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Columbia weather in numbers
measured normals and 10 years of recorded weather
Columbia swings 55°F across the year, from 91°F highs in July to 36°F lows in January, and July is usually the wettest month in a year that brings about 43 in of precipitation. Over 10 years of recorded weather it averages 187 days a year at 77°F or above, 102 of them at 86°F or above, 21 frost nights, and rain on 121 days.
Warmest month
July
91°F average high
Coldest month
January
36°F average low
Wettest month
July
43 in a year
Comfortable
4 months
March, April, October and November
Residents
142,000
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Most accurate here
European
98/100 CheckWeather Score
Warm days
187 days
a year at 77°F or above
Frost nights
21 nights
a year below 32°F
Rain days
121 days
a year with 0.04 in or more
Day counts are from the ERA5 reanalysis for Columbia’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 Columbia and nearby towns.Live rain radar →
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Columbia 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
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Columbia 10-day forecast, out to 14 days
where the models agree, and where they split
Today
Clear
70°50°
models agree
Tomorrow
Partly cloudy
72°51°
models agree
Mon
Clear
72°49°
models agree
Tue
Clear
75°47°
models agree
Wed
Cloudy
73°50°
models agree
Thu
Cloudy
74°54°
models agree
Fri
Mostly clear
78°52°
models agree
Sat
Cloudy
77°55°
models agree
Sun
Cloudy
75°55°
models agree
Mon
Drizzle
70°57°
±14°
Tue
Light drizzle
71°55°
models agree
Wed
Cloudy
71°52°
models agree
Thu
Cloudy
75°51°
models agree
Columbia, South Carolina (SC) is at its warmest in Jul (average highs near 91°F) and coldest in Jan (lows around 36°F), with roughly 43 in of precipitation across the year. Below, compare what NWS, American, European forecast for Columbia right now, and see exactly where they disagree.
average daytime high and overnight low across a typical year (1991-2020)
Jan
54°
36°
Feb
59°
38°
Mar
66°
45°
Apr
75°
53°
May
82°
62°
Jun
88°
67°
Jul
91°
73°
Aug
89°
71°
Sep
82°
66°
Oct
74°
54°
Nov
63°
45°
Dec
57°
39°
Source: 1991-2020 averages, ERA5 for this place adjusted with NASA POWER.
How Columbia's weather has changed since 1995
30 years of daily data, 1995-2024, shown as change
+1.8°F
Around Columbia, 2015-2024 averaged 1.8°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
3 more days a year
2015-2024 against 1995-2004. Within the normal year-to-year swing
Frost nights
14 fewer nights a year
2015-2024 against 1995-2004, below 32°F
Average wind
−3%
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
−1.9°F
−13
+19
+1%
1996
−2.4°F
−8
+25
+4%
1997
−1.7°F
−13
−3
+1%
1998
+0.8°F
+11
−13
+1%
1999
+0.1°F
+13
−2
+4%
2000
−1.5°F
+10
+14
+1%
2001
+0.3°F
−9
−5
+1%
2002
+1.0°F
+20
+1
+1%
2003
−1.7°F
−26
+5
+1%
2004
−0.1°F
−6
+10
+4%
2005
−0.6°F
−14
+8
+1%
2006
+0.3°F
+8
−10
+1%
2007
+1.2°F
+14
−4
−3%
2008
−0.8°F
+3
+6
+4%
2009
−1.1°F
−8
+8
+1%
2010
−1.3°F
+11
+33
−3%
2011
+0.8°F
+21
−6
+1%
2012
+1.2°F
−7
−14
−3%
2013
−1.9°F
−26
+8
+1%
2014
−1.7°F
−4
+9
−3%
2015
+1.0°F
+13
+7
−3%
2016
+0.7°F
+16
−6
+1%
2017
+1.6°F
−11
−13
−3%
2018
+0.7°F
−5
+1
+1%
2019
+2.3°F
+31
−14
−3%
2020
+1.0°F
−1
−16
+1%
2021
+0.7°F
−20
−14
−3%
2022
+0.7°F
+0
−1
+1%
2023
+1.0°F
−12
−21
−3%
2024
+1.4°F
−1
−10
+1%
Source: NASA POWER daily data from the MERRA-2 reanalysis, 1995-2024. Each value describes a grid square of about 50 km around Columbia, 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 Columbia?
CheckWeather Score, graded against the weather that actually happened
Provider
CheckWeather-score
Temp
Wind
Rain
Run by
European ★ Best
98
/100rank #1
97±0.3°F
98±0.7 mph
100100% hit
ECMWF - European Centre for Medium-Range Weather ForecastsReading, United Kingdom
American
80
/100rank #2
84±1.6°F
96±1.4 mph
6581% 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)
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EuropeanECMWF
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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
±2°70° to 72°
models agree0% to 0% chance
Tomorrow
models agree72° to 72°
models agree0% to 0% chance
Mon
±3°70° to 73°
models agree0% to 0% chance
Tue
±2°74° to 76°
models agree0% to 0% chance
Wed
±4°71° to 75°
±1%1% to 2% 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 Columbia
today, local time
Sunrise
07:36
Sunset
18:39
Daylight
11h 3m
Common questions
What's the weather in Columbia today?
Saturday, October 24: NWS, the American and the European model agree on a high near 70° in Columbia today. Tomorrow: partly cloudy, around 72°, with a 0% chance of rain. The forecast on this page refreshes live.
Will it rain in Columbia today or tomorrow?
Rain looks unlikely in Columbia 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 0%. The hourly strip and the model-by-model rain panel above update live.
Which forecast is most accurate for Columbia?
Over the last 30 days, the European model has been the most accurate for Columbia (CheckWeather Score 98/100), ahead of the American at 80. We grade every model against the recorded weather. See the US accuracy scoreboard for the full method.
What is the warmest month in Columbia?
July is typically the warmest month in Columbia, with average highs around 91°F.
How cold does Columbia get?
The coldest month in Columbia is January, when overnight lows average about 36°F.
How much rain does Columbia get?
Columbia sees roughly 43 in of precipitation a year, with July usually the wettest month.
Is Columbia getting warmer?
Yes. In NASA's reanalysis for the area around Columbia, 2015-2024 averaged 1.8°F warmer than 1995-2004.