Charleston climate
Charleston (West Virginia, United States) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 13 °C56 °F, and about 1,128 mm44 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Charleston climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 541 | −425 | 033 | 763.0 | 24 |
| Feb | 744 | −326 | 235 | 843.3 | 22 |
| Mar | 1355 | 134 | 745 | 913.6 | 15 |
| Apr | 1967 | 745 | 1356 | 1014.0 | 4 |
| May | 2475 | 1355 | 1865 | 1184.6 | 0 |
| Jun | 2883 | 1763 | 2373 | 1064.2 | 0 |
| Jul | 3188 | 1967 | 2577 | 1254.9 | 0 |
| Aug | 3189 | 1965 | 2577 | 853.3 | 0 |
| Sep | 2883 | 1558 | 2170 | 843.3 | 0 |
| Oct | 2069 | 847 | 1458 | 893.5 | 1 |
| Nov | 1356 | 235 | 846 | 763.0 | 12 |
| Dec | 745 | −229 | 337 | 943.7 | 22 |
| Year | 3189 | −425 | 1356 | 1,12844 | 100 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 85% | 77% | 1.8 | 9:46 |
| Feb | 84% | 75% | 2.5 | 10:43 |
| Mar | 81% | 69% | 3.6 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 78% | 64% | 4.9 | 13:09 |
| May | 79% | 66% | 5.5 | 14:14 |
| Jun | 76% | 59% | 6.1 | 14:49 |
| Jul | 72% | 60% | 5.8 | 14:35 |
| Aug | 67% | 57% | 5.4 | 13:38 |
| Sep | 67% | 51% | 4.5 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 72% | 58% | 3.2 | 11:07 |
| Nov | 78% | 61% | 2.3 | 10:02 |
| Dec | 85% | 75% | 1.6 | 9:30 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Charleston is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 31 °C88 °F and a low of 19 °C67 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 5 °C41 °F and lows −4 °C25 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 24.6 °C44.4 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,128 mm44 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is July (125 mm4.9 in), the driest is November (76 mm3.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 67% in September to 85% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 51%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 0 km/h (0 mph) in May to 2 km/h (1 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.5 hours in December to 14.8 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 13 cm).
Best time to visit Charleston
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are September and October: average highs of 20 °C69 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 84 mm3.3 in to 89 mm3.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 5 °C41 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Charleston
- Winter (December–February) — highs 541 to 7 °C45 °F, lows −425 to −2 °C29 °F, about 85 mm3.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1355 to 24 °C75 °F, lows 134 to 13 °C55 °F, about 103 mm4.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2883 to 31 °C89 °F, lows 1763 to 19 °C67 °F, about 105 mm4.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1356 to 28 °C83 °F, lows 235 to 15 °C58 °F, about 83 mm3.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Charleston compares
Compared with Meads, about 94 km to the west, Charleston has practically the same average temperature and receives a similar amount of precipitation.
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Charleston is the 129th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 88th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Maykop (Russia, Cfa), Udine (Italy, Cfa) and Kragujevac (Serbia, Cfa).
Nearby places
- Meads 94 km · 13 °C56 °F · 1,093 mm43 in
- Roanoke 191 km · 14 °C56 °F · 1,086 mm43 in
- Columbus 214 km · 11 °C52 °F · 986 mm39 in
- Lexington-Fayette 249 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,231 mm48 in
- Lexington 252 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,231 mm48 in
- Cincinnati 264 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,116 mm44 in
- Dayton 271 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,035 mm41 in
- Pittsburgh 272 km · 11 °C52 °F · 990 mm39 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Charleston?
July is the warmest month in Charleston, with an average high of 31 °C (88 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (67 °F).
What is the coldest month in Charleston?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 5 °C (41 °F) and an average low of -4 °C (25 °F).
When does it rain the most in Charleston?
July is the wettest month with about 125 mm (4.9 in) of precipitation; November is the driest with about 76 mm (3.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Charleston?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are September and October.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 272 m, while Charleston lies at about 182 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.6 °C1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.