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April Weather in Charleston South Carolina, United States

Daily high temperatures increase by 6°F, from 71°F to 77°F, rarely falling below 62°F or exceeding 84°F.

Daily low temperatures increase by 7°F, from 55°F to 62°F, rarely falling below 44°F or exceeding 70°F.

For reference, on July 22, the hottest day of the year, temperatures in Charleston typically range from 77°F to 89°F, while on January 17, the coldest day of the year, they range from 43°F to 59°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in April in Charleston

Average High and Low Temperature in April in CharlestonApr11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303035°F35°F40°F40°F45°F45°F50°F50°F55°F55°F60°F60°F65°F65°F70°F70°F75°F75°F80°F80°F85°F85°F90°F90°FMarMayApr 171°FApr 171°F55°F55°FApr 3077°FApr 3077°F62°F62°FApr 1173°FApr 1173°F57°F57°FApr 2175°FApr 2175°F60°F60°F
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the hourly average temperatures for the quarter of the year centered on April. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in April in Charleston

Average Hourly Temperature in April in CharlestonApr11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303012 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMMarMaycoldcoolcomfortablewarmcold
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Uzunbağ, Turkey (6,138 miles away); Yangshuo, China (8,410 miles); and Kuai’an, China (8,188 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Charleston (view comparison).

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The month of April in Charleston experiences gradually decreasing cloud cover, with the percentage of time that the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy decreasing from 42% to 38%. The lowest chance of overcast or mostly cloudy conditions is 37% on April 29.

The clearest day of the month is April 29, with clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy conditions 63% of the time.

For reference, on July 26, the cloudiest day of the year, the chance of overcast or mostly cloudy conditions is 57%, while on October 26, the clearest day of the year, the chance of clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy skies is 66%.

Cloud Cover Categories in April in Charleston

Cloud Cover Categories in April in CharlestonApr1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292930300%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%MarMayJul 2643%Jul 2643%Apr 158%Apr 158%Apr 3062%Apr 3062%Apr 1160%Apr 1160%Apr 2162%Apr 2162%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercast
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. In Charleston, the chance of a wet day over the course of April is gradually decreasing, starting the month at 28% and ending it at 25%.

For reference, the year's highest daily chance of a wet day is 51% on August 4, and its lowest chance is 19% on October 30.

Probability of Precipitation in April in Charleston

The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).

Rainfall

To show variation within the month and not just the monthly total, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day.

The average sliding 31-day rainfall during April in Charleston is decreasing, starting the month at 3.0 inches, when it rarely exceeds 5.5 inches or falls below 1.0 inches, and ending the month at 2.5 inches, when it rarely exceeds 4.5 inches or falls below 0.9 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in April in Charleston

The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.

Over the course of April in Charleston, the length of the day is increasing. From the start to the end of the month, the length of the day increases by 55 minutes, implying an average daily increase of 1 minute, 54 seconds, and weekly increase of 13 minutes, 15 seconds.

The shortest day of the month is April 1, with 12 hours, 33 minutes of daylight and the longest day is April 30, with 13 hours, 28 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in April in Charleston

The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.

The latest sunrise of the month in Charleston is 7:07 AM on April 1 and the earliest sunrise is 34 minutes earlier at 6:33 AM on April 30.

The earliest sunset is 7:40 PM on April 1 and the latest sunset is 21 minutes later at 8:01 PM on April 30.

Daylight saving time is observed in Charleston during 2024, but it neither starts nor ends during April, so the entire month is in daylight saving time.

For reference, on June 20, the longest day of the year, the Sun rises at 6:12 AM and sets 14 hours, 19 minutes later, at 8:30 PM, while on December 21, the shortest day of the year, it rises at 7:18 AM and sets 10 hours, 0 minutes later, at 5:17 PM.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in April in Charleston

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in April in CharlestonApr1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292930302 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMMarMay6:33 AM6:33 AMApr 308:01 PMApr 308:01 PM7:07 AM7:07 AMApr 17:40 PMApr 17:40 PM6:54 AM6:54 AMApr 117:47 PMApr 117:47 PMSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunset
The solar day over the course of April. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in April in Charleston

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in April in CharlestonApr11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303012 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMMarMay001010202020303040405050506060700001010202030303040405050606070
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of April 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for April 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. The label associated with each bar indicates the date and time that the phase is obtained, and the companion time labels indicate the rise and set times of the Moon for the nearest time interval in which the moon is above the horizon.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in April in Charleston

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in April in CharlestonApr11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303012 AM12 AM4 AM4 AM8 AM8 AM12 PM12 PM4 PM4 PM8 PM8 PM12 AM12 AMMarMayMar 105:01 AMMar 105:01 AMMar 253:01 AMMar 253:01 AMApr 82:22 PMApr 82:22 PMApr 237:50 PMApr 237:50 PMMay 711:23 PMMay 711:23 PMMay 239:54 AMMay 239:54 AM7:52 AM7:52 AM8:01 PM8:01 PM7:13 PM7:13 PM7:28 AM7:28 AM6:50 AM6:50 AM7:57 PM7:57 PM7:54 PM7:54 PM6:50 AM6:50 AM5:52 AM5:52 AM7:56 PM7:56 PM7:45 PM7:45 PM5:58 AM5:58 AM
The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.
Apr 2024IlluminationMoonriseMoonsetMoonriseMeridian PassingDistance
1
50%2:06 AMSE11:45 AMSW-6:55 AMS237,801 mi
2
46%3:02 AMSE12:49 PMWSW-7:56 AMS234,442 mi
3
35%3:52 AMESE1:58 PMWSW-8:55 AMS231,071 mi
4
24%4:35 AMESE3:10 PMWSW-9:53 AMS227,948 mi
5
14%5:13 AMESE4:22 PMWSW-10:47 AMS225,373 mi
6
7%5:47 AME5:34 PMW-11:40 AMS223,639 mi
7
2%6:19 AME6:45 PMW-12:30 PMS222,981 mi
8
0%6:50 AME7:57 PMWNW-1:21 PMS223,527 mi
9
1%7:23 AMENE9:09 PMWNW-2:12 PMS225,261 mi
10
6%7:59 AMENE10:22 PMWNW-3:06 PMS228,025 mi
11
13%8:40 AMENE11:33 PMWNW-4:03 PMS231,544 mi
12
22%9:27 AMENE--5:01 PMS235,472 mi
13
31%-12:39 AMNW10:20 AMNE5:59 PMS239,454 mi
14
42%-1:39 AMNW11:18 AMNE6:56 PMS243,170 mi
15
50%-2:30 AMWNW12:19 PMENE7:48 PMS246,376 mi
16
62%-3:12 AMWNW1:20 PMENE8:37 PMS248,911 mi
17
71%-3:47 AMWNW2:19 PMENE9:21 PMS250,697 mi
18
80%-4:17 AMWNW3:16 PMENE10:03 PMS251,725 mi
19
87%-4:44 AMWNW4:12 PME10:42 PMS252,042 mi
20
93%-5:09 AMW5:06 PME11:21 PMS251,730 mi
21
97%-5:32 AMW6:01 PME11:59 PMS250,889 mi
22
98%-5:56 AMW6:56 PME--
23
100%-6:22 AMWSW7:54 PMESE12:39 AMS249,625 mi
24
100%-6:50 AMWSW8:53 PMESE1:22 AMS248,033 mi
25
98%-7:22 AMWSW9:55 PMESE2:08 AMS246,189 mi
26
95%-8:00 AMWSW10:59 PMESE2:57 AMS244,148 mi
27
89%-8:45 AMWSW-3:52 AMS241,943 mi
28
82%12:00 AMSE9:39 AMSW-4:50 AMS239,597 mi
29
72%12:58 AMSE10:41 AMWSW-5:49 AMS237,139 mi
30
62%1:49 AMESE11:47 AMWSW-6:48 AMS234,621 mi

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The chance that a given day will be muggy in Charleston is rapidly increasing during April, rising from 10% to 30% over the course of the month.

For reference, on July 19, the muggiest day of the year, there are muggy conditions 99% of the time, while on January 31, the least muggy day of the year, there are muggy conditions 1% of the time.

Humidity Comfort Levels in April in Charleston

Humidity Comfort Levels in April in CharlestonApr1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292930300%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%MarMayApr 110%Apr 110%Apr 3030%Apr 3030%Apr 1114%Apr 1114%Apr 2121%Apr 2121%oppressiveoppressivemuggymuggyhumidhumidcomfortablecomfortabledrydrymiserablemiserable
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Charleston is gradually decreasing during April, decreasing from 10.3 miles per hour to 9.4 miles per hour over the course of the month.

For reference, on February 26, the windiest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 10.9 miles per hour, while on August 16, the calmest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 7.8 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed in April in Charleston

Average Wind Speed in April in CharlestonApr1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292930300 mph0 mph2 mph2 mph4 mph4 mph6 mph6 mph8 mph8 mph10 mph10 mph12 mph12 mph14 mph14 mph16 mph16 mphMarMayApr 110.3 mphApr 110.3 mphApr 309.4 mphApr 309.4 mphApr 1610.0 mphApr 1610.0 mph
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

The hourly average wind direction in Charleston throughout April is predominantly from the south, with a peak proportion of 39% on April 29.

Wind Direction in April in Charleston

Wind Direction in April in CharlestonWSApr1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292930300%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%MarMaywestsoutheastnorth
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Charleston is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average surface water temperature in Charleston is increasing during April, rising by 5°F, from 65°F to 69°F, over the course of the month.

Average Water Temperature in April in Charleston

The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Charleston typically lasts for 10 months (308 days), from around February 15 to around December 19, rarely starting before January 22 or after March 11, and rarely ending before November 26 or after January 8.

The month of April in Charleston is reliably fully within the growing season.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in April in Charleston

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in April in Charlestongrowing seasonApr1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292930300%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%MarMay100%Apr 16100%Apr 1690%Mar 1190%Mar 11very coldcoldcoolcomfortablewarmhot
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

The average accumulated growing degree days in Charleston are rapidly increasing during April, increasing by 468°F, from 628°F to 1,096°F, over the course of the month.

Growing Degree Days in April in Charleston

Growing Degree Days in April in CharlestonApr112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030500°F500°F600°F600°F700°F700°F800°F800°F900°F900°F1,000°F1,000°F1,100°F1,100°F1,200°F1,200°FMarMayApr 1628°FApr 1628°FApr 301,096°FApr 301,096°FApr 11768°FApr 11768°FApr 21931°FApr 21931°F
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of April, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy in Charleston is gradually increasing during April, rising by 0.9 kWh, from 5.7 kWh to 6.6 kWh, over the course of the month.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in April in Charleston

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in April in CharlestonApr1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292930300 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWhMarMayApr 15.7 kWhApr 15.7 kWhApr 306.6 kWhApr 306.6 kWhApr 116.1 kWhApr 116.1 kWh
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Charleston are 32.777 deg latitude, -79.931 deg longitude, and 20 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Charleston is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 26 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 4 feet. Within 10 miles is also essentially flat (66 feet). Within 50 miles is essentially flat (509 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Charleston is covered by water (60%), artificial surfaces (27%), and herbaceous vegetation (12%), within 10 miles by artificial surfaces (33%) and water (33%), and within 50 miles by water (50%) and trees (27%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Charleston, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There are 2 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Charleston.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Charleston according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

The estimated value at Charleston is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Charleston and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:

  • Charleston NAS (KCLX, 60%, 5 mi, north, -13 ft elevation change)
  • Charleston Executive Airport (KJZI, 40%, 7 mi, southwest, -3 ft elevation change)

Sources mapKCLX, 60%5 mi, -13 ftKJZI, 40%7 mi, -3 ft© OpenStreetMap contributors

To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Charleston and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

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