South Carolina Climate
Top 5 Cities: Charleston, Columbia, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and Rock Hill
This month in numbers
South Carolina experienced a significantly warmer and drier March 2026. The average temperature for March was 15.78°C, an anomaly of +3.6°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline, ranking as the 5th warmest March in 77 years of records. Maximum temperatures were particularly high, reaching 23.11°C, an anomaly of +4.1°C, making it the 3rd warmest March for maximum temperatures on record. Precipitation, however, was exceptionally low at 31.5 mm, a deficit of 86.5 mm, ranking as the 75th driest March.
What changed
The trend of dry conditions has been particularly pronounced over the past three months. January to March 2026 saw a mere 51.56 mm of precipitation, an anomaly of -56.6 mm, making it the driest such period in 77 years of records. This contrasts with the national picture, where the global land temperature for February–April 2026 ranked as the 2nd warmest in 86 years. South Carolina's March average temperature anomaly of +3.57°C placed it 41st warmest out of 234 regions globally.
What’s driving change?
The persistent lack of rainfall is a significant concern, with statewide precipitation from September 2025 through March 2026 ranking as the driest in 131 years. This long-duration drought event is tied to persistent rainfall deficits across the Southeast, and meteorologists point to a lingering La Niña weather pattern that has suppressed rainfall since late 2025, leading to a "recharge failure" during the typical winter recharge months. As of early May, drought conditions impact virtually the entire state, with 100% of South Carolina experiencing at least some level of "severe" dryness, and portions of the Lowcountry experiencing "exceptional" drought conditions. This unusual concentration of drought events, with two active drought alerts in the past month representing 100% of the annual total, highlights the severity of the situation. Additionally, a flood event occurred in April, representing 100% of the annual total for floods, following a period of heavy rain from March 31 to April 4, which caused some rivers to reach minor or moderate flood stages. For more details on extreme weather events, visit Extreme Weather tracker. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with an anomaly of +0.11°C, but forecasts indicate a likely transition to El Niño by May-July, with probabilities rising to 87% by July-September. You can track the ENSO state at ENSO tracker.
Looking ahead
The evolving El Niño phase suggests a potential for warmer and drier conditions in the coming months for South Carolina.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for South Carolina
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in South Carolina changing?
South Carolina is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for South Carolina come from?
Climate data for South Carolina comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the South Carolina climate data cover?
The South Carolina climate profile covers Charleston, Columbia, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant and surrounding areas. South Carolina climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the South Carolina climate update refreshed?
The South Carolina climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.