Photo: Evanoco · CC BY-SA 4.0Kershaw’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 31°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Kershaw at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kershaw’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kershaw’s place in South Carolina beside it.
What a year in Kershaw feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 237 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 23 and the first by November 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Wateree Dam, SC, 16 miles from the town’s center, 300 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kershaw’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 44 inches of rain a year
August is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain falls on about 90 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Wateree Dam, SC, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Kershaw
58% 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 Wateree Dam, SC.
Living with Kershaw’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
237 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 23 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Kershaw from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (31%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 22%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kershaw and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Kershaw yet.
Climates most like Kershaw’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kershaw, SC | 31° | 91° | 44" | 0.0" |
| Nashville, NC | 30° | 90° | 47" | 0.7" |
| Cartersville, GA | 32° | 90° | 49" | 0.0" |
| Hidden Valley Lake, CA | 36° | 92° | 40" | 0.3" |
| Emporia, VA | 29° | 90° | 48" | 1.4" |
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 Kershaw averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 60% 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 Kershaw compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kershaw’s place among South Carolina’s.
Kershaw weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Kershaw’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Wateree Dam, SC. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 31° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 37° – 48° |
| February | 58° | 34° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 38° – 55° |
| March | 66° | 40° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 46° – 62° |
| April | 75° | 48° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| May | 81° | 56° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| June | 88° | 65° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| July | 91° | 68° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 77° – 83° |
| August | 89° | 67° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 75° – 84° |
| September | 84° | 62° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| October | 74° | 50° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| November | 64° | 39° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| December | 57° | 34° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 36° – 56° |
| Year | 73° | 49° | 43.7" | 0.0" | 90 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 36° to 56°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Kershaw’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 Kershaw’s center.
- Snow: Wateree Dam, SC.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Wateree Dam, SC, 16 miles from the town’s center, 300 ft lower; 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 Kershaw’s climate
What is the weather like in Kershaw?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 31°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 74% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 81% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Kershaw in winter?
January nights average 31°. About 59 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 37°.
How much snow does Kershaw get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Wateree Dam, SC, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Kershaw?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 68°. About 86 days a year reach 90° and 6 reach 100° (Wateree Dam, SC).
When is the first and last frost in Kershaw?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 23 and the first fall frost by November 14, about 237 frost-free days, at Wateree Dam, SC.
What growing zone is Kershaw 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 Kershaw?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Kershaw getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Kershaw.
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.