Charleston, SC Climate


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United States / South Carolina / Charleston-North Charleston Metro Area / Charleston County / Charleston / Zip Codes
Charleston, SC, has a humid subtropical climate with hot and humid summers and mild winters. The average temperature in the summer is around 77 °F (25 °C), while in the winter it ranges between 43–57 °F (6–14 °C). The city experiences frequent thunderstorms and occasional hurricanes during hurricane season from June to November. It gets an average of 48 inches of rain annually, most of which falls from April-September. Charleston also receives an average of 205 days of sunshine throughout the year.

Charleston, South Carolina gets 48 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year.

Charleston averages 0 inches of snow per year. The US average is 28 inches of snow per year.

On average, there are 209 sunny days per year in Charleston. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Charleston gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 106 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 90 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 39
Rain: averages 48 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 0 inches of snow a year

Bestplaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Charleston is 7.2 (10=best), which means it is less comfortable than most places in South Carolina.

4.1 Summer - 7.8 Winter
October, April and May are the most pleasant months in Charleston, while July and August are the least comfortable months.

  ClimateCharleston, South CarolinaUnited States
  48.3 in.38.1 in.
  0.4 in.27.8 in.
  105.9 days106.2 days
  209 days205 days
  89.9°85.8°
  39.3°21.7°
  7.27
  5.14.3
  10 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 Charleston with an average high temperature of 89.9°, which ranks it as cooler than most places in South Carolina. In Charleston, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Charleston are October, May and April.
In Charleston, there are 41.1 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is cooler than most places in South Carolina.
January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Charleston with an average of 39.3°. This is one of the warmest places in South Carolina.
In Charleston, there are 17.5 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is one of the warmest places in South Carolina.
In Charleston, there are 0.0 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is about average compared to other places in South Carolina.
Humidity in Charleston can be stifling in the summer, but pleasant for most of the year. The most uncomfortably humid months are July, August and June. The humid season runs from May-September and the least humid months are October-April.
August is the wettest month in Charleston with 6.7 inches of rain, and the driest month is May with 2.5 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 36% of yearly precipitation and 19% occurs in Summer, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 48.3 inches in Charleston means that it is wetter than most places in South Carolina.
August is the rainiest month in Charleston with 11.7 days of rain, and May is the driest month with only 6.8 rainy days. There are 105.9 rainy days annually in Charleston, which is rainier than most places in South Carolina. The rainiest season is Autumn when it rains 32% of the time and the driest is Summer with only a 21% chance of a rainy day.
An annual snowfall of 0.4 inches in Charleston means that it is less snowy than most places in South Carolina. December is the snowiest month in Charleston with 0.2 inches of snow, and no months of the year have significant snowfall.
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Robin · Charleston, SC
Fabulous
Over 1 years ago

Charleston is beautiful and unique and incredibly special. If you don't believe me, just ask Anthony Bourdain in his Parts Unknown episode - and he was an insightful  More

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Carmen · Upper East Side, NY
Frightening rate of medical malpractice.
Over 3 years ago

Serious lack of health care and "good old boys club" whereby doctors will not even see the patient but diagnose them based on referring doctor. My sister died there for  More

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fran · Isle of Palms, SC
Paradise lost!
Over 4 years ago

Boy, has this once beautiful town changed...for the worse! I initially moved here 20 years ago because the people were so nice, no traffic, great choice of hospitals,  More

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