Escape the Wrath of Winter on Edisto Island

One of the best of the many great things about Edisto Island is its mild, pleasant climate and lack of extreme weather, with rare exceptions. As a barrier island on the southern coast of South Carolina, Edisto Island is one of the largest in the chain of “Sea Islands” that form the coastline from north of Charleston to the northeast tip of Florida. The ocean exerts a considerable moderating effect on our coastal weather, tempering both the extreme daytime heat of summer and the colder nights in winter, compared to locations in the interior.

Edisto’s climate is “humid subtropical”. Summers are long and “warm” and winters are mild. Rainfall is generally abundant throughout the year. There are occasional droughts, though not usually severe this close to the coast. In spite of some recent wet weather in April, we are still in a prolonged period of below normal rainfall that has persisted for several years. Rainfall is normally more concentrated in the summer months, mainly due to frequent afternoon or evening thundershowers. The long-term average yearly rainfall on the island is close to 50 inches, but about half of that typically falls in a four-month period from late May to late September.

Spending much of my early life growing up on the southeast coast, my weather career finally brought my family back to the region in 1994 when we relocated to the Charleston area. Living in Summerville, we spent the first couple of summers looking for the best beaches in the area, from the Isle of Palms to Edisto. All were roughly the same distance from where we lived, and not surprisingly, Edisto stood out.

I can remember many days we would leave Edisto Beach in the late afternoon, under a still-sunny sky with a brisk sea breeze blowing. As we headed back toward Summerville, the thunderheads further inland became more noticeable - and closer - as we drove away from the beach. Often we would have to go through a “frog-strangler” somewhere between Ravenel and Summerville. Not only does the sea breeze normally keep our summertime afternoon temperatures lower than those further inland (though it raises the humidity) -- the cooler and more stable air blowing off the ocean also keeps much of the heavier summertime thunderstorm activity away from the coast. As a result, rainfall in the summer averages less on the islands than 10 to 30 miles inland.

Many newcomers to the southeast coast worry about the threat of hurricanes, with media coverage of the topic often overstating the danger. Tropical systems are a normal and expected part of life in this part of the country. In reality, a direct hit by a major hurricane is a rare event for any particular location on this part of the Carolina coast. The last “direct hit” on Edisto by a significant hurricane was in September 1959, when the eye of Gracie (a category 3 hurricane) crossed the coast just south of Edisto. Tropical storms are “out there” every summer, and bear watching, but most never come close. When they do, there is plenty of warning, especially if it’s a big one. The few tropical systems that do affect the area usually bring beneficial rain and little damage.