Lake City, South Carolina climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Lake City's normal year runs from 34°F January nights to 92°F July afternoons, with 49.8 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 17.9°C, January lows of 1°C, July highs of 34°C, 1,264 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationLake City (2 mi SE)
- Station IDUSC00384886
- Location33.86°N 79.73°W
- Elevation75 ft (23 m)
- Population5,916
On October 23, the normal high in Lake City is 75°F and the normal low 50°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Lake City.
- Jan 58° 34°
- Feb 61° 37°
- Mar 68° 43°
- Apr 77° 50°
- May 83° 59°
- Jun 89° 67°
- Jul 92° 71°
- Aug 91° 70°
- Sep 86° 65°
- Oct 77° 53°
- Nov 68° 42°
- Dec 61° 37°
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 Lake City each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 92°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 34°F. The most precipitation falls in August (5.81 in), the least in November (3.13 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58°F | 34°F | 46.0°F | 3.65 | – | <1 | 16 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 61°F | 37°F | 49.2°F | 3.48 | – | <1 | 11 | 11 h |
| March | 68°F | 43°F | 55.3°F | 3.60 | – | <1 | 6 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 77°F | 50°F | 63.6°F | 3.19 | – | 1 | <1 | 13 h |
| May | 83°F | 59°F | 71.4°F | 4.20 | – | 6 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 89°F | 67°F | 78.4°F | 4.84 | – | 16 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| July | 92°F | 71°F | 81.8°F | 5.77 | – | 22 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| August | 91°F | 70°F | 80.4°F | 5.81 | – | 18 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 86°F | 65°F | 75.3°F | 4.74 | – | 9 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 77°F | 53°F | 65.1°F | 3.52 | – | 1 | 1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 68°F | 42°F | 55.1°F | 3.13 | – | <1 | 6 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 61°F | 37°F | 48.8°F | 3.85 | – | <1 | 13 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 76°F | 52°F | 64.2°F | 49.78 | – | 72 | 53 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14°C | 1°C | 7.8°C | 93 mm |
| February | 16°C | 3°C | 9.6°C | 88 mm |
| March | 20°C | 6°C | 12.9°C | 91 mm |
| April | 25°C | 10°C | 17.6°C | 81 mm |
| May | 29°C | 15°C | 21.9°C | 107 mm |
| June | 32°C | 20°C | 25.8°C | 123 mm |
| July | 34°C | 22°C | 27.7°C | 147 mm |
| August | 33°C | 21°C | 26.9°C | 148 mm |
| September | 30°C | 18°C | 24.1°C | 120 mm |
| October | 25°C | 12°C | 18.4°C | 89 mm |
| November | 20°C | 6°C | 12.8°C | 80 mm |
| December | 16°C | 3°C | 9.3°C | 98 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Cades (4 mi W) (8 miles away), gets 2 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00384886; 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 Lake City?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, May, 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 USC00384886.
When is the last frost in Lake City?
In Lake City, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 20 in half of years and after April 5 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 13 in half of years and before October 30 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 201 year in 10 after April 5; 9 in 10 after February 25
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 131 year in 10 before October 30; 9 in 10 before December 4
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 240 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 268 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 4 in half of springs and before November 28 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Lake City in zone 8b in ZIP code 29560, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in South Carolina · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00384886; 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 Lake City?
In a normal year in Lake City, 72 days a year reach 90°F (2 of them 100°F or more) and 53 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 72a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 2a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 53a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00384886.
How sunny is Lake City?
Over a year 79% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Lake City, 4.6 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (82%) and February the cloudiest (73%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 76% | 2.8 |
| February | 73% | 3.4 |
| March | 76% | 4.5 |
| April | 81% | 5.8 |
| May | 81% | 6.3 |
| June | 81% | 6.4 |
| July | 82% | 6.2 |
| August | 79% | 5.5 |
| September | 78% | 4.8 |
| October | 80% | 4.0 |
| November | 80% | 3.1 |
| December | 77% | 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 Lake City need?
A normal year in Lake City brings 2,415 heating degree days, 55% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 2,148 cooling degree days, 2.4 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 5,752 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 593 | 3 |
| February | 448 | 4 |
| March | 318 | 17 |
| April | 118 | 76 |
| May | 20 | 219 |
| June | 1 | 401 |
| July | 0 | 522 |
| August | 0 | 477 |
| September | 4 | 312 |
| October | 94 | 97 |
| November | 311 | 15 |
| December | 509 | 6 |
| Year (annual) | 2,415 | 2,148 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00384886. 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 Lake City's climate compare?
Lake City is warmer than 54 of the other 72 places with their own NOAA record in South Carolina, and wetter than 42. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 64.2°F is warmer than 86%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Lake City 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 Lake City share this climate record?
3 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.
- Pamplico, SC1,061 people · 13 mi NE
- Coward, SC715 people · 8 mi N
- Scranton, SC656 people · 4 mi N
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 Lake City's climate
What is the coldest month in Lake City?
January, with a normal high of 58°F and a normal low of 34°F. The warmest is July (92°F by day, 71°F at night).
Does it snow in Lake City?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Lake City's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Cades (4 mi W) (8 miles away), records 2 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Lake City?
August, with 5.81 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is November with 3.13 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Lake City in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Lake City in zone 8b in ZIP code 29560, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Lake City?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 20; 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
- Cades (4 mi W), SC8 miles from this station, 64.1°F a year
- Kingstree, SC14 miles from this station, 63.8°F a year
- Florence, SC22 miles from this station, 64.7°F a year
- Hemingway, SC24 miles from this station, 63.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made