Columbus, Ohio Weather
Thunder quiets the land. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Columbus weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 10:06 AM EDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Light Rain later93%0.92″68°58°—
- TuesdaySep 22Overcast20%—63°57°-5°
- WednesdaySep 23Drizzle51%0.07″60°57°-3°
- ThursdaySep 24Light Drizzle17%0.01″69°55°+9°
- FridaySep 25Overcast——69°51°0°
- SaturdaySep 26Overcast——71°51°+2°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——64°58°-7°
Air quality now AQI 27 · Good
AQI 27 (Good), driven by Ozone. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points).
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 5:03 PM
- Moonset
- 1:52 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder quiets the land
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Columbus at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 63°F (high 68°F, low 58°F), 3°F below the 66°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: April 20 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 6 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — Columbus
- Mon68°58°93%
- Tue63°57°20%
- Wed60°57°51%
- Thu69°55°17%
- Fri69°51°0%
- Sat71°51°1%
- Sun64°58°1%
- Mon72°59°6%
- Tue80°59°16%
- Wed75°63°24%
- Thu75°57°24%
- Fri74°56°17%
- Sat84°57°16%
- Sun71°57°16%
- Mon58°49°19%
- Tue59°43°23%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Columbus
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Columbus — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Fall planting + final harvests
As of September 21, the season's first frost (typically October 24) is approaching. Pick what frost-tender plants still carry before the next cold front. This city's planting calendar for September: plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Columbus
SPC includes Columbus in the general thunderstorm area today — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWNONENo severe risk
- DAY 3NONENo severe risk
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Columbus
Columbus sits in Franklin County, where the year’s longest day runs 15h 1m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 20m — a swing of +5h 41m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Cincinnati, the state’s largest city, lies about 100 miles to the SW. The nearest town Columbus tracks is Dayton, roughly 66 miles to the WSW.
Air quality in Columbus
Air quality in Columbus’s county has trended dirtier since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2020 (median AQI 45). See the full air-quality history for Columbus.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | radishes |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| August | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| September | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| November | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
Columbus peaks at about 75°F in July and bottoms near 27°F in January; May brings the heaviest rain (4.2 inches) and October the least (2.6 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip |
|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 3.1″ |
| February | 30° | 2.9″ |
| March | 40° | 4.0″ |
| April | 52° | 4.1″ |
| May | 61° | 4.2″ |
| June | 70° | 4.0″ |
| July | 75° | 3.4″ |
| August | 74° | 3.2″ |
| September | 68° | 2.6″ |
| October | 56° | 2.6″ |
| November | 42° | 3.0″ |
| December | 32° | 3.7″ |
Regional context
Similar climates Grandview Heights, OH, Bexley, OH, Marble Cliff, OH
Columbus swings from 27°F in January to 75°F in July (48°F) per modelled 1991-2020 normals (EC_Earth3P_HR model via Open-Meteo); precipitation in Columbus runs about 40.7 inches.
Columbus's precipitation spreads evenly across the seasons: May peaks at 4.2 inches, while October holds 2.6 inches — no season dominates Columbus's rain calendar. That even rhythm groups Columbus with places like Grandview Heights, OH, Bexley, OH and Marble Cliff, OH.
Columbus reaches its last hard frost near April 20; that is the cue for kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. Heat-demanding starts go out a fortnight on in Columbus, after the soil warms and cold snaps clear. Frost returns to Columbus near October 24, ending the tender-crop season. That date is a median: Columbus freezes sooner in half of years.
Similar climates: Grandview Heights, OH, Bexley, OH, Marble Cliff, OH, Upper Arlington, OH, Whitehall, OH.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Columbus?
- In Columbus, expect the last spring frost near April 20; Columbus's first autumn frost comes around October 24.
- What is the rainy season in Columbus?
- May is the wettest month in Columbus, about 4.2 inches on average; the year totals roughly 41 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Columbus?
- Columbus peaks in July, when the mean runs near 75°F.
- What is the coldest month in Columbus?
- January is Columbus's coldest month, averaging about 27°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Columbus?
- Hardy spring crops go in near April 20 in Columbus; tender peppers and squash wait 10–14 days.
- What hardiness zone is Columbus?
- Since January in Columbus averages 27°F, Columbus's USDA zone follows that floor — confirm it by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Columbus?
- Columbus's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Columbus?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Columbus in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Columbus?
- Current conditions for Columbus and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Columbus forecast updated?
- The Columbus forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Columbus?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Columbus are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Columbus?
- The next few days in Columbus's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Columbus sits at 40.0°N; its climate zone is humid subtropical (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Columbus
- 43002
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