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Columbus weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Average temperatures in Columbus follow a clear seasonal rhythm, rising and falling by 33.9°F over the course of the year. No season stands out as markedly wetter. Precipitation arrives fairly evenly year-round. Columbus weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

−1.1°Fhigh near average

75° / 44°Today
77° / 53°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+2.4°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–4916frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 17 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 17 in the 1940s129days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 95 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 95 in the 1940s+2.4°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 4.2 incheshigh 58°low 39°February, rain 4.2 incheshigh 62°low 42°March, rain 4.6 incheshigh 69°low 48°April, rain 3.4 incheshigh 77°low 55°May, rain 3.1 incheshigh 84°low 63°June, rain 3.3 incheshigh 89°low 70°July, rain 4.5 incheshigh 91°low 73°August, rain 3.6 incheshigh 90°low 72°September, rain 3.3 incheshigh 86°low 68°October, rain 2.5 incheshigh 78°low 56°November, rain 3.3 incheshigh 68°low 47°December, rain 4.2 incheshigh 60°low 41°wettest month March, 4.6 inches · 44.1 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Clear

Right now

45.1°

42°feels like
88%humidity
42°dew point
3 mphfrom N
UV index0.0
sunrise07:48sunset19:00day length11h 12m
TodayClear75°44°
ThuClear80°47°
FriClear78°56°
SatClear75°54°
SunClear75°56°
MonClear77°55°
TueOvercast76°55°

On this date: October 21

Today (forecast)
75° / 44°
Average for October 21
77° / 53°

High near average · −1.1°F

  • Highest since 1940: 88.0° · 1963
  • Lowest since 1940: 31.8° · 1989
  • One year ago: 81° / 46°

Every October 21 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 21 on record (n = 86). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Columbus is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 32.46°N, 84.99°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
32.46°N, 84.99°W
Time zone
America/New York
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

19 of the last 30 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +2.1°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

July brings the year's peak warmth, with afternoons typically reaching 90.7°F and nights around 73.2°F. On about 130 nights a year, the temperature never drops below 68°F. The coolest month is January, when afternoons reach about 57.7°F and overnight lows sit around 39.1°F. Frost shows up on around 15 mornings a year.

In total, Columbus averages about 44.1 inches of precipitation a year; March is usually the wettest month (4.6 inches) and October the driest (2.5 inches).

Comparing the record's first decade with its most recent one, Columbus now averages 2.4°F warmer than it did in the 1940s. The count of days past 86°F has risen from roughly 95 a year to 130 between the record's first and last decades.

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 34°F. Wettest month: March (~4.6 in). Whole year averages ~44.1 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 99 rainy days a year: most in July (~13), fewest in October (~5).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Columbus month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Highest and Lowest are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightHighestLowest
January57.7°39.1°4.2 in910.1 h81.8° (1949)0.9° (1985)
February61.9°41.9°4.2 in810.8 h82.7° (2023)9.5° (1996)
March69.0°47.7°4.6 in911.8 h88.7° (2007)18.1° (1980)
April76.8°54.7°3.4 in712.8 h93.5° (1970)28.4° (1987)
May83.7°63.1°3.1 in713.7 h98.6° (1962)39.9° (1971)
June89.4°70.4°3.3 in1014.1 h106.7° (2012)49.8° (1972)
July90.7°73.2°4.5 in1313.9 h105.3° (1952)59.5° (1967)
August90.4°72.4°3.6 in1113.2 h105.5° (2007)59.9° (1992)
September86.2°67.5°3.3 in712.2 h100.9° (1951)37.3° (1967)
October77.6°56.4°2.5 in511.2 h98.7° (2019)28.8° (1952)
November67.6°46.8°3.3 in610.3 h86.0° (2016)12.4° (1950)
December59.9°41.3°4.2 in89.9 h80.4° (2021)5.3° (1962)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +2.4°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.27°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Mar–May is warming fastest: +0.34°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 86°F per year: 94.9 early in the record → 128.8 recently. Frost days: 17 → 16.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

Hottest day since 1940 in 2012, coldest in 1985: 106.7°F / 0.9°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~44.1 in/year on average. Last decade: +6% vs that average. Long-term trend: +0.64 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Columbus

Which is the warmest month in Columbus?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Columbus is July (mean daily temperature of about 80.9°F) and the coolest is January (about 47.0°F).
How does today's temperature in Columbus compare to the historical average?
On October 21, 2026, Columbus is forecast to reach a high of 75.4°F and a low of 43.5°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 76.5°F and a low of 52.8°F, so today's high is 1.1°F cooler than that average.
How much has Columbus warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Columbus is about 2.4°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Columbus?
Columbus receives about 44.1 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with March typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Columbus?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Columbus is about 65.0°F. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Columbus by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Columbus (°F, full record since 1940): January 58°/39°, February 62°/42°, March 69°/48°, April 77°/55°, May 84°/63°, June 89°/70°, July 91°/73°, August 90°/72°, September 86°/68°, October 78°/56°, November 68°/47°, December 60°/41°.
What is the weather like in Columbus in summer?
June to August is summer in Columbus, and it is hot. Daytime highs sit at 89–91°F and nights at 70–73°F; July is the warmest month. Rain is steady at around 3.8 inches a month, spread over roughly 11 days.
What is the weather like in Columbus in winter?
In winter, December through February, Columbus is wet and fairly mild. Afternoons run 58–62°F and nights 39–42°F; January is the coldest month. Rain falls on about 8 days a month, adding up to around 4.2 inches.
What is the weather like in Columbus in spring?
In spring, March through May, Columbus is pleasantly warm. It warms from 69°F by day and 48°F at night in March to 84°F and 63°F in May. Rain falls off from 4.6 inches on 9 days in March to 3.1 inches on 7 days in May.
What is the weather like in Columbus in autumn?
September to November is autumn in Columbus, and it is pleasantly warm. It cools from 86°F by day and 68°F at night in September to 68°F and 47°F in November. Rain falls on about 6 days a month, adding up to around 3.0 inches. No season is drier.
How many days a year does it rain in Columbus?
On long-term average, Columbus has about 99 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 44.1 inches.

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