Charleston, West Virginia Weather
Day 93 of summer. Read today’s microseason across nine climate regions →
Charleston weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 12:30 AM EDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Light Showers later47%0.07″84°70°—
- TuesdaySep 22Heavy Rain49%0.47″73°67°-11°
- WednesdaySep 23Showers61%0.01″67°59°-6°
- ThursdaySep 24Light Drizzle57%0.01″69°57°+2°
- FridaySep 25Mostly Clear——73°50°+4°
- SaturdaySep 26Overcast——71°44°-2°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——73°47°+2°
Air quality now AQI 53 · Moderate
AQI 53 (Moderate), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 11.6 µg/m³ (AQI 56) with a 0.98 fine-to-coarse ratio and 3 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
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 34. Overcast through the UV peak window (cloud cover ~64%) — afternoon ozone should stay flat.
- Present
- AQI 34
- UV peak
- 3.3 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- overcast
- Projected peak
- AQI 8
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 11.6 µg/m³ (AQI 56) with a 0.98 fine-to-coarse ratio and 3 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.98
- Wind
- calm
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
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
- 4:54 PM
- Moonset
- 1:52 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Charleston at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 77°F (high 84°F, low 70°F), 11°F above the 66°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: April 16 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 5 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
15-Day Forecast — Charleston
- Mon84°70°47%
- Tue73°67°49%
- Wed67°59°61%
- Thu69°57°57%
- Fri73°50°6%
- Sat71°44°2%
- Sun73°47°1%
- Mon79°52°3%
- Tue82°55°10%
- Wed84°57°15%
- Thu87°61°17%
- Fri90°63°14%
- Sat86°63°16%
- Sun82°67°32%
- Mon66°47°22%
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
Fall planting + final harvests
As of September 21, the season's first frost (typically October 26) 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 — Charleston
SPC has placed Charleston in the Marginal Risk category for severe thunderstorms tomorrow.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWMRGLMarginal Risk
- DAY 3NONENo severe risk
Isolated severe storms possible. Limited threat for hail or damaging wind.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Charleston
Charleston sits in Kanawha County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 50m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 29m — a swing of +5h 21m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Huntington, the state’s largest city, lies about 44 miles to the W. The nearest town Charleston tracks is Huntington, roughly 44 miles to the W.
Air quality in Charleston
Air quality in Charleston’s county has held roughly steady since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2025 (median AQI 39). See the full air-quality history for Charleston.
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, beans, summer squash |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, tomatoes, peppers, 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
In Charleston, July runs warmest near 76°F and January coldest around 35°F, while July is the wettest month (5.4 inches) and October the driest (2.9 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 3.3″ | 15 |
| February | 38° | 3.4″ | 14 |
| March | 46° | 4.1″ | 15 |
| April | 57° | 3.6″ | 13 |
| May | 65° | 4.9″ | 14 |
| June | 72° | 4.7″ | 13 |
| July | 76° | 5.4″ | 13 |
| August | 75° | 3.8″ | 11 |
| September | 68° | 3.5″ | 9 |
| October | 57° | 2.9″ | 10 |
| November | 46° | 3.2″ | 11 |
| December | 39° | 3.6″ | 14 |
Regional context
Similar climates South Charleston, WV, Malden, WV, Dunbar, WV
Charleston's climate, from NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 station normals, pairs 35°F Januarys with 76°F Julys — a 41°F swing. About 46.2 inches of precipitation falls over roughly 151 days a year.
No season owns Charleston's rain: July reaches 5.4 inches across 12.8 days and October keeps 2.9 inches on 10.1, an even spread through Charleston's year. That even rhythm groups Charleston with places like South Charleston, WV, Malden, WV and Dunbar, WV.
The cool-season window in Charleston starts at April 16, when nights stop freezing — think peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes. Warm-soil crops in Charleston wait about two weeks past Charleston's last frost, once the soil warms. It shuts near October 26, when freezes return to Charleston and tender plants need cover. Sheltered Charleston yards can escape a light frost.
Similar climates: South Charleston, WV, Malden, WV, Dunbar, WV, Rand, WV, Coal Fork, WV.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Charleston?
- In Charleston, expect the last spring frost near April 16; Charleston's first autumn frost comes around October 26.
- What is the rainy season in Charleston?
- Charleston sees its heaviest rain in July (around 5.4 inches), part of roughly 46 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in Charleston?
- The warmest stretch in Charleston comes in July, around 76°F on average.
- What is the coldest month in Charleston?
- On average January is the chilliest month in Charleston, about 35°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Charleston?
- Frost-hardy sowings begin at April 16 in Charleston; warm-season starts follow two weeks on.
- How many rainy days does Charleston get?
- Charleston averages about 151 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
- What hardiness zone is Charleston?
- Charleston's USDA zone comes from its January mean (35°F); enter the ZIP on the USDA lookup for the number.
- 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 38.3°N; its climate zone is warm-summer humid continental (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Charleston
- 25301
- 25302
- 25303
- 25304
- 25305
- 25306
- 25311
- 25312
- 25313
- 25314
- 25315
- 25317
- 25320
- 25321
- 25322
- 25323
- 25324
- 25325
- 25326
- 25327
- 25328
- 25329
- 25330
- 25331
- 25332
- 25333
- 25334
- 25335
- 25336
- 25337
- 25338
- 25339
- 25350
- 25364
- 25375
- 25387
- 25392
- 25396