How extreme does Charleston's weather get?

The hottest, coldest, wettest and snowiest days Charleston has recorded — the outer limits of what its weather can do, and how far they sit beyond a normal day.

Based on 50+ years of daily weather observations (1971–present), from the Dwtn Charleston station. Updated through May 2026 — an all-time extreme only changes when a more extreme day actually occurs, so some dates are old. That is normal, not stale data.

The four kinds of extreme

The hottest, coldest, wettest and snowiest single days Charleston has recorded — each shown against what a normal day that time of year looks like.

🔥 Hottest day

104°F Jun 2, 1985

That is about 20°F hotter than a normal June afternoon in Charleston (typical high near 84°F).

The three most extreme on record

1 104°F Jun 2, 1985

2 103°F Jul 22, 1977

3 103°F Aug 1, 1999

❄️ Coldest night

10°F Jan 21, 1985

About 34°F colder than a normal January night in Charleston (typical low near 44°F).

The three most extreme on record

1 10°F Jan 21, 1985

2 14°F Jan 28, 1986

3 16°F Jan 11, 1982

🌧️ Most rain in one day

10.38 in Jun 11, 1973

More rain in a single day than Charleston usually gets in the whole month of June (typical June total about 4.9 in).

The three most extreme on record

1 10.38 in Jun 11, 1973

2 9.25 in Oct 3, 2015

3 8.50 in Sep 21, 1998

⛄ Most snow in one day

2.1 in Feb 18, 1979

The three most extreme on record

1 2.1 in Feb 18, 1979

2 1.3 in Mar 2, 1980

3 0.7 in Jan 31, 1977

How hot and cold it gets, month by month

The shaded band is the normal range of daily temperatures for each month. The dots show the most extreme it has ever been — so you can see how far beyond a normal day the records really sit.

normal range of daily temperatureshottest ever recordedcoldest ever recorded

Charleston's record heat sits well above even a hot day for the season — June's 104°F is about 20°F beyond a normal hot afternoon. Its record cold is just as far below a normal winter night — the dots mark how rare each extreme really is.

In plain terms

In a normal year, Charleston's warmest days reach the high 80s°F and its coldest nights drop to the mid-40s°F. But across the record it has gone as high as 104°F and as low as 10°F. A single day has delivered over 10 inches of rain or close to 2 inches of snow. Those are the outer edges worth knowing if you are moving here, planning a trip, or thinking about a house.

Methodology & sources

Temperature & precipitation — the official 1991–2020 climate normals from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals, measured at Dwtn Charleston (NOAA GHCN station USW00013782), inside the city.

How we build these numbers →

← Charleston city detail