Columbus climate — normals and trends
Columbus (United States) has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 17.4 °C and it receives 1,218 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 (27.2 °C on average) and the coldest is January (6.5 °C). Rainfall peaks in March.
Columbus averages 40 frost days, 103 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 118 rainy days per year.
Columbus has warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.13 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 41.1 °C (on 27 August 1943) and the coldest -19.6 °C (on 12 January 1962).
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
ColumbusMississippi
- coords
- 33.50°, -88.43°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
17.4°C
Average daily high
23.2°C
Average daily low
12.3°C
Annual rainfall
1,218mm
Sunshine / day
9.3h
Mean relative humidity
71%
Average peak wind
13.5km/h
Seasonal range
20.7°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
40 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
103 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
118 d/yr
Annual snowfall
4.0 cm
Average feels-like high
23.8 °C
Average feels-like low
11.6 °C
Average peak gust
32.1 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
100 d/yr
Solar radiation
16.4 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.1 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.21 · p = < 0.001
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
41.1 °C
27 August 1943
Coldest day
-19.6 °C
12 January 1962
Wettest day
156 mm
16 March 1973
Windiest day
55.6 km/h
29 August 2005
Strongest gust
144.4 km/h
29 August 2005
Hottest feels-like
46.0 °C
3 August 2010
Coldest feels-like
-24.9 °C
12 January 1962
Snowiest day
15.4 cm
18 January 1992
Sunniest day
14.0 h
9 June 1940
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?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10.6 °C | -1.1 °C | 109 mm | -16 mm |
| Feb | 17.2 °C | +2.9 °C | 106 mm | -17 mm |
| Mar | 21.5 °C | +2.8 °C | 192 mm | +50 mm |
| Apr | 25.4 °C | +2.0 °C | 121 mm | +2 mm |
| May | 26.5 °C | -1.1 °C | 183 mm | +83 mm |
| Jun | 31.0 °C | -0.5 °C | 103 mm | +25 mm |
| Jul | 34.0 °C | +1.3 °C | 53 mm | -42 mm |
| Aug | 31.9 °C | -0.7 °C | 58 mm | -18 mm |
| Sep | 32.0 °C | +2.2 °C | 26 mm | -51 mm |
| Oct | 25.6 °C | +1.2 °C | 125 mm | +52 mm |
| Nov | 19.8 °C | +1.8 °C | 80 mm | -14 mm |
| Dec | 14.4 °C | +1.1 °C | 57 mm | -60 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Columbus?
Columbus has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 17.4 °C and it receives 1,218 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 27 August 1943, reaching 41.1 °C.
What is the coldest day in Columbus?
The coldest day measured in Columbus between 1940 and 2025 was 12 January 1962, at -19.6 °C.
Does it snow in Columbus?
Yes. Columbus gets on average 4.0 cm of snow per year and has around 40 frost days.
Has the climate of Columbus warmed?
Yes: Columbus warmed by +1.1 °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 16 March 1973, with 156 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Columbus?
The windiest day measured in Columbus between 1940 and 2025 was 29 August 2005, with winds reaching 55.6 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Columbus?
The warmest month in Columbus is July (27.2 °C on average); the coldest is January (6.5 °C).
How much does it rain in Columbus?
Columbus receives on average 1,218 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 118 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Columbus?
Columbus gets on average 9.3 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,395 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 18 January 1992, with 15.4 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Columbus?
Yes: Columbus has on average 100 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 46.0 °C on 3 August 2010, and the lowest was -24.9 °C on 12 January 1962.
Compare Columbus with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Columbus