Columbia, MD Climate


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United States / Maryland / Baltimore-Columbia-Towson Metro Area / Howard County / Columbia / Zip Codes
Columbia, MD has a humid subtropical climate with hot and humid summers and cold winters. Average temperatures range from around 60°F (15°C) in the winter months to around 80°F (27°C) in the summer. Rainfall is generally evenly distributed throughout the year, with an average of 44 inches (112 cm) of precipitation annually. On average, Columbia experiences about 162 sunny days per year, but thunderstorms are relatively common during spring and summer. Snowfall is usually light, and snow accumulations are rarely more than a few inches.

Columbia, Maryland gets 45 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year.

Columbia averages 17 inches of snow per year. The US average is 28 inches of snow per year.

On average, there are 212 sunny days per year in Columbia. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Columbia gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 114 days per year. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground. In order for precipitation to be counted you have to get at least .01 inches on the ground to measure.

Weather Highlights

Summer High: the July high is around 88 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 24
Rain: averages 45 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 17 inches of snow a year

Bestplaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Columbia is 7.3 (10=best), which means it is more comfortable than most places in Maryland.

8.2 Summer - 5.7 Winter
September, June and May are the most pleasant months in Columbia, while January and February are the least comfortable months.

  ClimateColumbia, MarylandUnited States
  45.0 in.38.1 in.
  17.3 in.27.8 in.
  113.9 days106.2 days
  212 days205 days
  87.9°85.8°
  23.9°21.7°
  7.37
  3.94.3
  404 ft.2443 ft.
Climate
YOU SHOULD KNOW

Many people confuse weather and climate but they are different. Weather is the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere is over long periods of time.

Weather is how the atmosphere is behaving and its effects upon life and human activities. Weather can change from minute-to-minute. Most people think of weather in terms of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, visibility, wind, and atmospheric pressure.

Climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a place. Climate can mean the average weather for a particular region and time period taken over 30 years. Climate is the average of weather over time.

July is the hottest month for Columbia with an average high temperature of 87.9°, which ranks it as warmer than most places in Maryland. In Columbia, there are 3 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Columbia are September, May and June.
In Columbia, there are 29.1 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is hotter than most places in Maryland.
January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Columbia with an average of 23.9°. This is colder than most places in Maryland.
In Columbia, there are 99.5 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is colder than most places in Maryland.
In Columbia, there are 0.9 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is colder than most places in Maryland.
The humidity is usually acceptable in Columbia but some summer months can be sticky or muggy. July is the most humid month, though humidity is low for most of the year. July, August and June are the three most uncomfortably humid months in Columbia.
May is the wettest month in Columbia with 4.4 inches of rain, and the driest month is February with 3.1 inches. The wettest season is Summer with 27% of yearly precipitation and 22% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 45.0 inches in Columbia means that it is wetter than most places in Maryland.
May is the rainiest month in Columbia with 11.6 days of rain, and October is the driest month with only 8.3 rainy days. There are 113.9 rainy days annually in Columbia, which is about average compared to other places in Maryland. The rainiest season is Summer when it rains 29% of the time and the driest is Winter with only a 22% chance of a rainy day.
An annual snowfall of 17.3 inches in Columbia means that it is snowier than most places in Maryland. February is the snowiest month in Columbia with 6.2 inches of snow, and 5 months of the year have significant snowfall.
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Honor · Ellicott City, MD
Nice community feel
Over 4 years ago

Lived here for a while, beautiful opportunities, pays well, overall nice  More

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Lei · Troy, NY
Like most things Not Like It Used to Be
Over 4 years ago

Been here 30 years was great at first but once they added a transit bus from baltimore to columbia 15-18 years ago that was the beginning of the end. And about 5 years  More

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Trevor · Columbia, MD
Good parks, great schools, startling inequality
Over 6 years ago

Columbia can be described in one word: unequal. The neighborhood I live in, River Hill, is jam-packed with almost million-dollar homes, while the neighborhoods of Long  More

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