Columbia, South Carolina Weather
Thunder quiets the land. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Columbia weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 10:27 AM EDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Clear——94°71°—
- TuesdaySep 22Clear53%—92°71°-2°
- WednesdaySep 23Heavy Rain53%2.3″79°66°-13°
- ThursdaySep 24Showers19%—66°60°-13°
- FridaySep 25Overcast——78°55°+12°
- SaturdaySep 26Overcast——80°53°+2°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——82°58°+2°
Air quality now AQI 54 · Moderate
AQI 54 (Moderate), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 12.0 µg/m³ (AQI 56) with a 0.86 fine-to-coarse ratio and 2 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 41 now. With UV 4.1 peaking around 1 PM under partly cloudy skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 16.
- Present
- AQI 41
- UV peak
- 4.1 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- partly cloudy
- Projected peak
- AQI 16
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 12.0 µg/m³ (AQI 56) with a 0.86 fine-to-coarse ratio and 2 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.86
- 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
- 4:40 PM
- Moonset
- 2:02 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder quiets the land
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Columbia at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 83°F (high 94°F, low 71°F), 9°F above the 74°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: March 22 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 11 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — Columbia
- Mon94°71°3%
- Tue92°71°53%
- Wed79°66°53%
- Thu66°60°19%
- Fri78°55°2%
- Sat80°53°1%
- Sun82°58°4%
- Mon84°60°3%
- Tue85°61°7%
- Wed85°62°24%
- Thu85°66°14%
- Fri89°65°16%
- Sat81°69°19%
- Sun76°70°23%
- Mon73°62°15%
- Tue71°58°24%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Columbia
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Columbia — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Late season
As of September 21, the first frost (around November 15) is about 8 weeks away. Frost-tender plants keep producing until then. This city's planting calendar for September: harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Columbia
SPC includes Columbia in the general thunderstorm area today — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
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 Columbia
Columbia sits in Richland County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 25m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 53m — a swing of +4h 33m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Charleston, the state’s largest city, lies about 100 miles to the SSE. The nearest town Columbia tracks is Edisto, roughly 39 miles to the S.
Air quality in Columbia
Air quality in Columbia’s county has trended dirtier since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2020 (median AQI 40). See the full air-quality history for Columbia.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| February | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | radishes |
| April | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, summer squash |
| June | beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| August | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| September | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| November | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| December | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
In Columbia, July runs warmest near 82°F and January coldest around 45°F, while August is the wettest month (5.7 inches) and October the driest (2.1 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip |
|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 4.0″ |
| February | 49° | 3.4″ |
| March | 56° | 4.1″ |
| April | 64° | 3.4″ |
| May | 72° | 2.9″ |
| June | 79° | 3.9″ |
| July | 82° | 4.9″ |
| August | 80° | 5.7″ |
| September | 76° | 3.3″ |
| October | 67° | 2.1″ |
| November | 56° | 2.9″ |
| December | 48° | 4.0″ |
Regional context
Similar climates Woodfield, SC, Arcadia Lakes, SC, Forest Acres, SC
In Columbia, modelled 1991-2020 normals (EC_Earth3P_HR model via Open-Meteo) put January near 45°F and July near 82°F — a 37°F seasonal arc — with about 44.7 inches of precipitation.
Columbia's precipitation spreads evenly across the seasons: August peaks at 5.7 inches, while October holds 2.1 inches — no season dominates Columbia's rain calendar. That lines Columbia up with places like Woodfield, SC, Arcadia Lakes, SC and Forest Acres, SC, fed by overlapping storm tracks.
Columbia reaches its last hard frost near March 22; that is the cue for lettuce, chard, arugula, and mustard greens. Heat-demanding starts go out a fortnight on in Columbia, after the soil warms and cold snaps clear. The season ends by November 15 in Columbia, once hard frosts set back in. Open lawns in Columbia whiten first when frost returns.
Similar climates: Woodfield, SC, Arcadia Lakes, SC, Forest Acres, SC, Dentsville, SC, Capitol View, SC.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Columbia?
- Frost typically leaves Columbia by March 22 and returns to Columbia near November 15.
- What is the rainy season in Columbia?
- August is the wettest month in Columbia, about 5.7 inches on average; the year totals roughly 45 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Columbia?
- The warmest stretch in Columbia comes in July, around 82°F on average.
- What is the coldest month in Columbia?
- On average January is the chilliest month in Columbia, about 45°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Columbia?
- Frost-hardy sowings begin at March 22 in Columbia; warm-season starts follow two weeks on.
- What hardiness zone is Columbia?
- Columbia's hardiness zone tracks its winter low; with January near 45°F, check the USDA ZIP map for the exact zone.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Columbia?
- Columbia'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 Columbia?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Columbia in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Columbia?
- Current conditions for Columbia and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Columbia forecast updated?
- The Columbia forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Columbia?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Columbia 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 Columbia?
- The next few days in Columbia's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Columbia sits at 34.0°N; its climate zone is humid subtropical (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Columbia
- 29201
- 29202
- 29203
- 29204
- 29205
- 29206
- 29207
- 29208
- 29209
- 29210
- 29212
- 29214
- 29215
- 29216
- 29217
- 29218
- 29220
- 29223
- 29224
- 29225
- 29226
- 29229
- 29240
- 29250