The climate of South Carolina (United
States of America)
The state of South Carolina is located in the southeastern part of the
United States on the Atlantic Ocean. South Carolina can be divided
into four regions. The southeastern part of the state is part of the
Atlantic Coastal Plain. Further into the interior the Sandhills can be
found, ancient dunes from what used to be South Carolina’s coastline.
In the northwestern part of the state Piedmont can be found. This is a
plateau which mainly consists of green, rolling hills. The most
northwestern part of the state consists of mountains and is part of
the Blue Ridge Mountains. According to the Köppen climate
classification South Carolina has a warm maritime climate, type Cfa.
The highest mountain in the state is Sassafras Mountain with an
altitude of 1,090 meters. Because of this there are no big differences
in temperatures. Contrasts in temperatures and the weather are biggest
during the winter when it may get cold in the interior while
temperatures along the coast remain above freezing point.
Summers in South Carolina are warm with average
temperatures of 29-33 degrees Celsius (84-92 degrees Fahrenheit) in
June, July and August. During the summer nighttime temperatures are
about 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). In the city it may
be even warmer because the streets and concrete buildings radiate
warmth. Spring and fall are fairly warm as well. In March and November
average maximum temperatures are around 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees
Fahrenheit). In April and October temperatures are even around 25
degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit). South Carolina is a sunny
state with 2,700 to more than 3,000 hours of annual sunshine. May June
and July are the sunniest months, January and February get the least
amount of sunshine. This is mainly caused by the fact that days are
shorter during the winter. However, with 6 hours of sunshine per day
out of a possible 9-10 hours of daily sunshine winters are still
fairly sunny.
Precipitation is quite evenly spread out over the
year. The state gets 1,100-1,300 millimeters of annual precipitation
divided over 110 days with precipitation. Most precipitation can be
recorded during the summer. This is because of a higher chance of
thunderstorms which cause high precipitation figures. From June till
December there is a risk of tropical storms and depressions. These
storms may cause hurricanes in South Carolina as well. These storms
may cause a lot of damage because of fierce winds and a lot of
precipitation within a short period of time.
Climate information of places in South Carolina
The climate information given on this page is only brief. Specific
information on weather and climate can be found on the pages per
region or city. The following climate information is available for
South Carolina:
Climate information
Throughout South Carolina several climate figures and temperatures can
be recorded. The figures below are for Columbia and cannot be seen as
an average for this state. For climate figures for other places and
regions in South Carolina please, visit the individual climate pages.
More climate information
Climate tables are useful but they don’t give an overall picture of
the climate and possible weather conditions during a period of time.
How high the chances are of hot or cold weather or hurricanes can
often not be found in these tables. This is why we offer extra climate
information per month. The figures below apply to Columbia. For
climate figures on specific regions and places please, visit the
relevant individual climate pages.
Disclaimer
The information at this site was carefully composed from climate data collected by meteorological services, meteorological offices, climate experts and other sources. “More climate info” is based on statistics, climate data and personal experience. No rights can be derived from this site. Weather has no memory and gives no guaranties. Nothing is as changeable and unpredictable as the weather. The authors of this site feel in no way responsible for any damages caused by misinterpretation or other circumstances that may influence your holiday or trip to a certain destination. We provide information, it’s up to the reader to use it to it’s benefit.
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