Columbus climate — normals and trends

Q: What is the climate of Columbus?

Columbus has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 12.1 °C and it receives 1,084 mm of precipitation per year.

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

The hottest day measured in Columbus between 1940 and 2025 was 14 July 1954, reaching 39.9 °C.

Q: What is the coldest day in Columbus?

The coldest day measured in Columbus between 1940 and 2025 was 19 January 1994, at -30.3 °C.

Q: Does it snow in Columbus?

Yes. Columbus gets on average 44.9 cm of snow per year and has around 94 frost days.

Q: Has the climate of Columbus warmed?

Yes: Columbus warmed by +1.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.

Q: What is the wettest day in Columbus?

The wettest day measured in Columbus between 1940 and 2025 was 9 March 1964, with 117 mm of rain in 24 hours.

Q: What was the windiest day in Columbus?

The windiest day measured in Columbus between 1940 and 2025 was 2 April 2016, with winds reaching 46.5 km/h.

Q: What is the warmest month in Columbus?

The warmest month in Columbus is July (24.3 °C on average); the coldest is January (-1.4 °C).

Q: How much does it rain in Columbus?

Columbus receives on average 1,084 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 123 rainy days.

Q: Is it sunny in Columbus?

Columbus gets on average 8.8 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,212 hours per year over 1940-2025.

Columbus (United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 12.1 °C and it receives 1,084 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 (24.3 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-1.4 °C). Rainfall peaks in April.

Columbus averages 94 frost days, 41 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 123 rainy days per year.

Columbus has warmed by +1.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.20 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.

The number of frost days there went from about 106 to 82 per year over the period.

The hottest day of the period reached 39.9 °C (on 14 July 1954) and the coldest -30.3 °C (on 19 January 1994).

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

ColumbusIndiana

coords: 39.20°, -85.92°
period: 1940–2025 · 86 yrs

DfaHot-summer humid continentalWarmest monthJulyColdest monthJanuaryWettest monthAprilDriest monthOctober

Mean daily temperature

12.1°C

Average daily high

17.1°C

Average daily low

7.5°C

Annual rainfall

1,084mm

Sunshine / day

8.8h

Mean relative humidity

70%

Average peak wind

16.6km/h

Seasonal range

25.7°C

Frost days (< 0 °C)

94 d/yr

Hot days (≥ 30 °C)

41 d/yr

Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)

123 d/yr

Annual snowfall

44.9 cm

Average feels-like high

15.9 °C

Average feels-like low

5.2 °C

Average peak gust

37.1 km/h

Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)

42 d/yr

Solar radiation

15.1 MJ/m²

Has the climate changed?

One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025

+1.7 °C

since 1940

+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.33 · 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

39.9 °C

14 July 1954

Coldest day

-30.3 °C

19 January 1994

Wettest day

117 mm

9 March 1964

Windiest day

46.5 km/h

2 April 2016

Strongest gust

113.0 km/h

11 January 2020

Hottest feels-like

43.5 °C

29 June 2012

Coldest feels-like

-37.5 °C

20 January 1985

Snowiest day

28.2 cm

19 March 1996

Sunniest day

14.5 h

11 June 2024

Year	Hottest day	Coldest day	Annual mean	Rainfall	Hot days	Frost days
2025	34.6 °C24 June 2025	-24.4 °C15 December 2025	12.8 °C	1,238 mm	54	89
2024	35.7 °C21 June 2024	-17.8 °C15 January 2024	13.9 °C	1,179 mm	48	65
2023	33.8 °C28 July 2023	-9.9 °C1 February 2023	13.8 °C	1,065 mm	34	60
2022	35.8 °C5 July 2022	-22.7 °C23 December 2022	12.7 °C	1,172 mm	41	93
2021	35.2 °C24 August 2021	-16.1 °C17 February 2021	13.4 °C	1,205 mm	48	86
2020	34.0 °C25 August 2020	-13.9 °C14 February 2020	13.2 °C	1,115 mm	45	67
2019	34.6 °C20 July 2019	-20.9 °C30 January 2019	13.0 °C	1,361 mm	60	92
2018	33.9 °C10 July 2018	-21.6 °C2 January 2018	12.8 °C	1,525 mm	58	94
2017	34.0 °C22 July 2017	-17.5 °C27 December 2017	13.6 °C	1,125 mm	40	72
2016	34.0 °C23 June 2016	-19.1 °C13 January 2016	13.5 °C	1,186 mm	54	82
2015	32.8 °C29 July 2015	-25.7 °C20 February 2015	12.7 °C	1,229 mm	28	78
2014	33.9 °C17 June 2014	-24.2 °C7 January 2014	11.2 °C	1,019 mm	34	103
2013	35.1 °C28 August 2013	-20.3 °C12 December 2013	12.0 °C	1,116 mm	41	107
2012	39.5 °C28 June 2012	-10.1 °C20 January 2012	14.3 °C	785 mm	69	74
2011	38.2 °C21 July 2011	-20.3 °C22 January 2011	13.1 °C	1,613 mm	53	80
2010	37.5 °C4 August 2010	-16.6 °C12 February 2010	12.9 °C	845 mm	77	92
2009	32.8 °C25 June 2009	-22.6 °C5 February 2009	12.1 °C	1,051 mm	17	86
2008	33.9 °C23 August 2008	-16.6 °C21 December 2008	12.1 °C	1,207 mm	34	102
2007	37.4 °C9 August 2007	-20.1 °C16 February 2007	13.6 °C	866 mm	78	94
2006	33.9 °C2 August 2006	-15.5 °C19 February 2006	12.9 °C	1,307 mm	31	74
2005	34.6 °C25 July 2005	-16.0 °C18 January 2005	12.7 °C	1,073 mm	48	88
2004	34.0 °C22 July 2004	-27.3 °C31 January 2004	12.5 °C	1,027 mm	25	85
2003	33.0 °C5 July 2003	-19.3 °C27 January 2003	11.6 °C	1,223 mm	20	99
2002	36.1 °C4 July 2002	-14.8 °C4 March 2002	12.9 °C	1,035 mm	64	95
2001	33.0 °C7 August 2001	-16.9 °C3 January 2001	12.9 °C	1,020 mm	36	81
2000	32.6 °C15 August 2000	-20.6 °C23 December 2000	11.9 °C	1,123 mm	20	104
1999	38.5 °C30 July 1999	-25.1 °C5 January 1999	13.0 °C	962 mm	55	86
1998	35.3 °C6 September 1998	-12.2 °C12 March 1998	13.7 °C	1,107 mm	37	65
1997	35.8 °C27 July 1997	-22.1 °C13 January 1997	11.4 °C	1,127 mm	29	93
1996	33.6 °C30 June 1996	-21.0 °C4 February 1996	11.2 °C	1,575 mm	32	105
1995	35.2 °C14 July 1995	-20.5 °C12 February 1995	12.0 °C	1,202 mm	47	102
1994	36.5 °C20 June 1994	-30.3 °C19 January 1994	12.6 °C	891 mm	58	82
1993	34.4 °C28 July 1993	-21.7 °C18 February 1993	11.5 °C	1,374 mm	34	96
1992	32.9 °C10 August 1992	-20.7 °C16 January 1992	11.8 °C	952 mm	11	84
1991	37.6 °C2 August 1991	-15.1 °C16 February 1991	13.4 °C	911 mm	65	90
1990	34.9 °C6 September 1990	-16.1 °C25 December 1990	13.1 °C	1,427 mm	35	73
1989	35.2 °C7 July 1989	-29.1 °C22 December 1989	11.6 °C	1,159 mm	36	101
1988	39.4 °C25 June 1988	-17.8 °C13 February 1988	12.2 °C	1,003 mm	62	101
1987	35.8 °C2 August 1987	-15.7 °C24 January 1987	12.9 °C	851 mm	57	82
1986	35.6 °C25 July 1986	-16.3 °C27 January 1986	12.7 °C	1,118 mm	46	85
1985	34.6 °C14 July 1985	-30.1 °C20 January 1985	11.8 °C	1,193 mm	29	90
1984	35.9 °C10 July 1984	-23.6 °C21 January 1984	12.1 °C	1,143 mm	48	89
1983	39.6 °C22 July 1983	-24.5 °C24 December 1983	12.4 °C	1,200 mm	74	90
1982	33.0 °C6 July 1982	-29.8 °C17 January 1982	11.8 °C	1,264 mm	22	93
1981	33.9 °C13 July 1981	-24.5 °C20 December 1981	11.7 °C	1,095 mm	24	100
1980	39.0 °C15 July 1980	-19.9 °C2 March 1980	11.6 °C	1,146 mm	54	101
1979	32.4 °C8 August 1979	-24.3 °C15 January 1979	10.8 °C	1,348 mm	13	104
1978	37.1 °C27 June 1978	-19.9 °C7 February 1978	10.9 °C	1,034 mm	50	101
1977	34.8 °C19 July 1977	-28.5 °C17 January 1977	11.9 °C	1,187 mm	45	91
1976	35.0 °C14 July 1976	-19.2 °C9 January 1976	11.3 °C	798 mm	28	110
1975	33.1 °C20 June 1975	-15.3 °C10 February 1975	12.4 °C	1,097 mm	46	92
1974	33.9 °C14 July 1974	-17.0 °C25 March 1974	11.9 °C	1,208 mm	23	87
1973	33.9 °C8 August 1973	-19.5 °C22 December 1973	12.9 °C	1,242 mm	45	83
1972	33.4 °C21 July 1972	-25.0 °C16 January 1972	11.1 °C	1,108 mm	22	101
1971	36.6 °C27 June 1971	-20.2 °C2 February 1971	12.1 °C	839 mm	27	93
1970	36.8 °C2 July 1970	-23.5 °C22 January 1970	11.8 °C	919 mm	41	95
1969	35.9 °C5 July 1969	-17.1 °C4 January 1969	11.3 °C	972 mm	32	114
1968	33.3 °C30 June 1968	-23.8 °C8 January 1968	11.5 °C	994 mm	41	100
1967	33.2 °C15 June 1967	-19.7 °C25 February 1967	11.4 °C	1,042 mm	21	93
1966	36.4 °C10 July 1966	-25.2 °C30 January 1966	11.3 °C	850 mm	47	100
1965	36.5 °C24 July 1965	-23.6 °C17 January 1965	12.1 °C	874 mm	28	104
1964	37.8 °C3 August 1964	-16.2 °C18 December 1964	12.2 °C	989 mm	57	103
1963	34.2 °C3 August 1963	-26.6 °C21 December 1963	10.7 °C	820 mm	22	104
1962	37.6 °C20 August 1962	-22.3 °C10 January 1962	11.5 °C	794 mm	45	107
1961	32.9 °C30 June 1961	-20.3 °C28 January 1961	11.5 °C	1,134 mm	37	96
1960	34.8 °C8 September 1960	-24.5 °C23 December 1960	11.1 °C	828 mm	37	116
1959	34.3 °C29 June 1959	-20.9 °C5 January 1959	12.4 °C	1,058 mm	61	103
1958	32.2 °C30 August 1958	-23.8 °C15 December 1958	10.8 °C	949 mm	21	109
1957	33.6 °C30 August 1957	-20.8 °C17 January 1957	12.2 °C	1,284 mm	37	88
1956	35.4 °C5 August 1956	-17.1 °C26 January 1956	12.3 °C	939 mm	30	95
1955	34.7 °C9 September 1955	-19.6 °C29 January 1955	12.3 °C	1,038 mm	53	107
1954	39.9 °C14 July 1954	-15.0 °C12 January 1954	13.0 °C	780 mm	66	91
1953	37.5 °C1 September 1953	-20.7 °C18 December 1953	13.0 °C	752 mm	69	89
1952	36.9 °C28 July 1952	-14.9 °C29 January 1952	12.5 °C	983 mm	61	91
1951	35.2 °C31 August 1951	-28.5 °C2 February 1951	11.4 °C	1,251 mm	35	101
1950	33.1 °C26 June 1950	-18.0 °C25 November 1950	11.2 °C	1,467 mm	13	113
1949	33.8 °C4 July 1949	-16.1 °C30 January 1949	12.6 °C	1,267 mm	33	85
1948	35.8 °C26 August 1948	-21.7 °C28 January 1948	11.7 °C	1,297 mm	36	96
1947	36.7 °C6 August 1947	-17.5 °C5 February 1947	11.0 °C	913 mm	36	118
1946	33.5 °C19 July 1946	-19.2 °C22 January 1946	12.6 °C	1,059 mm	16	79
1945	34.2 °C24 July 1945	-20.1 °C1 February 1945	11.5 °C	1,234 mm	29	96
1944	36.2 °C11 July 1944	-15.0 °C1 January 1944	12.0 °C	828 mm	43	107
1943	36.4 °C1 September 1943	-20.2 °C8 March 1943	10.9 °C	726 mm	40	122
1942	35.3 °C2 August 1942	-19.7 °C8 January 1942	11.1 °C	984 mm	17	113
1941	35.2 °C11 August 1941	-16.3 °C19 February 1941	11.5 °C	887 mm	33	114
1940	35.6 °C29 July 1940	-24.9 °C19 January 1940	10.2 °C	994 mm	36	117

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

17.9 °C

+0.8 °C

Hot days (≥ 30 °C)

54 d/yr

+13

Frost days (< 0 °C)

89 d/yr

-5

Annual rainfall

1238 mm

+154 mm

Month by month

	High	vs. normal	Precipitation	vs. normal
Jan	0.3 °C	-2.5 °C	56 mm	-25 mm
Feb	5.4 °C	+0.2 °C	111 mm	+35 mm
Mar	15.8 °C	+4.8 °C	124 mm	+15 mm
Apr	18.9 °C	+1.3 °C	192 mm	+77 mm
May	21.8 °C	-1.0 °C	108 mm	-6 mm
Jun	28.9 °C	+1.3 °C	121 mm	+21 mm
Jul	30.7 °C	+1.3 °C	202 mm	+110 mm
Aug	27.8 °C	-0.9 °C	37 mm	-43 mm
Sep	27.3 °C	+2.0 °C	78 mm	+4 mm
Oct	20.2 °C	+1.3 °C	81 mm	+9 mm
Nov	11.6 °C	+0.5 °C	70 mm	-19 mm
Dec	5.2 °C	+0.1 °C	60 mm	-24 mm

The year's extremes

Hottest day

34.6 °C

24 Jun 2025

Coldest day

-24.4 °C

15 Dec 2025

Wettest day

57.9 mm

5 Apr 2025

Windiest day

37.0 km/h

2 Apr 2025

Strongest gust

90.4 km/h

2 Apr 2025

Hottest feels-like

39.2 °C

29 Jul 2025

Coldest feels-like

-29.5 °C

15 Dec 2025

Snowiest day

9.3 cm

5 Jan 2025

Sunniest day

14.4 h

11 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 Columbus?

Columbus has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 12.1 °C and it receives 1,084 mm of precipitation per year.

What is the hottest day ever recorded in Columbus?

The hottest day measured in Columbus between 1940 and 2025 was 14 July 1954, reaching 39.9 °C.

What is the coldest day in Columbus?

The coldest day measured in Columbus between 1940 and 2025 was 19 January 1994, at -30.3 °C.

Does it snow in Columbus?

Yes. Columbus gets on average 44.9 cm of snow per year and has around 94 frost days.

Has the climate of Columbus warmed?

Yes: Columbus warmed by +1.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.

What is the wettest day in Columbus?

The wettest day measured in Columbus between 1940 and 2025 was 9 March 1964, with 117 mm of rain in 24 hours.

What was the windiest day in Columbus?

The windiest day measured in Columbus between 1940 and 2025 was 2 April 2016, with winds reaching 46.5 km/h.

What is the warmest month in Columbus?

The warmest month in Columbus is July (24.3 °C on average); the coldest is January (-1.4 °C).

How much does it rain in Columbus?

Columbus receives on average 1,084 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 123 rainy days.

Is it sunny in Columbus?

Columbus gets on average 8.8 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,212 hours per year over 1940-2025.

What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Columbus?

The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Columbus between 1940 and 2025 was 19 March 1996, with 28.2 cm.

Are there tropical nights in Columbus?

Yes: Columbus has on average 42 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.

What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Columbus?

In Columbus, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 43.5 °C on 29 June 2012, and the lowest was -37.5 °C on 20 January 1985.

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