Charleston, South Carolina Weather
Camellia Blooms Break Through. Day 50 of autumn. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Charleston weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 4:29 PM EST · Open-Meteo
- TodayNov 10Clear later——78°50°—
- WednesdayNov 11Overcast——79°52°+1°
- ThursdayNov 12Overcast——77°58°-2°
- FridayNov 13Clear——64°52°-13°
- SaturdayNov 14Overcast——59°44°-5°
- SundayNov 15Overcast——59°40°0°
- MondayNov 16Rain12%0.50″58°44°-1°
Air quality now AQI 59 · Moderate
AQI 59 (Moderate), driven by Ozone. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). Ozone at AQI 76 — peak already passed at 1 PM under clear skies. Levels should ease through evening.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 76 — peak already passed at 1 PM under clear skies. Levels should ease through evening.
- Present
- AQI 76
- UV peak
- 0.4 at earlier today
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 76
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 5.7 µg/m³, PM10 at 6.5 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.88
- Wind
- light
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- background
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).
When the wind is in the west, the weather is at its best.
- Moonrise
- 8:14 AM
- Moonset
- 6:09 PM
- In sign
- ♐︎ Sagittarius
Camellia Blooms Break Through
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Charleston at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 64°F (high 78°F, low 50°F), 2°F above the 62°F normal for Nov 10
- Last frost: February 4 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 5 km away)
- Microseason: Nov 6–10
- Planting calendar: November — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — Charleston
- Tue78°50°0%
- Wed79°52°5%
- Thu77°58°2%
- Fri64°52°0%
- Sat59°44°0%
- Sun59°40°0%
- Mon58°44°12%
- Tue53°48°14%
- Wed63°48°7%
- Thu62°43°4%
- Fri67°48°5%
- Sat72°58°10%
- Sun76°66°29%
- Mon71°48°35%
- Tue49°38°26%
- Wed50°34°16%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Charleston
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Charleston — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Late season
As of November 10, the first frost (around December 30) is about 7 weeks away. Frost-tender plants keep producing until then. This city's planting calendar for November: plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
Sun & seasons in Charleston
Charleston sits in Charleston County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 19m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 59m — a swing of +4h 20m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Charleston is the state’s largest city. The nearest town Charleston tracks is Edisto, roughly 71 miles to the NW.
Air quality in Charleston
Air quality in Charleston’s county has held roughly steady since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2020 (median AQI 43). See the full air-quality history for Charleston.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | fall brassicas, carrots |
| February | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| March | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| April | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach |
| May | beans, squash | peas, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| June | beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash |
| July | beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| August | beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| September | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| November | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| December | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
July is Charleston's warmest stretch (~81°F) and January its coldest (~51°F); precipitation crests in August at 6.8 inches and ebbs in April to 2.5 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip |
|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 4.0″ |
| February | 53° | 3.4″ |
| March | 58° | 4.0″ |
| April | 65° | 2.5″ |
| May | 73° | 2.7″ |
| June | 79° | 4.4″ |
| July | 81° | 6.3″ |
| August | 81° | 6.8″ |
| September | 77° | 5.0″ |
| October | 70° | 2.7″ |
| November | 60° | 2.5″ |
| December | 54° | 3.3″ |
Regional context
Similar climates James Island, SC, Hanahan, SC, Sullivan's Island, SC
Charleston's climate, from modelled 1991-2020 normals (EC_Earth3P_HR model via Open-Meteo), pairs 51°F Januarys with 81°F Julys — a 30°F swing. About 47.6 inches of precipitation falls each year.
Charleston gets its most rain in August, 6.8 inches, and its least in April, 2.5 inches, though May through September is wetter overall than November through March. The closest comparisons in South Carolina are places like James Island, SC, Hanahan, SC and Sullivan's Island, SC.
The cool-season window in Charleston starts at February 4, when nights stop freezing — think lettuce, chard, arugula, and mustard greens. Warm-soil crops in Charleston wait about two weeks past Charleston's last frost, once the soil warms. It shuts near December 30, when freezes return to Charleston and tender plants need cover. Sheltered Charleston yards can escape a light frost.
Similar climates: James Island, SC, Hanahan, SC, Sullivan's Island, SC, North Charleston, SC, Mount Pleasant, SC.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Charleston?
- Frost typically leaves Charleston by February 4 and returns to Charleston near December 30.
- What is the rainy season in Charleston?
- Charleston sees its heaviest rain in August (around 6.8 inches), part of roughly 48 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in Charleston?
- Charleston peaks in July, when the mean runs near 81°F.
- What is the coldest month in Charleston?
- January is Charleston's coldest month, averaging about 51°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Charleston?
- Around February 4, start frost-hardy crops in Charleston; tomatoes and basil belong a fortnight later.
- What hardiness zone is Charleston?
- Because Charleston bottoms near 51°F in January, that winter low sets Charleston's USDA zone — verify by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Charleston?
- Charleston'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 Charleston?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Charleston in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Charleston?
- Current conditions for Charleston and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Charleston forecast updated?
- The Charleston forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Charleston?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Charleston 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 Charleston?
- The next few days in Charleston's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Charleston sits at 32.8°N; its climate zone is humid subtropical (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Charleston
- 29401
- 29402
- 29403
- 29405
- 29406
- 29407
- 29409
- 29412
- 29413
- 29414
- 29417
- 29422
- 29424
- 29425
- 29455
- 29457
- 29492