active National Weather Service watches, warnings and advisories
Checking the National Weather Service for active alerts covering Charleston…
Charleston weather in numbers
measured normals and 10 years of recorded weather
Charleston swings 44°F across the year, from 87°F highs in July to 43°F lows in January, and August is usually the wettest month in a year that brings about 50 in of precipitation. Over 10 years of recorded weather it averages 172 days a year at 77°F or above, 56 of them at 86°F or above, 5 frost nights, and rain on 137 days.
Warmest month
July
87°F average high
Coldest month
January
43°F average low
Wettest month
August
50 in a year
Comfortable
4 months
February, March, April and October
Residents
133,000
share this forecast
Most accurate here
European
94/100 CheckWeather Score
Warm days
172 days
a year at 77°F or above
Frost nights
5 nights
a year below 32°F
Rain days
137 days
a year with 0.04 in or more
Day counts are from the ERA5 reanalysis for Charleston’s grid square, 2016 to 2025, counted the same way for every city so the numbers compare. A reanalysis square is an area, not a weather station, so it is good for counting days and not for a single day’s record.
The weather map: all three models at once
NWS, American, European side by side around Charleston and nearby towns.Live rain radar →
Loading the three model maps…
Charleston hourly forecast: next 14 hours
consensus of the three models
Rain in the next 24 hours, model by model
each model's own hourly precipitation, side by side
Loading the three models…
Charleston 10-day forecast, out to 14 days
where the models agree, and where they split
Today
Mostly clear
72°56°
models agree
Tomorrow
Partly cloudy
73°57°
models agree
Mon
Clear
72°56°
models agree
Tue
Clear
73°54°
models agree
Wed
Cloudy
72°56°
models agree
Thu
Cloudy
73°59°
±5°
Fri
Mostly clear
75°58°
models agree
Sat
Cloudy
75°60°
models agree
Sun
Cloudy
73°62°
±8°
Mon
Cloudy
74°62°
±8°
Tue
Light drizzle
73°60°
±7°
Wed
Partly cloudy
70°55°
±4°
Thu
Cloudy
73°56°
models agree
Charleston, South Carolina (SC) is at its warmest in Jul (average highs near 87°F) and coldest in Jan (lows around 43°F), with roughly 50 in of precipitation across the year. Below, compare what NWS, American, European forecast for Charleston right now, and see exactly where they disagree.
average daytime high and overnight low across a typical year (1991-2020)
Jan
57°
43°
Feb
60°
45°
Mar
65°
51°
Apr
71°
57°
May
79°
66°
Jun
83°
71°
Jul
87°
76°
Aug
86°
75°
Sep
82°
70°
Oct
76°
61°
Nov
65°
52°
Dec
60°
47°
Source: 1991-2020 averages, ERA5 for this place adjusted with NASA POWER.
How Charleston's weather has changed since 1995
30 years of daily data, 1995-2024, shown as change
+1.2°F
Around Charleston, 2015-2024 averaged 1.2°F warmer than 1995-2004. 6 of the 10 warmest years since 1995 fall in the last ten, and the warmest was 2019.
1995each stripe is one year2024
cooler than averagearound averagewarmer than average
Days above 95°F
2 fewer days a year
2015-2024 against 1995-2004. Within the normal year-to-year swing
Frost nights
6 fewer nights a year
2015-2024 against 1995-2004, below 32°F. Within the normal year-to-year swing
Average wind
−4%
2015-2024 against 1995-2004
Bars: each year against the area's 30-year average. Dashed lines: the average of the first and the last ten years.
See the numbers year by year
Year
Temp vs average
Days >95°F vs avg
Frost nights vs avg
Wind vs avg
1995
−1.2°F
−4
+9
+2%
1996
−1.6°F
−2
+11
+5%
1997
−1.1°F
−10
−3
+2%
1998
+1.3°F
+14
−9
+2%
1999
−0.2°F
+9
−1
+5%
2000
−1.2°F
+6
+14
+2%
2001
+0.6°F
−5
−3
+2%
2002
+0.9°F
+10
+1
+2%
2003
−1.1°F
−12
−2
−2%
2004
−0.3°F
+2
+4
+5%
2005
−0.5°F
−5
−3
+2%
2006
+0.4°F
+6
−9
+2%
2007
+0.9°F
+9
−6
−2%
2008
−0.9°F
−1
+1
+2%
2009
−0.9°F
−7
+5
−2%
2010
−1.8°F
+3
+29
−2%
2011
+0.6°F
+14
−3
+2%
2012
+0.6°F
−3
−8
−2%
2013
−1.2°F
−12
−6
−2%
2014
−1.4°F
−7
+8
−5%
2015
+0.7°F
+7
+4
−2%
2016
+0.4°F
+5
+0
−2%
2017
+1.1°F
−11
−6
−2%
2018
+0.6°F
−3
+6
+2%
2019
+1.5°F
+11
−8
−2%
2020
+1.1°F
−3
−8
−2%
2021
+0.2°F
−12
−10
−5%
2022
+0.6°F
−3
+0
−2%
2023
+1.3°F
−3
−12
−5%
2024
+1.1°F
+2
−4
+2%
Source: NASA POWER daily data from the MERRA-2 reanalysis, 1995-2024. Each value describes a grid square of about 50 km around Charleston, not a weather station, and a square that takes in sea or a large lake runs milder than the city itself. That is why this section shows change against the square's own 30-year average rather than counts you could compare with a local station. Rain and snow are left out because their long-term record in this dataset is not consistent over time. "Within the normal year-to-year swing" means the change is smaller than the usual differences between single years.
Which forecast is most accurate in Charleston?
CheckWeather Score, graded against the weather that actually happened
Provider
CheckWeather-score
Temp
Wind
Rain
Run by
European ★ Best
94
/100rank #1
92±0.8°F
94±1.7 mph
9597% hit
ECMWF - European Centre for Medium-Range Weather ForecastsReading, United Kingdom
American
77
/100rank #2
86±1.4°F
96±1.3 mph
5374% hit
NOAA / NCEP (United States)College Park, Maryland, USA
The accuracy above is the measured record. This is your opinion: which forecast service do you trust most in United States? Give each 1 to 5 stars.
NWSNational Blend (NBM)
Loading ratings…
AmericanNOAA GFS
Loading ratings…
EuropeanECMWF
Loading ratings…
One vote per service. Anonymous: we store no personal data, only a one-way hash of your connection for a day to stop double votes.
Where the models disagree
temperature and rain, judged separately
Day
Temperature
Rain
Today
±1°72° to 73°
±1%1% to 2% chance
Tomorrow
±2°72° to 74°
models agree0% to 0% chance
Mon
±3°72° to 74°
models agree0% to 0% chance
Tue
±3°72° to 75°
models agree0% to 0% chance
Wed
±4°71° to 75°
±3%5% to 8% chance
The models often agree on temperature and still split on rain, and rain is usually what decides whether a plan survives. A wide rain range means the shower is genuinely uncertain, not that the forecast is wrong.
Sunrise and sunset in Charleston
today, local time
Sunrise
07:30
Sunset
18:36
Daylight
11h 6m
Common questions
What's the weather in Charleston today?
Saturday, October 24: NWS, the American and the European model agree on a high near 72° in Charleston today. Tomorrow: partly cloudy, around 73°, with a 0% chance of rain. The forecast on this page refreshes live.
Will it rain in Charleston today or tomorrow?
Rain looks unlikely in Charleston on Sunday, October 25: no model gives more than 0% (NWS 0%, American 0%, European 0%). On Saturday, October 24 the highest chance of rain from any model is 2%. The hourly strip and the model-by-model rain panel above update live.
Which forecast is most accurate for Charleston?
Over the last 30 days, the European model has been the most accurate for Charleston (CheckWeather Score 94/100), ahead of the American at 77. We grade every model against the recorded weather. See the US accuracy scoreboard for the full method.
What is the warmest month in Charleston?
July is typically the warmest month in Charleston, with average highs around 87°F.
How cold does Charleston get?
The coldest month in Charleston is January, when overnight lows average about 43°F.
How much rain does Charleston get?
Charleston sees roughly 50 in of precipitation a year, with August usually the wettest month.
Is Charleston getting warmer?
Yes. In NASA's reanalysis for the area around Charleston, 2015-2024 averaged 1.2°F warmer than 1995-2004.