Alexander-Hill House · Photo: Bill Fitzpatrick · CC BY-SA 3.0Keowee Key sits near the top of U.S. towns for precipitation, with 60 inches a year
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 90° on average. Its July heat outdoes that of 76% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from March to May and September to October, with highs of 65–83°.
A year in Keowee Key at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Keowee Key’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Keowee Key’s place in South Carolina beside it.
What a year in Keowee Key feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 203 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 11 and the first by October 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Walhalla, SC, 10 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Keowee Key’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 14°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 1 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Pickens, SC, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 60 inches a year; August is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 116 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Keowee Key
71% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Walhalla, SC.
Living with Keowee Key’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
203 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 11 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 30.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Keowee Key from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (59%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 28%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Keowee Key and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Keowee Key yet.
Climates most like Keowee Key’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keowee Key, SC | 31° | 90° | 60" | 1.0" |
| Booneville, MS | 31° | 90° | 59" | 1.1" |
| Moores Mill, AL | 30° | 90° | 59" | 1.1" |
| Fayetteville, TN | 29° | 89° | 60" | 1.1" |
| Murraysville, NC | 34° | 90° | 58" | 0.9" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Keowee Key averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 88% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Keowee Key compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Keowee Key’s place among South Carolina’s.
Keowee Key weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Keowee Key’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Pickens, SC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 31° | 5.3" | 0.4" | 10 | 0 | 35° – 48° |
| February | 57° | 34° | 4.7" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 38° – 54° |
| March | 65° | 41° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 46° – 62° |
| April | 73° | 48° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| May | 80° | 56° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| June | 87° | 65° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 72° – 79° |
| July | 90° | 69° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 76° – 83° |
| August | 88° | 68° | 5.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 74° – 83° |
| September | 83° | 62° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| October | 73° | 50° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 65° |
| November | 63° | 39° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| December | 55° | 34° | 5.7" | 0.4" | 10 | 0 | 35° – 55° |
| Year | 72° | 50° | 59.6" | 1.0" | 116 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 35° to 55°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Keowee Key’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Keowee Key’s center.
- Snow: Pickens, SC.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Walhalla, SC, 10 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft higher; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Keowee Key’s climate
What is the weather like in Keowee Key?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 31°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 74% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 76% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Keowee Key in winter?
January nights average 31°. About 79 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 35°.
How much snow does Keowee Key get?
About 1.0 inches in a normal winter at Pickens, SC, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Keowee Key?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 69°. About 44 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Walhalla, SC).
When is the first and last frost in Keowee Key?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 11 and the first fall frost by October 30, about 203 frost-free days, at Walhalla, SC.
What growing zone is Keowee Key in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Keowee Key?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Keowee Key getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 88% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Keowee Key.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.