Aiken, South Carolina climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Aiken's normal year runs from 32°F January nights to 93°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 17.7°C, January lows of 0°C, July highs of 34°C.
- NOAA stationAiken (2 mi E)
- Station IDUSC00380072
- Location33.55°N 81.70°W
- Elevation542 ft (165 m)
- Population32,694
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Aiken.
- Jan 58° 32°
- Feb 62° 36°
- Mar 68° 41°
- Apr 77° 49°
- May 86° 59°
- Jun 90° 67°
- Jul 93° 70°
- Aug 92° 69°
- Sep 86° 64°
- Oct 78° 52°
- Nov 67° 42°
- Dec 60° 36°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Aiken each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 93°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 32°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58°F | 32°F | 44.8°F | – | <1 | 15 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 62°F | 36°F | 49.0°F | – | <1 | 8 | 11 h |
| March | 68°F | 41°F | 54.7°F | – | <1 | 5 | 12 h |
| April | 77°F | 49°F | 62.9°F | – | 1 | <1 | 13 h |
| May | 86°F | 59°F | 72.0°F | – | 7 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 90°F | 67°F | 78.6°F | – | 17 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| July | 93°F | 70°F | 81.9°F | – | 24 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| August | 92°F | 69°F | 80.4°F | – | 21 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 86°F | 64°F | 75.3°F | – | 11 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 78°F | 52°F | 64.9°F | – | 1 | <1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 67°F | 42°F | 54.2°F | – | <1 | 4 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 60°F | 36°F | 48.1°F | – | <1 | 9 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 76°F | 51°F | 63.9°F | – | 81 | 41 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14°C | 0°C | 7.1°C |
| February | 17°C | 2°C | 9.4°C |
| March | 20°C | 5°C | 12.6°C |
| April | 25°C | 9°C | 17.2°C |
| May | 30°C | 15°C | 22.2°C |
| June | 32°C | 19°C | 25.9°C |
| July | 34°C | 21°C | 27.7°C |
| August | 33°C | 21°C | 26.9°C |
| September | 30°C | 18°C | 24.1°C |
| October | 25°C | 11°C | 18.3°C |
| November | 19°C | 5°C | 12.3°C |
| December | 15°C | 2°C | 8.9°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Aiken's own co-op station Aiken (5 mi SE) does: 1 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00380072; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Aiken?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, October and November.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00380072.
When is the last frost in Aiken?
In Aiken, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 19 in half of years and after April 5 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 14 in half of years and before November 1 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- March 191 year in 10 after April 5; 9 in 10 after February 28
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 141 year in 10 before November 1; 9 in 10 before December 4
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 241 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 272 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 4 in half of springs and before November 30 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Aiken in zone 8b in ZIP code 29801.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in South Carolina · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00380072; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Aiken?
In a normal year in Aiken, 81 days a year reach 90°F (3 of them 100°F or more) and 41 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 81a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 41a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 1high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in Aiken's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1893) is 109°F, on August 22, 1983; the lowest is −4°F, on January 21, 1985.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1964, with 71.36 in; the snowiest season is 1972–73, with 15.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00380072; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record AKIS1thr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Aiken?
Over a year 79% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Aiken, 4.6 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (81%) and February the cloudiest (73%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 76% | 2.9 |
| February | 73% | 3.5 |
| March | 75% | 4.5 |
| April | 80% | 5.8 |
| May | 80% | 6.2 |
| June | 81% | 6.4 |
| July | 81% | 6.2 |
| August | 80% | 5.6 |
| September | 79% | 4.9 |
| October | 79% | 4.0 |
| November | 79% | 3.1 |
| December | 74% | 2.5 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Aiken need?
A normal year in Aiken brings 2,505 heating degree days, 53% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 2,128 cooling degree days, 2.3 times the median (908). Five months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 5,678 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 626 | 0 |
| February | 452 | 3 |
| March | 331 | 12 |
| April | 124 | 61 |
| May | 18 | 235 |
| June | 1 | 408 |
| July | 0 | 524 |
| August | 0 | 476 |
| September | 3 | 312 |
| October | 92 | 89 |
| November | 333 | 8 |
| December | 525 | 1 |
| Year (annual) | 2,505 | 2,128 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00380072. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does Aiken's climate compare?
Aiken is warmer than 48 of the other 72 places with their own NOAA record in South Carolina. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 63.9°F is warmer than 85%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Aiken share this climate record?
Windsor has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Windsor, SC122 people · 12 mi SE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Aiken's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Aiken. This page uses Aiken (2 mi E); the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aiken (5 mi SE) USC00380074 | 4 mi S | 492 ft | 64.1°F | 35°F | 93°F | 50.8 | 1 | March 21 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Aiken's climate
What is the coldest month in Aiken?
January, with a normal high of 58°F and a normal low of 32°F. The warmest is July (93°F by day, 70°F at night).
Does it snow in Aiken?
Rarely. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Aiken's NOAA station; Aiken's own co-op station Aiken (5 mi SE) records 1 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Aiken in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Aiken in zone 8b in ZIP code 29801.
How late can frost come in Aiken?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 19; in one year in ten it comes after April 5. Waiting until April 5 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- South Carolina climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Graniteville, SC6 miles from this station, 61.8°F a year
- Johnston, SC18 miles from this station, 62.7°F a year
- Wagener, SC20 miles from this station, 62.9°F a year
- Augusta, GA20 miles from this station, 65.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made