South Carolina has a humid, subtropical climate; its summers are long and hot, its winters brief and mild. The average temperature in Columbia, SC ranges between 32 and 55 degrees F in January and between 70 degrees and 90+ degrees F in July. Brief periods of colder weather generally occur yearly in South Carolina. Most of South Carolina receives an average of 49 inches of precipitation each year. Most precipitation takes the form of rain, and most falls during springs and summers. The mountains and upper Piedmont are the only areas where snow usually falls.