Columbus Ohio State University Airport, Ohio climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Columbus Ohio State University Airport's normal year runs from 21°F January nights to 84°F July afternoons, with 35.8 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 11.3°C, January lows of −6°C, July highs of 29°C, 908 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationColumbus Ohio State University Airport
- Station IDUSW00004804
- Location40.08°N 83.08°W
- Elevation905 ft (276 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Columbus Ohio State University Airport is 62°F and the normal low 41°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 34%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Columbus Ohio State University Airport.
- Jan 36° 21°
- Feb 40° 23°
- Mar 50° 31°
- Apr 63° 41°
- May 73° 51°
- Jun 81° 60°
- Jul 84° 64°
- Aug 83° 62°
- Sep 77° 55°
- Oct 65° 43°
- Nov 51° 34°
- Dec 40° 26°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Columbus Ohio State University Airport each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 84°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 21°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.05 in), the least in February (1.94 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36°F | 21°F | 28.8°F | 2.22 | 11 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 40°F | 23°F | 31.5°F | 1.94 | 10 | <1 | 23 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 50°F | 31°F | 40.5°F | 2.99 | 11 | <1 | 18 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 63°F | 41°F | 52.1°F | 3.54 | 13 | <1 | 5 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 73°F | 51°F | 62.2°F | 3.85 | 14 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 81°F | 60°F | 70.7°F | 4.05 | 13 | 4 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 84°F | 64°F | 74.2°F | 3.72 | 11 | 6 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 83°F | 62°F | 72.8°F | 3.05 | 10 | 4 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 77°F | 55°F | 65.7°F | 3.00 | 9 | 2 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 65°F | 43°F | 54.1°F | 2.52 | 11 | <1 | 3 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 51°F | 34°F | 42.5°F | 2.36 | 10 | <1 | 14 | 10 h |
| December | 40°F | 26°F | 33.4°F | 2.52 | 11 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 62°F | 43°F | 52.4°F | 35.76 | 133 | 17 | 112 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C | −6°C | −1.8°C | 56 mm |
| February | 4°C | −5°C | −0.3°C | 49 mm |
| March | 10°C | −1°C | 4.7°C | 76 mm |
| April | 17°C | 5°C | 11.2°C | 90 mm |
| May | 23°C | 11°C | 16.8°C | 98 mm |
| June | 27°C | 16°C | 21.5°C | 103 mm |
| July | 29°C | 18°C | 23.4°C | 94 mm |
| August | 28°C | 17°C | 22.7°C | 77 mm |
| September | 25°C | 13°C | 18.7°C | 76 mm |
| October | 18°C | 6°C | 12.3°C | 64 mm |
| November | 11°C | 1°C | 5.8°C | 60 mm |
| December | 5°C | −3°C | 0.8°C | 64 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Westerville (8 miles away), gets 19 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00004804; 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.
Which months are mildest at Columbus Ohio State University Airport?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (9).
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 USW00004804.
When is the last frost at Columbus Ohio State University Airport?
In Columbus Ohio State University Airport, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 22 in half of years and after May 9 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 23 in half of years and before October 9 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
- April 221 year in 10 after May 9; 9 in 10 after April 6
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 231 year in 10 before October 9; 9 in 10 before November 4
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 183 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 206 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 9 in half of springs and before November 2 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Columbus Ohio State University Airport in zone 6b in ZIP code 43235, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −2°F (23 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Ohio · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00004804; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 at Columbus Ohio State University Airport?
In a normal year in Columbus Ohio State University Airport, 17 days a year reach 90°F, 112 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 133 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 17a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 112a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 31high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 133a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1997) is 100°F, on July 7, 2012; the lowest is −14°F, on January 16, 2009.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2011, with 47.78 in.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00004804; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00004804. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Columbus Ohio State University Airport?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Columbus Ohio State University Airport, 3.9 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (81%) and December the cloudiest (56%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 57% | 1.7 |
| February | 63% | 2.6 |
| March | 63% | 3.5 |
| April | 69% | 4.8 |
| May | 72% | 5.5 |
| June | 77% | 6.2 |
| July | 80% | 6.2 |
| August | 81% | 5.6 |
| September | 78% | 4.5 |
| October | 70% | 3.0 |
| November | 67% | 2.1 |
| December | 56% | 1.4 |
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 many heating and cooling degree days does Columbus Ohio State University Airport record?
A normal year at Columbus Ohio State University Airport brings 5,486 heating degree days, 2% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 919 cooling degree days, 1% more than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,370 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,122 | 0 |
| February | 938 | 0 |
| March | 759 | 2 |
| April | 397 | 10 |
| May | 155 | 69 |
| June | 21 | 193 |
| July | 2 | 285 |
| August | 5 | 245 |
| September | 78 | 100 |
| October | 354 | 15 |
| November | 675 | 0 |
| December | 981 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,486 | 919 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00004804. 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.
Have recent years at Columbus Ohio State University Airport been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 53.2°F, 0.8°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 52.4°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 55.2°F | +2.8°F | 37.73 |
| 2022 | 54.2°F | +1.8°F | 37.06 |
| 2023 | 56.0°F | +3.6°F | 35.94 |
| 2024 | 57.6°F | +5.2°F | 32.56 |
| 2025 | 53.2°F | +0.8°F | 32.04 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00004804. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Columbus Ohio State University Airport's climate compare?
Columbus Ohio State University Airport is warmer than 68 of the 99 places with their own NOAA record in Ohio, and wetter than 7. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 52.4°F is warmer than 51%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Columbus Ohio State University Airport is Dfa: continental, 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 Columbus Ohio State University Airport share this climate record?
7 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their 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.
- Dublin, OH49,456 people · 4 mi NW
- Hilliard, OH38,832 people · 5 mi SW
- Worthington, OH14,649 people · 3 mi NE
- Powell, OH14,613 people · 6 mi N
- Lake Darby, OH4,323 people · 11 mi SW
- Shawnee Hills, OH939 people · 6 mi NW
- Riverlea, OH580 people · 3 mi E
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 Columbus Ohio State University Airport's climate
What is the coldest month at Columbus Ohio State University Airport?
January, with a normal high of 36°F and a normal low of 21°F. The warmest is July (84°F by day, 64°F at night).
Does it snow at Columbus Ohio State University Airport?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Westerville (8 miles away), records 19 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Columbus Ohio State University Airport?
June, with 4.05 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.94 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Columbus Ohio State University Airport in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Columbus Ohio State University Airport in zone 6b in ZIP code 43235, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −2°F (23 years, 1991-2020): zone 6b.
How late can frost come at Columbus Ohio State University Airport?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 22; in one year in ten it comes after May 9. Waiting until May 9 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Ohio climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Columbus WCMH, OH4 miles from this station, 52.8°F a year
- Westerville, OH8 miles from this station, 53.9°F a year
- Columbus, OH12 miles from this station, 53.5°F a year
- Marysville, OH13 miles from this station, 52.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made