North Charleston in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), North Charleston sees average daytime highs around 61°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 9.8 in of rain over about 24 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 61°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is North Charleston's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see North Charleston's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 61°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 44°F
- Rainfall
- 9.8 in
- 24 wet days
- Avg wind
- 9 mph
- Travel score
- 5.2
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in North Charleston in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 61°F.
A typical winter day in North Charleston reaches about 61°F and drops to 44°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in North Charleston
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
North Charleston weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59° / 43° | 3.2 | 8.4 | 10.1 | 4.8 |
| Feb | 62° / 45° | 3.3 | 7.8 | 10.8 | 5.4 |
| Mar | 67° / 51° | 3.2 | 8.2 | 11.8 | 6.6 |
| Apr | 73° / 58° | 2.9 | 7.5 | 12.8 | 7.4 |
| May | 80° / 66° | 2.7 | 9 | 13.7 | 6.8 |
| Jun | 85° / 73° | 5.1 | 16.3 | 14.1 | 4.5 |
| Jul | 88° / 76° | 5.4 | 17.8 | 13.9 | 3.7 |
| Aug | 87° / 75° | 6.3 | 18.9 | 13.2 | 3.9 |
| Sep | 83° / 71° | 5.1 | 13.3 | 12.2 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 76° / 61° | 4.0 | 7.8 | 11.2 | 7.4 |
| Nov | 67° / 51° | 2.6 | 6.8 | 10.3 | 6.9 |
| Dec | 62° / 46° | 3.4 | 7.7 | 9.9 | 5.5 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
North Charleston gets around 9.8 in of rain over 24 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 9 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 hours in early December to 11 h 12 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for North Charleston
None of North Charleston's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
North Charleston sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Is winter a good time to visit North Charleston?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit North Charleston for sightseeing.
What to pack for North Charleston in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, North Charleston sees daytime highs around 61°F and nights near 44°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 24 days see rain.
Sea temperature near North Charleston in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 62°F across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 17 mi away) is warmest in August at about 83°F and coldest in February near 60°F.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 25 to Nov 19 — about 6.9 months when the water holds above 68°F.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 61 | 60 | 61 | 66 | 73 | 80 | 83 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 68 | 64 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61 | Cool |
| Feb | 60 | Cool |
| Mar | 61 | Cool |
| Apr | 66 | Cool |
| May | 73 | Refreshing |
| Jun | 80 | Warm |
| Jul | 83 | Tropical |
| Aug | 83 | Tropical |
| Sep | 81 | Warm |
| Oct | 75 | Warm |
| Nov | 68 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 64 | Cool |
UV index in North Charleston in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in North Charleston peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 7 | High |
| Apr | 7 | Very high |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in North Charleston in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in North Charleston is worst in March — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 8 | 12 | 20 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Good |
| Feb | 12 | Good |
| Mar | 20 | Moderate |
| Apr | 14 | Moderate |
| May | 13 | Moderate |
| Jun | 16 | Moderate |
| Jul | 17 | Moderate |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 8 | Good |
| Nov | 8 | Good |
| Dec | 7 | Good |
Where is North Charleston?
North Charleston sits at 32.9°N, 80.0°W, 20 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Hanahan, 5.0 mi away.
Topography around North Charleston
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of North Charleston.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around North Charleston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 69 ft around an average of 16 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 161 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 230 ft.
The land around North Charleston is covered by trees (27%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 2 miles, trees (50%) within 10 miles, and trees (54%) and water (34%) within 50 miles.
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
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 North Charleston (32.8546°, -79.9748°, elevation 20 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.