1. WeatherSpark.com
  2. United States
  3. West Virginia

Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Charleston West Virginia, United States

In Charleston, the summers are warm and humid, the winters are short and very cold, and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 27°F to 85°F and is rarely below 11°F or above 92°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Charleston for warm-weather activities is from mid July to late September.

Climate in Charleston

very coldcoldcoolwarmhotwarmcoolcoldJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow68%68%35%35%clearovercastprecipitation: 3.8 inprecipitation: 3.8 in2.2 in2.2 inmuggy: 66%muggy: 66%0%0%drydrytourism score: 6.6tourism score: 6.60.40.4
Charleston weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The hot season lasts for 3.8 months, from May 23 to September 18, with an average daily high temperature above 77°F. The hottest month of the year in Charleston is July, with an average high of 85°F and low of 66°F.

The cold season lasts for 2.9 months, from December 1 to February 28, with an average daily high temperature below 52°F. The coldest month of the year in Charleston is January, with an average low of 28°F and high of 44°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in Charleston

Average High and Low Temperature in CharlestonhotcoldcoldJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FJan 2943°FJan 2943°FJul 2085°FJul 2085°F27°F27°F67°F67°FMay 2377°FMay 2377°FSep 1877°FSep 1877°FDec 152°FDec 152°F56°F56°F58°F58°F35°F35°F32°F32°FNowNow
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.
AverageJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High 44°F48°F58°F69°F76°F82°F85°F84°F78°F67°F57°F48°F
Temp. 34°F37°F46°F57°F64°F72°F75°F74°F67°F56°F47°F38°F
Low 28°F30°F37°F46°F54°F63°F66°F65°F58°F47°F38°F32°F

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, 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 Charleston

Average Hourly Temperature in CharlestonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 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 AMNowNowfreezingvery coldvery coldcoldcoldcoolcoolcomfortablewarm
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.

Castelfranco Veneto, Italy (4,552 miles away) and Tbilisi, Georgia (5,969 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Charleston (view comparison).

Map
Marker
© OpenStreetMap contributors

Compare Charleston to another city:

Map

In Charleston, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Charleston begins around June 4 and lasts for 5.2 months, ending around November 11.

The clearest month of the year in Charleston is September, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 67% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 11 and lasts for 6.8 months, ending around June 4.

The cloudiest month of the year in Charleston is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 64% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories in Charleston

Cloud Cover Categories in CharlestonclearercloudiercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Aug 2668%Aug 2668%Jan 1135%Jan 1135%Jun 451%Jun 451%Nov 1152%Nov 1152%NowNowclearmostly 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.
FractionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Cloudier 64%62%56%51%50%46%41%34%33%40%50%61%
Clearer 36%38%44%49%50%54%59%66%67%60%50%39%

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Charleston varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 5.2 months, from March 14 to August 20, with a greater than 33% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Charleston is June, with an average of 12.7 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 6.8 months, from August 20 to March 14. The month with the fewest wet days in Charleston is January, with an average of 7.8 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Charleston is June, with an average of 12.7 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 43% on June 15.

Daily Chance of Precipitation in Charleston

Daily Chance of Precipitation in CharlestonwetdrydryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Jun 1543%Jun 1543%Oct 1924%Oct 1924%Mar 1433%Mar 1433%Aug 2033%Aug 2033%NowNowrainmixedsnow
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).
Days ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rain 6.3d6.8d9.6d10.6d12.6d12.7d12.7d10.6d8.3d7.9d7.5d7.4d
Mixed 0.8d1.0d0.6d0.1d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.2d0.7d
Snow 0.7d0.5d0.2d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.1d0.3d
Any 7.8d8.4d10.3d10.7d12.6d12.7d12.7d10.6d8.3d7.9d7.8d8.3d

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Charleston experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Charleston. The month with the most rain in Charleston is May, with an average rainfall of 3.8 inches.

The month with the least rain in Charleston is January, with an average rainfall of 2.0 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in Charleston

Average Monthly Rainfall in CharlestonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in1 in1 in2 in2 in3 in3 in4 in4 in5 in5 in6 in6 in7 in7 inMay 173.8 inMay 173.8 inJan 162.0 inJan 162.0 inJul 103.8 inJul 103.8 inNov 292.9 inNov 292.9 inOct 52.5 inOct 52.5 inNowNow
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.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rainfall 2.0″2.5″2.9″3.2″3.8″3.5″3.7″3.0″2.6″2.6″2.8″2.6″

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Charleston experiences some seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 3.1 months, from December 14 to March 17, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Charleston is January, with an average snowfall of 2.3 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 8.9 months, from March 17 to December 14. The least snow falls around July 19, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

Average Monthly Snowfall in Charleston

Average Monthly Snowfall in CharlestonsnowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in1 in1 in2 in2 in3 in3 in4 in4 in5 in5 in6 in6 in7 in7 inJan 252.5 inJan 252.5 inJul 190.0 inJul 190.0 inDec 141.0 inDec 141.0 inMar 171.0 inMar 171.0 inNowNow
The average snowfall (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 rainfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Snowfall 2.3″2.2″1.1″0.2″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.2″1.0″

The length of the day in Charleston varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 30 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 14 hours, 51 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in Charleston

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in CharlestonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hr12 hr, 7 minMar 1912 hr, 7 minMar 1914 hr, 51 minJun 2014 hr, 51 minJun 2012 hr, 10 minSep 2212 hr, 10 minSep 229 hr, 30 minDec 219 hr, 30 minDec 21nightnightdayNowNow
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.
Hours ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight 9.8h10.8h12.0h13.2h14.3h14.8h14.5h13.6h12.4h11.2h10.1h9.5h

The earliest sunrise is at 6:02 AM on June 13, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 52 minutes later at 7:54 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 5:05 PM on December 6, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 49 minutes later at 8:54 PM on June 27.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Charleston during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in Charleston

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in CharlestonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMJun 136:02 AMJun 136:02 AM8:54 PMJun 278:54 PMJun 27Dec 65:05 PMDec 65:05 PM7:54 AMNov 27:54 AMNov 2Mar 10DSTMar 10DSTDSTNov 3DSTNov 3daynightnightnightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. 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 transitions to and from daylight saving time are indicated by the 'DST' labels.

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 Charleston

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in CharlestonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 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 AM0001010101020202030303040404050506060700001010102020202030304040505060702875NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 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 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.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in Charleston

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.

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.

Charleston experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.8 months, from May 26 to September 20, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 16% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Charleston is July, with 19.4 days that are muggy or worse.

The least muggy day of the year is February 10, when muggy conditions are essentially unheard of.

Humidity Comfort Levels in Charleston

Humidity Comfort Levels in CharlestonmuggyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Feb 100%Feb 100%Jul 2666%Jul 2666%May 2616%May 2616%Sep 2016%Sep 2016%NowNowoppressiveoppressivemuggymuggydrydryhumidhumidcomfortablecomfortable
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.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Muggy days 0.0d0.0d0.0d0.1d3.0d11.7d19.4d16.9d6.9d0.7d0.0d0.0d

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 experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 5.6 months, from November 11 to April 29, with average wind speeds of more than 4.4 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Charleston is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 5.7 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 6.4 months, from April 29 to November 11. The calmest month of the year in Charleston is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 3.0 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed in Charleston

Average Wind Speed in CharlestonwindywindyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph0 mph1 mph1 mph2 mph2 mph3 mph3 mph4 mph4 mph5 mph5 mph6 mph6 mph7 mph7 mph8 mph8 mph9 mph9 mphFeb 255.8 mphFeb 255.8 mphJul 313.0 mphJul 313.0 mphNov 114.4 mphNov 114.4 mphApr 294.4 mphApr 294.4 mphNowNow
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wind Speed (mph) 5.55.75.54.83.93.33.13.03.43.94.54.9

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Charleston varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 1.9 months, from April 27 to June 23 and for 4.1 months, from August 7 to December 10, with a peak percentage of 42% on November 17. The wind is most often from the west for 1.5 months, from June 23 to August 7 and for 4.6 months, from December 10 to April 27, with a peak percentage of 40% on July 12.

Wind Direction in Charleston

Wind Direction in CharlestonWSWSWJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NowNowwestsouthnortheast
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).

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Charleston throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Charleston for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid July to late September, with a peak score in the last week of August.

Tourism Score in Charleston

Tourism Score in Charlestonbest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810106.66.60.40.4NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationtourism score
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Charleston for hot-weather activities is from late June to late August, with a peak score in the last week of July.

Beach/Pool Score in Charleston

Beach/Pool Score in Charlestonbest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810105.65.60.00.0NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationbeach/pool score
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

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 6.5 months (197 days), from around April 11 to around October 26, rarely starting before March 25 or after May 4, and rarely ending before October 7 or after November 13.

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

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Charlestongrowing seasonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%50%Apr 1150%Apr 1150%Oct 2650%Oct 2690%May 490%May 490%Oct 790%Oct 710%Mar 2510%Mar 2510%Nov 1310%Nov 130%Dec 240%Dec 24Jul 27100%Jul 27100%freezingvery coldcoldcoolcomfortablewarmhotfrigid
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.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Charleston should appear around March 8, only rarely appearing before February 19 or after March 26.

Growing Degree Days in Charleston

Growing Degree Days in CharlestonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F500°F500°F1,000°F1,000°F1,500°F1,500°F2,000°F2,000°F2,500°F2,500°F3,000°F3,000°F3,500°F3,500°F4,000°F4,000°FMar 887°FMar 887°FMay 30900°FMay 30900°FJul 101,800°FJul 101,800°FDec 313,989°FDec 313,989°FNowNow
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, 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 experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 4.2 months, from April 28 to September 2, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.8 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Charleston is June, with an average of 6.6 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.1 months, from November 8 to February 12, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.8 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Charleston is December, with an average of 1.9 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in Charleston

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in CharlestonbrightdarkdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWh9 kWh9 kWhJul 16.7 kWhJul 16.7 kWhDec 241.9 kWhDec 241.9 kWhApr 285.8 kWhApr 285.8 kWhSep 25.8 kWhSep 25.8 kWhFeb 122.8 kWhFeb 122.8 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Solar Energy (kWh) 2.13.04.25.46.16.66.66.25.23.82.61.9

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Charleston are 38.350 deg latitude, -81.633 deg longitude, and 594 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Charleston contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 574 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 775 feet. Within 10 miles contains significant variations in elevation (1,066 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (3,002 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Charleston is covered by artificial surfaces (65%) and trees (34%), within 10 miles by trees (86%) and artificial surfaces (13%), and within 50 miles by trees (93%).

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 4 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:

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.

Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page.