Columbus WCMH, Ohio climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Columbus WCMH's normal year runs from 21°F January nights to 85°F July afternoons, with 44.7 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 11.6°C, January lows of −6°C, July highs of 29°C, 1,134 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationColumbus WCMH
- Station IDUSC00331785
- Location40.02°N 83.03°W
- Elevation740 ft (226 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Columbus WCMH is 63°F and the normal low 41°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 39%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Columbus WCMH.
- Jan 37° 21°
- Feb 40° 23°
- Mar 51° 31°
- Apr 64° 41°
- May 74° 51°
- Jun 82° 61°
- Jul 85° 65°
- Aug 84° 63°
- Sep 78° 55°
- Oct 66° 43°
- Nov 52° 33°
- Dec 41° 27°
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 WCMH each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 85°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 21°F. The most precipitation falls in May (4.78 in), the least in February (2.63 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37°F | 21°F | 28.7°F | 3.09 | 15 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 40°F | 23°F | 31.4°F | 2.63 | 13 | <1 | 23 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 51°F | 31°F | 40.8°F | 3.88 | 13 | <1 | 18 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 64°F | 41°F | 52.5°F | 4.04 | 14 | <1 | 6 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 74°F | 51°F | 62.8°F | 4.78 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 82°F | 61°F | 71.5°F | 4.70 | 12 | 4 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 85°F | 65°F | 74.8°F | 4.28 | 11 | 10 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 84°F | 63°F | 73.3°F | 3.84 | 10 | 4 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 78°F | 55°F | 66.4°F | 3.78 | 9 | 3 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 66°F | 43°F | 54.6°F | 3.19 | 12 | <1 | 3 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 52°F | 33°F | 42.6°F | 3.04 | 10 | <1 | 15 | 10 h |
| December | 41°F | 27°F | 33.9°F | 3.41 | 13 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 63°F | 43°F | 52.8°F | 44.66 | 148 | 23 | 113 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −6°C | −1.8°C | 78 mm |
| February | 5°C | −5°C | −0.3°C | 67 mm |
| March | 10°C | −1°C | 4.9°C | 99 mm |
| April | 18°C | 5°C | 11.4°C | 103 mm |
| May | 23°C | 11°C | 17.1°C | 121 mm |
| June | 28°C | 16°C | 21.9°C | 119 mm |
| July | 29°C | 18°C | 23.8°C | 109 mm |
| August | 29°C | 17°C | 22.9°C | 98 mm |
| September | 26°C | 13°C | 19.1°C | 96 mm |
| October | 19°C | 6°C | 12.6°C | 81 mm |
| November | 11°C | 0°C | 5.9°C | 77 mm |
| December | 5°C | −3°C | 1.1°C | 87 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Columbus (8 miles away), gets 28 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00331785; 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 WCMH?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August, September and October. 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 USC00331785.
When is the last frost at Columbus WCMH?
In Columbus WCMH, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 20 in half of years and after May 7 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 24 in half of years and before October 13 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 201 year in 10 after May 7; 9 in 10 after April 5
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 241 year in 10 before October 13; 9 in 10 before November 4
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 185 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 209 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 8 in half of springs and before November 3 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Columbus WCMH in zone 6b in ZIP code 43202, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Ohio · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00331785; 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 at Columbus WCMH?
In a normal year in Columbus WCMH, 23 days a year reach 90°F, 113 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 148 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 23a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 113a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 27high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 148a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00331785.
How sunny is it at Columbus WCMH?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Columbus WCMH, 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 WCMH record?
A normal year at Columbus WCMH brings 5,417 heating degree days, 1% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 995 cooling degree days, 10% 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 3,471 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,125 | 0 |
| February | 939 | 0 |
| March | 752 | 2 |
| April | 382 | 7 |
| May | 148 | 78 |
| June | 12 | 208 |
| July | 2 | 305 |
| August | 5 | 262 |
| September | 75 | 116 |
| October | 340 | 17 |
| November | 672 | 0 |
| December | 966 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,417 | 995 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00331785. 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 WCMH been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 53.4°F, 0.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 52.8°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 55.2°F | +2.4°F | 45.82 |
| 2022 | 53.0°F | +0.2°F | 49.50 |
| 2023 | 54.4°F | +1.6°F | 38.58 |
| 2024 | 56.0°F | +3.2°F | 38.91 |
| 2025 | 53.4°F | +0.6°F | 38.77 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00331785. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Columbus WCMH's climate compare?
Columbus WCMH is warmer than 75 of the 99 places with their own NOAA record in Ohio, and wetter than 80. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 52.8°F is warmer than 53%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Columbus WCMH 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 WCMH share this climate record?
10 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.
- Grove City, OH44,019 people · 10 mi S
- Upper Arlington, OH36,140 people · 2 mi W
- Grandview Heights, OH9,184 people · 3 mi S
- Lincoln Village, OH8,968 people · 7 mi SW
- Urbancrest, OH1,013 people · 9 mi S
- Marble Cliff, OH663 people · 3 mi SW
- Valleyview, OH653 people · 5 mi SW
- Darbydale, OH579 people · 14 mi SW
- Harrisburg, OH314 people · 17 mi SW
- Orient, OH209 people · 16 mi SW
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 WCMH's climate
What is the coldest month at Columbus WCMH?
January, with a normal high of 37°F and a normal low of 21°F. The warmest is July (85°F by day, 65°F at night).
Does it snow at Columbus WCMH?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Columbus (8 miles away), records 28 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Columbus WCMH?
May, with 4.78 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.63 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Columbus WCMH in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Columbus WCMH in zone 6b in ZIP code 43202, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Columbus WCMH?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 20; in one year in ten it comes after May 7. Waiting until May 7 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 Ohio State University Airport, OH4 miles from this station, 52.4°F a year
- Columbus, OH8 miles from this station, 53.5°F a year
- Westerville, OH8 miles from this station, 53.9°F a year
- Marysville, OH17 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