Columbia in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), Columbia sees average daytime highs around 75°F and overnight lows near 54°F, with 9.9 in of rain over about 27 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 63°F in early March to 85°F by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

Spring is Columbia's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Columbia's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
75°F
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
54°F
Rainfall
9.9 in
27 wet days
Avg wind
7 mph
Travel score
6.6
best season of the year
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Columbia in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 63°F in early March to 85°F by late May.

A typical spring day in Columbia reaches about 75°F and drops to 54°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.

20°40°60°80°MarAprMay

How spring really feels in Columbia

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

spring sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Columbia weather by month

How the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan56° / 37°3.59.10.6103.9
Feb59° / 40°3.48.30.410.74.7
Mar67° / 46°3.59.30.111.76.3
Apr75° / 54°3.38.1012.87.2
May82° / 62°3.09.4013.76.2
Jun88° / 70°4.313.5014.24.1
Jul90° / 73°4.415.30143.3
Aug89° / 72°4.213.4013.33.9
Sep84° / 66°3.78.8012.25.8
Oct75° / 55°3.37.1011.17.4
Nov65° / 45°2.87.2010.26.5
Dec58° / 39°3.78.80.19.84.5

Cloud cover in Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time across spring.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitation

Columbia gets around 9.9 in of rain over 27 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%MarAprMay

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Wind in Spring

Winds average 7 mph across spring.

0246810MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min in early March to 14 h 06 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMMarAprMay

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 5.4 kWh/m².

0246MarAprMay
Planning a trip in spring

Is spring a good time to visit Columbia?

Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

6.6
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

spring is a reasonable time to visit Columbia for sightseeing.

What to pack for Columbia in Spring

From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In spring, Columbia sees daytime highs around 75°F and nights near 54°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 27 days see rain.

light clothessun protectiona warm layerrain gear

UV index in Columbia in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Columbia peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 9Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Columbia in Spring

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Columbia is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1617 µg/m³Dec 218 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Columbia?

Columbia sits at 34.0°N, 81.0°W, 292 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is West Columbia, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Columbia

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Columbia.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Columbia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 751 ft around an average of 240 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 932 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,175 ft.

The land around Columbia is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and trees (41%) within 2 miles, trees (68%) within 10 miles, and trees (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
751 ft
10 miles
932 ft
50 miles
1,175 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Spring weather nearby: West Columbia 2.5 mi · Saint Andrews 5.0 mi · Seven Oaks 7.5 mi · Lexington 12 mi · Sumter 40 mi · Aiken 50 mi · North Augusta 63 mi · Rock Hill 64 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Columbia (34.0007°, -81.0348°, elevation 292 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.