Columbia, North Carolina climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Columbia's normal year runs from 33°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 55.3 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 16.0°C, January lows of 0°C, July highs of 31°C, 1,406 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationColumbia Agricultural Gum Neck
- Station IDUSC00311949
- Location35.71°N 76.13°W
- Elevation10 ft (3 m)
- Population605
On October 14, the normal high in Columbia is 74°F and the normal low 53°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Columbia.
- Jan 53° 33°
- Feb 55° 32°
- Mar 61° 39°
- Apr 70° 48°
- May 78° 58°
- Jun 84° 66°
- Jul 88° 70°
- Aug 86° 69°
- Sep 82° 63°
- Oct 74° 52°
- Nov 64° 42°
- Dec 57° 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 Columbia each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 33°F. The most precipitation falls in August (6.60 in), the least in April (3.54 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53°F | 33°F | 42.8°F | 4.10 | – | <1 | 18 | 10 h |
| February | 55°F | 32°F | 43.5°F | 3.55 | – | <1 | 14 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 61°F | 39°F | 50.1°F | 3.97 | – | <1 | 9 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 70°F | 48°F | 58.9°F | 3.54 | – | <1 | <1 | 13 h |
| May | 78°F | 58°F | 68.1°F | 4.36 | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 84°F | 66°F | 74.9°F | 5.30 | – | 6 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 88°F | 70°F | 79.1°F | 5.80 | – | 13 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 86°F | 69°F | 77.4°F | 6.60 | – | 8 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 82°F | 63°F | 72.3°F | 6.18 | – | 3 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 74°F | 52°F | 62.8°F | 3.90 | – | <1 | <1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 64°F | 42°F | 53.1°F | 3.80 | – | <1 | 6 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 57°F | 36°F | 46.4°F | 4.24 | – | <1 | 12 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 71°F | 51°F | 60.8°F | 55.34 | – | 31 | 59 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12°C | 0°C | 6.0°C | 104 mm |
| February | 13°C | 0°C | 6.4°C | 90 mm |
| March | 16°C | 4°C | 10.1°C | 101 mm |
| April | 21°C | 9°C | 14.9°C | 90 mm |
| May | 26°C | 14°C | 20.1°C | 111 mm |
| June | 29°C | 19°C | 23.8°C | 135 mm |
| July | 31°C | 21°C | 26.2°C | 147 mm |
| August | 30°C | 20°C | 25.2°C | 168 mm |
| September | 28°C | 17°C | 22.4°C | 157 mm |
| October | 23°C | 11°C | 17.1°C | 99 mm |
| November | 18°C | 6°C | 11.7°C | 97 mm |
| December | 14°C | 2°C | 8.0°C | 108 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station, and no record within 25 miles keeps one, so snow is left out here rather than estimated.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00311949; 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 Columbia?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, September and October.
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 USC00311949.
When is the last frost in Columbia?
In Columbia, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 29 in half of years and after April 10 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 13 in half of years and before October 31 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 291 year in 10 after April 10; 9 in 10 after March 11
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 131 year in 10 before October 31; 9 in 10 before December 2
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 231 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 260 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 13 in half of springs and before November 30 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Columbia in zone 8b in ZIP code 27925, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in North Carolina · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00311949; 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 Columbia?
In a normal year in Columbia, 31 days a year reach 90°F and 59 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 31a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 59a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 3high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00311949.
How sunny is Columbia?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Columbia, 4.4 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (80%) and February the cloudiest (73%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 74% | 2.6 |
| February | 73% | 3.3 |
| March | 73% | 4.3 |
| April | 78% | 5.5 |
| May | 78% | 6.0 |
| June | 80% | 6.2 |
| July | 80% | 6.0 |
| August | 79% | 5.4 |
| September | 76% | 4.5 |
| October | 77% | 3.7 |
| November | 78% | 2.9 |
| December | 74% | 2.3 |
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 Columbia need?
A normal year in Columbia brings 3,125 heating degree days, 42% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,619 cooling degree days, 78% more than 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 4,853 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 691 | 1 |
| February | 602 | 1 |
| March | 468 | 6 |
| April | 219 | 34 |
| May | 52 | 147 |
| June | 4 | 299 |
| July | 0 | 437 |
| August | 0 | 386 |
| September | 11 | 229 |
| October | 134 | 65 |
| November | 367 | 10 |
| December | 578 | 3 |
| Year (annual) | 3,125 | 1,619 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00311949. 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.
Has Columbia been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 62.0°F, 1.2°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 60.8°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 62.3°F | +1.5°F | 53.86 |
| 2022 | 62.1°F | +1.4°F | 52.62 |
| 2023 | 63.0°F | +2.2°F | 53.11 |
| 2024 | 63.4°F | +2.6°F | 63.69 |
| 2025 | 62.0°F | +1.2°F | 51.24 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00311949. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Columbia's climate compare?
Columbia is warmer than 82 of the other 130 places with their own NOAA record in North Carolina, and wetter than 93. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 60.8°F is warmer than 77%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Columbia is Cfa: temperate, no dry season, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Columbia share this climate record?
Engelhard 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.
- Engelhard, NC230 people · 15 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.
Questions about Columbia's climate
What is the coldest month in Columbia?
January, with a normal high of 53°F and a normal low of 33°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 70°F at night).
What is the rainiest month in Columbia?
August, with 6.60 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 3.54 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Columbia in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Columbia in zone 8b in ZIP code 27925, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Columbia?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 29; in one year in ten it comes after April 10. Waiting until April 10 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- North Carolina climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Fairfield, NC16 miles from this station, 60.2°F a year
- Swanquarter Ferry, NC24 miles from this station, 63.1°F a year
- Belhaven, NC27 miles from this station, 61.6°F a year
- Manteo, NC28 miles from this station, 61.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made