	18.9 °C	1,304 mm	48	10
1981	36.2 °C15 June 1981	-7.4 °C13 January 1981	18.0 °C	963 mm	66	25
1980	36.3 °C6 July 1980	-5.9 °C2 February 1980	18.4 °C	1,033 mm	81	17
1979	34.5 °C15 July 1979	-4.8 °C3 January 1979	18.3 °C	1,266 mm	48	22
1978	34.6 °C29 June 1978	-5.8 °C7 February 1978	18.4 °C	1,023 mm	68	20
1977	36.6 °C22 July 1977	-7.2 °C17 January 1977	18.5 °C	958 mm	80	32
1976	34.9 °C16 July 1976	-4.6 °C19 January 1976	18.2 °C	1,180 mm	34	12
1975	34.4 °C6 June 1975	-4.5 °C19 December 1975	19.5 °C	1,081 mm	55	6
1974	34.4 °C23 June 1974	-3.4 °C26 February 1974	19.1 °C	1,068 mm	41	4
1973	33.2 °C29 July 1973	-5.9 °C12 February 1973	18.9 °C	1,201 mm	53	15
1972	33.9 °C3 August 1972	-5.9 °C16 January 1972	18.7 °C	962 mm	52	8
1971	35.7 °C15 June 1971	-5.6 °C20 January 1971	18.9 °C	1,251 mm	58	12
1970	35.3 °C19 June 1970	-9.4 °C9 January 1970	18.5 °C	1,031 mm	71	19
1969	34.4 °C13 July 1969	-3.4 °C6 January 1969	17.8 °C	1,013 mm	45	14
1968	36.1 °C28 July 1968	-3.9 °C8 January 1968	17.8 °C	1,151 mm	63	26
1967	33.2 °C18 April 1967	-7.1 °C26 February 1967	18.3 °C	979 mm	41	4
1966	33.1 °C22 August 1966	-9.0 °C30 January 1966	17.9 °C	1,168 mm	42	15
1965	33.1 °C27 August 1965	-3.9 °C19 January 1965	18.5 °C	978 mm	42	11
1964	35.3 °C16 June 1964	-4.5 °C14 January 1964	18.6 °C	1,546 mm	51	10
1963	35.2 °C14 June 1963	-5.5 °C19 December 1963	18.0 °C	960 mm	64	20
1962	34.6 °C26 May 1962	-11.0 °C13 December 1962	18.3 °C	1,078 mm	59	14
1961	35.2 °C30 July 1961	-6.3 °C22 January 1961	18.4 °C	971 mm	48	11
1960	33.8 °C2 July 1960	-5.6 °C14 December 1960	18.0 °C	1,091 mm	62	26
1959	36.7 °C29 June 1959	-6.4 °C17 January 1959	19.0 °C	1,348 mm	53	15
1958	34.7 °C14 June 1958	-7.9 °C18 February 1958	17.8 °C	1,079 mm	62	25
1957	34.0 °C12 August 1957	-6.5 °C12 December 1957	19.2 °C	1,309 mm	57	7
1956	34.5 °C6 August 1956	-2.1 °C9 January 1956	18.9 °C	799 mm	69	7
1955	33.9 °C5 June 1955	-5.4 °C13 February 1955	18.8 °C	869 mm	63	14
1954	38.5 °C17 August 1954	-4.0 °C7 December 1954	19.0 °C	646 mm	90	9
1953	34.7 °C26 May 1953	-4.5 °C18 December 1953	19.1 °C	1,275 mm	50	5
1952	38.5 °C26 June 1952	-2.4 °C16 December 1952	19.0 °C	1,035 mm	66	5
1951	35.9 °C13 July 1951	-4.3 °C4 February 1951	18.9 °C	897 mm	77	13
1950	36.6 °C27 June 1950	-6.8 °C25 November 1950	19.0 °C	1,053 mm	54	10
1949	36.0 °C28 July 1949	-0.4 °C1 January 1949	19.7 °C	1,260 mm	55	1
1948	35.9 °C25 June 1948	-6.4 °C15 January 1948	19.2 °C	1,652 mm	58	10
1947	34.5 °C4 August 1947	-4.1 °C5 February 1947	18.4 °C	1,467 mm	31	10
1946	33.6 °C20 June 1946	-0.6 °C2 January 1946	19.2 °C	1,070 mm	30	1
1945	33.4 °C10 September 1945	-2.6 °C17 December 1945	19.3 °C	1,673 mm	47	5
1944	38.0 °C23 June 1944	-0.5 °C15 December 1944	19.4 °C	1,351 mm	45	2
1943	36.0 °C5 June 1943	-2.2 °C15 February 1943	19.0 °C	1,153 mm	45	7
1942	37.5 °C19 July 1942	-2.3 °C11 January 1942	19.4 °C	828 mm	56	2
1941	35.7 °C10 June 1941	0.1 °C1 March 1941	19.2 °C	926 mm	56	0
1940	35.5 °C26 July 1940	-4.1 °C3 February 1940	18.4 °C	1,137 mm	31	9

Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.

A specific year

Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?

Year

Across the whole year

Average daily high

23.4 °C

+0.2 °C

Hot days (≥ 30 °C)

74 d/yr

+13

Frost days (< 0 °C)

17 d/yr

Annual rainfall

1270 mm

+110 mm

Month by month

	High	vs. normal	Precipitation	vs. normal
Jan	11.5 °C	-3.3 °C	53 mm	-27 mm
Feb	18.1 °C	+1.9 °C	33 mm	-49 mm
Mar	20.3 °C	+1.1 °C	125 mm	+35 mm
Apr	24.2 °C	+1.3 °C	22 mm	-45 mm
May	28.0 °C	+1.4 °C	122 mm	+49 mm
Jun	30.5 °C	+1.0 °C	141 mm	+21 mm
Jul	31.5 °C	+0.9 °C	195 mm	+50 mm
Aug	29.4 °C	-0.7 °C	268 mm	+112 mm
Sep	28.2 °C	+0.1 °C	63 mm	-63 mm
Oct	23.1 °C	-1.1 °C	181 mm	+93 mm
Nov	20.7 °C	+0.9 °C	12 mm	-48 mm
Dec	15.7 °C	-0.3 °C	55 mm	-18 mm

The year's extremes

Hottest day

34.8 °C

27 Jul 2025

Coldest day

-6.0 °C

24 Jan 2025

Wettest day

45.7 mm

10 Mar 2025

Windiest day

46.0 km/h

5 Mar 2025

Strongest gust

86.8 km/h

16 Feb 2025

Hottest feels-like

43.5 °C

28 Jul 2025

Coldest feels-like

-11.7 °C

15 Dec 2025

Snowiest day

9.8 cm

22 Jan 2025

Sunniest day

13.7 h

2 Jun 2025

What was the weather like that day?

Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.

Date

Frequently asked questions

What is the climate of Charleston?

Charleston has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 18.9 °C and it receives 1,160 mm of precipitation per year.

What is the hottest day ever recorded in Charleston?

The hottest day measured in Charleston between 1940 and 2025 was 26 June 1952, reaching 38.5 °C.

What is the coldest day in Charleston?

The coldest day measured in Charleston between 1940 and 2025 was 5 January 2018, at -12.8 °C.

Does it snow in Charleston?

Almost never: Charleston sees virtually no snow, with about 11 frost days per year.

Has the climate of Charleston warmed?

Yes: Charleston warmed by +0.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.

What is the wettest day in Charleston?

The wettest day measured in Charleston between 1940 and 2025 was 5 September 2019, with 246 mm of rain in 24 hours.

What was the windiest day in Charleston?

The windiest day measured in Charleston between 1940 and 2025 was 21 September 1989, with winds reaching 89.3 km/h.

What is the warmest month in Charleston?

The warmest month in Charleston is July (27.0 °C on average); the coldest is January (10.0 °C).

How much does it rain in Charleston?

Charleston receives on average 1,160 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 131 rainy days.

Is it sunny in Charleston?

Charleston gets on average 9.6 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,504 hours per year over 1940-2025.

What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Charleston?

The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Charleston between 1940 and 2025 was 23 December 1989, with 12.7 cm.

Are there tropical nights in Charleston?

Yes: Charleston has on average 133 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.

What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Charleston?

In Charleston, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 45.3 °C on 1 August 1999, and the lowest was -19.0 °C on 21 January 1985.

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