Maria Pettis, Realtor (843) 860-3901

As an agent who frequently works with people looking to relocate to South Carolina, I'm often asked what the weather is like throughout the year.  How cold does it get in winter?  How hot is it during the summer?  Do you get four seasons? Do I worry about hurricanes and flooding?  Well, believe or not, there are no simple answers to some of these questions, at least not in my mind, even though most locals will kid with you that there are only two seasons here...summer and not summer!

Right now it's fall and fall has been my very favorite season.  Being from Long Island originally, I miss having a true fall that you can count on like clockwork.  October rolls around and the weather is cool and crisp and the leaves change to vibrant colors.  But here in the Charleston area, anything goes!  I remember one fall when we first moved here that it was so warm we were wearing shorts all the way through til mid-December!  I remember having Thanksgiving and preparing for Christmas thinking "this just isn't right!".  While not unheard of, that was probably a bit unusual.  There have been other years when we've had very Autumn-like conditions with cooler days and pretty foliage that has lasted several weeks.  Most years, it's probably somewhere in between these two scenarios.

I do love winter here though.  While it can get downright cold overnight, most days are moderate enough to enjoy being outside.  Great weather to take a walk or take the dog to the beach or a bike ride with the kids. 

Ok, I won't lie to you...summers are just plain hot!  I'd never heard of the heat index until moving here.  We get heat waves where temps are 100 degrees and the heat index makes it feel like 105!  Those are days you just stay in the air conditioning or jump in the pool!  But it does fluctuate and you can have days where it's quite warm, but tolerable. 

Even with the extreme heat of the summer, most of the year the weather is moderate and pleasant.  It's one thing that makes living here in the lowcountry so special...oyster roasts outside in the winter, the Coast Carolina Fair in late October, Christmas festivities where you don't have to freeze your tuckus off, summer days at the beach cooling off in the water (which is never freezing in the summer by the way unlike the waters up North!)

As for the hurricanes and possible flooding, I'll save that for another day as that is a topic in and of itself.  But suffice it to say that hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, etc can hit any part of the country.  Being prepared and having a plan is the key should anything happen no matter where you live.

For now let me say good bye so I can head outside to plant some mums I just bought because today is a beautiful, crisp autumn morning with crystal clear blue skies! 

Year Round Average Temps for Charleston, SC