Columbus climate
Columbus (Ohio, United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C52 °F, and about 986 mm39 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Columbus climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 235 | −621 | −228 | 652.6 | 27 |
| Feb | 438 | −622 | −130 | 622.4 | 26 |
| Mar | 1050 | −130 | 440 | 853.4 | 20 |
| Apr | 1763 | 541 | 1152 | 953.7 | 7 |
| May | 2373 | 1152 | 1762 | 1054.1 | 0 |
| Jun | 2780 | 1661 | 2271 | 1034.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 2984 | 1865 | 2475 | 933.7 | 0 |
| Aug | 2985 | 1864 | 2374 | 773.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 2679 | 1356 | 2067 | 773.0 | 0 |
| Oct | 1865 | 744 | 1254 | 773.0 | 2 |
| Nov | 1151 | 033 | 642 | 712.8 | 16 |
| Dec | 440 | −425 | 032 | 742.9 | 25 |
| Year | 2985 | −621 | 1152 | 98639 | 124 |
“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% | 78% | 1.7 | 9:38 |
| Feb | 84% | 73% | 2.5 | 10:38 |
| Mar | 81% | 68% | 3.6 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 77% | 63% | 4.8 | 13:13 |
| May | 78% | 64% | 5.5 | 14:22 |
| Jun | 77% | 55% | 6.1 | 14:59 |
| Jul | 74% | 54% | 5.9 | 14:44 |
| Aug | 70% | 50% | 5.5 | 13:44 |
| Sep | 70% | 46% | 4.5 | 12:24 |
| Oct | 74% | 57% | 3.1 | 11:04 |
| Nov | 79% | 61% | 2.2 | 9:54 |
| Dec | 85% | 76% | 1.5 | 9:21 |
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 Columbus is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 29 °C84 °F and a low of 18 °C65 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 2 °C35 °F and lows −6 °C21 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 26 °C46.9 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 986 mm39 in. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is May (105 mm4.1 in), the driest is February (62 mm2.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 70% in August to 85% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 46%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in August to 13 km/h (8 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 9.3 hours in December to 15.0 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 15 cm).
Best time to visit Columbus
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are September: average highs of 26 °C79 °F to 26 °C79 °F with 77 mm3.0 in to 77 mm3.0 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 2 °C35 °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 Columbus
- Winter (December–February) — highs 235 to 4 °C40 °F, lows −621 to −4 °C25 °F, about 67 mm2.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1050 to 23 °C73 °F, lows −130 to 11 °C52 °F, about 95 mm3.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2780 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 1661 to 18 °C65 °F, about 91 mm3.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1151 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 033 to 13 °C56 °F, about 75 mm3.0 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 Columbus compares
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Columbus is the 168th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 106th 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: Satu Mare (Romania, Dfa), Piteşti (Romania, Dfa) and Zagreb (Croatia, Dfa).
Nearby places
- Dayton 104 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,035 mm41 in
- Cincinnati 160 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,116 mm44 in
- Meads 174 km · 13 °C56 °F · 1,093 mm43 in
- Akron 177 km · 10 °C50 °F · 995 mm39 in
- Toledo 195 km · 10 °C51 °F · 906 mm36 in
- Cleveland 203 km · 11 °C51 °F · 936 mm37 in
- Charleston 214 km · 13 °C56 °F · 1,128 mm44 in
- Fort Wayne 222 km · 10 °C51 °F · 966 mm38 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Columbus?
July is the warmest month in Columbus, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (65 °F).
What is the coldest month in Columbus?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 2 °C (35 °F) and an average low of -6 °C (21 °F).
When does it rain the most in Columbus?
May is the wettest month with about 105 mm (4.1 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 62 mm (2.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Columbus?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are September.
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 292 m, while Columbus lies at about 235 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.4 °C0.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.