Season guide · Charleston · United States
Charleston in summer
June–August: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
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Quick answer
Hot and humid with daily afternoon storms; beaches, warm sea and evening dining on Shem Creek make up for midday heat. Expect highs up to 33°C (91°F) and lows around 21°C (70°F), with about 40 rainy days across June–August.
Key facts
- Months
- June–August
- Temperatures
- 21°C (70°F) to 33°C (91°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 40
- Sea
- 27°C (81°F) to 29°C (84°F)
- Crowds
- Busy
- Hotel prices
- High
Weather in summer
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June | 31°C (88°F) | 21°C (70°F) | 12 | 14.3 h | 4/5 |
| July | 33°C (91°F) | 23°C (73°F) | 14 | 14.1 h | 4/5 |
| August | 32°C (90°F) | 23°C (73°F) | 14 | 13.3 h | 3/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 32°C (90°F) against a yearly 25°C (77°F), and 40 of the year's roughly 112 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 4/5 and hotel prices 4/5 on average.
What's on in summer
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- June: Spoleto Festival USA continues (usually until early June)
- July: Fourth of July fireworks over the harbour (4 July)
Good choices for summer
Historic site · Upper King
Aiken-Rhett House
Spend time in the kitchen and slave quarters at the back; the self-guided audio tour is strongest there.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Museum · French Quarter and Market area
Old Slave Mart Museum
This building on cobbled Chalmers Street was part of Ryan's Mart, where enslaved people were auctioned in the late 1850s after public sales were banned from the street.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes–1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Ansonborough
International African American Museum
Leave time for the African Ancestors Memorial Garden, where the outline of a slave ship is set into the ground beside the harbour.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
Gallery · French Quarter and Market area
Gibbes Museum of Art
The Gibbes, in a 1905 Beaux-Arts building on Meeting Street, collects art connected with Charleston and the American South, from colonial portrait miniatures to the Charleston Renaissance watercolours of Alice Ravenel Huger Smith.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Upper King
The Charleston Museum
It faces the visitor centre on Meeting Street, so it is an easy first stop to get your bearings on a rainy morning.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
Day trips in summer
- Beaufort (About 1 hour 30 minutes by car) — A small antebellum town on the Beaufort River with white-columned houses, a waterfront park and a quieter pace than Charleston.
- Savannah (About 2 hours by car) — Georgia's oldest city is laid out around 22 garden squares shaded by live oaks and Spanish moss.
What to pack
- Light, breathable clothes, a sun hat and high-factor sunscreen
- A compact umbrella and waterproof shoes — rain is frequent
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is summer a good time to visit Charleston?
It is a trade-off: Hot and humid with daily afternoon storms; beaches, warm sea and evening dining on Shem Creek make up for midday heat. The best months overall are March–May and October–November.
+What is the weather like in Charleston in summer?
Highs of up to 33°C (91°F) and lows around 21°C (70°F), with about 40 rainy days over the season.