What Are the Warmest Cities in South Carolina?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The three warmest cities in South Carolina are Beaufort, Charleston, and Bluffton.
In this article I’m going to share with you my ranking of the warmest places in South Carolina.
I created my list by researching data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other climate data providers.
Below I’m listing the top 10 warmest places in South Carolina that have the highest average yearly temperatures. Later in the article I share a table with 29 most populous cities in South Carolina.
You may also want to read my article “What Are Winters Like in South Carolina?”
Top 10 Warmest Cities in South Carolina
Here are the top 10 warmest places in South Carolina ranked by their daily mean temperature. The differences between the top 10 cities are small as they all share the same humid subtropical climate. However, the temperatures of these cities are still noticeably higher than the average for all 29 cities I researched for this article (63.4 °F).
1. Beaufort – daily mean temperature of 67.35 °F
The warmest city in South Carolina is Beaufort, the second-oldest city in the state (behind Charleston). It’s a small town with about 13,500 residents, located on Port Royal Island. It has been awarded various prestigious titles, such as “The Best Small Southern Town” by Southern Living and “Top 50 Adventure Town” by National Geographic Adventure. Beaufort enjoys mild winters with average daily highs of 60-64 °F and lows of 40-43 °F. Meanwhile, summers are hot, with highs of 89-92 °F and lows of 71-75 °F. While the difference between Beaufort, Charleston, and other cities in the top 10 isn’t that big, the average temperature of Beaufort is 8.15 °F higher than in the coldest city of South Carolina (Walhalla).
2. Charleston – daily mean temperature of 67.2 °F
The second warmest city in South Carolina is the most populous city of the state: Charleston. Due to its location on the coast, Charleston enjoys the least extreme weather in the state. It has much smaller differences between daytime and nighttime temperatures compared to other cities in South Carolina. Compared to Beaufort, Charleston is only slightly cooler, particularly at night. Other than that, if you’re looking for the best weather in South Carolina, there’s no huge difference between these two destinations. Compared to the second most populous city in South Carolina (and its capital), Columbia, Charleston is almost three degrees warmer on average.
3. Bluffton – daily mean temperature of 66.5 °F
Bluffton is a city of about 28,000 inhabitants, located about 32 miles southwest of Beaufort, near Hilton Head Island. Compared to Beaufort, it has slightly cooler nighttime temperatures. It also has cooler temperatures in the summer during the day (which is a good thing if you’re looking for a place with cooler summers). It’s one of the fastest growing cities in South Carolina.
4. Moncks Corner – daily mean temperature of 66.1 °F
Moncks Corner is a town of about 12,000 people, situated 33 miles north of Charleston. It’s located near Lake Moultrie, the third largest lake in South Carolina. Moncks Corner has a similar climate to Charleston, only its distance from the coast makes it summers hotter by about 2 degrees.
5. Hilton Head Island – daily mean temperature of 66 °F
Hilton Head Island is a resort town and barrier island located about 31 miles northeast of Savannah, Georgia. It’s a perfect option for those who want to live in a small city as close to the coast as possible while enjoying great weather. Hilton Head is known for its eco-friendly development with very high tree cover.
6. North Charleston – daily mean temperature of 65.9 °F
North Charleston is the third most populous city in South Carolina (the second is Columbia, not featured in the top 10). The city is located about 10 miles northwest of Charleston, close to the airport. The distance is short but it still has an impact on the local climate. Because downtown Charleston’s climate is more strongly moderated by the ocean, it has noticeably higher nighttime temperatures. For example, in the winter, Charleston has average lows of about 43-47 °F compared to 37-41 °F in North Charleston.
7. Orangeburg – daily mean temperature of 65.55 °F
Orangeburg is a town of about 13,000 residents, located 45 miles south of Columbia. Due to its inland location, it has higher daytime temperatures during the winter (by 1-3 degrees) and much hotter summers than Charleston (by up to 5 degrees). It has much colder nights, though, which may be welcome during its hot summer but isn’t ideal during the winter (the lowest average lows are 36 °F compared to 43 °F in Charleston).
8. Georgetown – daily mean temperature of 65.05 °F
Georgetown is the third oldest city in South Carolina. It’s located by Winyah Bay, a confluence of several rivers draining into the Atlantic Ocean. Georgetown is about 61 miles northeast of Charleston. Because it’s not directly on the coast as Charleston is, it has hotter summers and higher diurnal variations in temperature.
9. Barnwell – daily mean temperature of 65 °F
Barnwell is a small town with a population of about 5,000 residents. It’s located about 61 miles southwest of Columbia, close to the state’s border with Georgia. Like other inland cities in South Carolina, its weather is hotter in the summer than coastal destinations. It also has colder nighttime temperatures.
10. Conway – daily mean temperature of 64.55 °F
The tenth warmest city in South Carolina is Conway. Conway is a city of about 25,000 residents, located 15 miles northwest of the popular vacation resort of Myrtle Beach. Conway has the lowest nighttime temperatures in this top10 ranking, with average winter lows of 35-38 °F. Still, on the whole, it’s warmer than 19 other cities in South Carolina not featured in this ranking (but featured in the table below).
29 Biggest Cities in South Carolina Ranked by Daily Mean Temperature
I created the table below by researching data for the most populous municipalities in South Carolina. When I couldn’t find data for a given city, I moved on to another. While the list includes 29 cities, some of the bigger cities may be missing because there was no data for them. Please check the closest geographically city then.
| City | Average high temperature (°F) | Average low temperature (°F) | Daily mean temperature (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaufort | 76.8 | 57.9 | 67.35 |
| Charleston | 73.3 | 61.1 | 67.2 |
| Bluffton | 76 | 57 | 66.5 |
| Moncks Corner | 76.5 | 55.7 | 66.1 |
| Hilton Head Island | 76 | 56 | 66 |
| North Charleston | 76.2 | 55.6 | 65.9 |
| Orangeburg | 77.2 | 53.9 | 65.55 |
| Georgetown | 75.6 | 54.5 | 65.05 |
| Barnwell | 75 | 55 | 65 |
| Conway | 75.3 | 53.8 | 64.55 |
| Bamberg | 76 | 53 | 64.5 |
| Columbia | 75.6 | 53 | 64.3 |
| Florence | 75.6 | 52.8 | 64.2 |
| Sumter | 75 | 53 | 64 |
| Aiken | 74.9 | 52 | 63.45 |
| Lexington | 75 | 51 | 63 |
| Darlington | 75 | 50.6 | 62.8 |
| Blythewood | 74 | 51 | 62.5 |
| Myrtle Beach | 72.4 | 52.3 | 62.35 |
| Rock Hill | 73.1 | 51.1 | 62.1 |
| Clemson | 73 | 50 | 61.5 |
| Abbeville | 73 | 50 | 61.5 |
| Greenville | 72.3 | 50.4 | 61.35 |
| Spartanburg | 73.1 | 49.3 | 61.2 |
| Laurens | 73.2 | 48.6 | 60.9 |
| Pickens | 72 | 49.2 | 60.6 |
| Chester | 72.4 | 48.2 | 60.3 |
| Travelers Rest | 71 | 48 | 59.5 |
| Walhalla | 71 | 47.4 | 59.2 |
Check the Warmest Cities in Neighboring States
If you’re interested in learning about the warmest cities in states neighboring South Carolina, check out the following articles:
Also check my article on the warmest cities in the US in every state. In my article on what state has the best weather I also included South Carolina due to its warm year round climate.
Frequently Asked Questions
The warmest city in South Carolina is Beaufort, with a yearly daily mean temperature of 67.35 °F. The city is closely followed by Charleston with a yearly daily mean temperature of 67.2 °F.
Walhalla, a town of about 5,000 people in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is the coldest city in South Carolina. Its annual average daily temperature is 59.2 °F compared to 67.35 °F in the warmest city of the state.
Hilton Head Island is your best option for enjoying the coast. Even in the winter, average daytime temperatures reach at least 60 °F, allowing comfortable walks down the beach. The town is also very sunny, making it one of the places with the best weather in South Carolina.
Yes, Hilton Head is warmer than Myrtle Beach. Hilton Head has a yearly daily mean temperature of 66 °F compared to 62.35 °F in Myrtle Beach.
South Carolina is much colder than Florida. The average temperature for the 29 major cities in South Carolina is 63.4 °F. In Florida, for the 100 places I researched for the article on the warmest cities in Florida, that’s 73.3 °F.
The warmest places in South Carolina are warm year round. During winter, they get temperatures of 60-64 °F. As long as it’s not cloudy, there’s no precipitation and there’s calm wind (or no wind at all), winters can be very comfortable. Meanwhile, summers are hot, experience high humidity, and have highs of 89-92 °F.