Fun Facts about the Weather in Charleston SC

The weather in Charleston SC is one of the key reasons people like to live here. The Holy City offers beautiful houses and antebellum mansions, as well as notable landmarks, sprawling parks, and hidden gardens. Fortunately, you can enjoy these gems all year since this coastal city is gifted with great weather too.

Did you know? The first golf club in America was established in Charleston in 1787. Even back then they enjoyed getting outdoors to enjoy the sunny days with the breeze coming in from the Atlantic Ocean. Today there are six golf courses in the city, and another 30 within 20 miles.

So, you want the details about the weather in Charleston of course. The average daily temperature for the city is 65.6 degrees Fahrenheit. The highest ever recorded temperature was 104°F in 1985.

In the summer months, the city averages a high of 88 degrees. In June through August, humidity is high, but you can expect short bursts of localized rain to ease things off.

And how is the winter? Well, the lowest average temperature is 43 degrees — in January. That means Charleston has enough variety in its temperatures to enjoy all four seasons, without any of them getting out of hand. You’re still looking at 67-degree highs in November, and they’re back again by March.

The Weather Means Fun Exploring

This mild weather also means there are many options for eating al fresco. You might enjoy a temperate evening outdoors with friends and family at:

• Bay Street Biergarten
• Uptown Social
• Oyster House
• Edmund’s Oast
• Palmetto Cafe
• Poogan’s Porch
• Tavern & Table

Plus, the weather enables residents to join visitors to Charleston for many annual fun festivities. These include:

• Spoleto Festival — a 17-day celebration of the arts beginning in late May
• Piccolo Spoleto Festival — concurrent with Spoleto but focused on local, regional artists
• MOJA — a Caribbean arts and cultural festival beginning the last weekend in September
• Fashion Week — Marion Square showcases emerging designers in March
• Charleston Food + Wine Festival — the first weekend in March, also at Marion Square
• Lowcountry Oyster Festival — January marks the world’s largest oyster fest, held annually at Boone Hall Plantation
• Charleston International Antiques Show — a three-day event in March
• Fall Tours of Homes & Gardens — five weeks each year when people can see inside some of the city’s oldest addresses
• Family Circle Cup — the longest-running sponsored professional tennis tournament in the United States held in late March/early April

Did you notice several of those events are in March? Yep, that’s because it’s already pleasant in March. No wonder the Northern tourists flock to the city to get away from their long-standing winters.

Things to Do Throughout the Year

Plus, on a regular basis in the summer you can also get out and enjoy the Saturday Charleston Farmers Market at Marion Square.

In the summer months in Charleston, you can enjoy sunlight lingering past 8 p.m. and explore the county’s waterparks. Expect the water to be sun-warmed at the 15-acre Whirlin’ Waters North Charleston Wannamaker County Park or the slides of Splash Zone at James Island County Park. If you visit Splash Island Mt. Pleasant Palmetto Islands County Park, you can also explore lush vegetation and nature trails. There’s also a 50-foot observation tower.

We bet it’s the weather that drew actor Bill Murray to become part-owner and director of fun for the city’s minor league baseball team, the Charleston RiverDogs.

Of course, you won’t want to visit a water park or ballpark during a hurricane. So, we should mention that hurricanes are possible from June through November, though more likely in August and September. But since official records began in 1851 through 2018 only 25 hurricanes have made landfall in the Charleston area.

Here’s another fun fact: after an earthquake devastated Charleston in 1886 all newly constructed buildings had to include earthquake rods. That means when you walk around your beautiful new hometown, you can find metal circles on the outside of historic buildings. Those are the ends of the earthquake rods.

What Else to Enjoy in the Sunshine

The people of Charleston get to enjoy about 230 days of sunshine annually. That means many days of getting out to play golf, enjoy water sports, hike nature trails, garden, or even run across the longest cable-sustained bridge in the United States. The Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge spans the Charleston Harbor, connecting historic Charleston and Mount Pleasant. The annual Cooper River Bridge Run in March sees the bridge closed for a major road race.

All that sunshine is a big draw for visitors too. Charleston’s Union Pier Cruise Ship Passenger Terminal had 80 scheduled round-trip cruise departures in 2017, in addition to 25 port calls by 15 different cruise lines.

The weather has also inspired the architecture in Charleston. When you’re looking for a quality forever home in the city and its environs, you’ll probably step onto a few cool south or west-facing verandas.

Living in Charleston, SC, you can expect to join a community of people who like to get outdoors and enjoy the sun. Even if it is just sipping sweet tea on the stoop, you’ll be able to stare at blue skies and savor time with your family and friends.

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