SC Map/Climate

South Carolina Map of Regions and Climate

Although South Carolina is one of the smallest states in the country, the 40th in terms of size, it contains all three of the geographic regions found in the Eastern United States.  South Carolina is made up of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the Piedmont Plateau, and the Blue Ridge Mountain Region.

Locals to the South in general, and South Carolina in particular, often simplify these monikers by referring to the Piedmont Plateau and the Blue Ridge Region as the UP-Country, and the Atlantic Coastal Plain as the Low-Country.  As their names indicate, the Up-Country, and the Low-Country are separated by elevations, which in turn effect temperatures and humidity.  South Carolina receives an average of 49 inches of precipitation per year, mostly rain.  The wettest seasons are spring and summer.  The Mountain Region receives the most precipitation, followed by the Coastal Plain, and finally the Piedmont.

Yearly temperatures in South Carolina range from averages of just under 40 to 50 degrees in the winter, to highs of 80 and 90 degrees in the summer months.  Daily temperature ranges are around twenty degrees in most of the state, with the coast being slightly less, as a result of the nearby water balancing temperatures.  The highest recorded temperature in South Carolina is 111 degrees, which occurred in 1925 in Blackville, and in 1954 in Camden.   The lowest recorded temperature is minus 19 degrees, recorded in 1977 in Caesar's Head.  Relative humidity in most of the state is around 86 percent in the mornings and about 60 percent in the evening.

Geographic make-up plays a role in the climate South Carolina experiences.  Overall, the yearly temperature is classified as sub-tropical, and it is typically quite warm.  Spring and summer are long, and can be very humid.  Fall and winter are distinct, although mild.  These temperatures are a result of the southern latitude, primarily low-lying elevations most of the state is made-up of, the shielding mountains in the west and the presence of the Gulf Stream off the coast.  Severe weather to watch out for in South Carolina includes hurricanes, severe thunderstorms, and water-spouts, which are a form of tornado found over bodies of water.

Coastal Plain

The Coastal Plain accounts for almost two-thirds of South Carolina's area and can be broken up into two parts, the Inner Coastal Plain; the area that connects with the Piedmont Plateau, and the Outer Coastal Plain; the area that meets the ocean.  From north to south, South Carolina's coast measures 187 miles long.

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Piedmont Plateau

The Piedmont Plateau consists of most of the middle of South Carolina.  The state capital, Columbia, is located in the heart of the Piedmont Plateau.  The Piedmont begins at the Fall Line, which is the point where rivers running from the west towards the ocean have a period of rapids as they descend from the hard rock of the Piedmont to the softer soils of the Coastal Plain.  Elevations of South Carolina's Piedmont Plateau begin at about 400 feet, and run up to around 1,400 feet.  The landscape is mostly gentle hills that become more extreme the farther west and northwest you travel.

Read more about the South CarolinaPiedmont Plateau

Mountain Region

The Mountain Region is the smallest of South Carolina's three regions.  The highest peak in the Mountain Region is Sassafras Mountain which has an altitude of 3,554 feet.  Most of the region has top heights of about 3,000 feet.  South Carolina's  Mountains are mostly covered in forest and have a number of rivers and man-made lakes.

Read more about the South Carolina Mountain Region