Lowcountry Almanac: August 2026

Plan your month with August weather predictions, gardening advice, astronomical events, fishing windows and seasonal tips for life outdoors in the Lowcountry.

Story by Bailey Gilliam

August settles over the Lowcountry in shimmering waves of heat and sunlight as the season reaches its finishing stretch. Long, humid days hang above warm ocean waters. Golden marshes and gardens overflow with late-season harvests. With guidance from the 2026 Old Farmer’s Almanac and Grow Great Vegetables South Carolina, this month’s almanac helps you make the most of summer’s final full chapter in sync with the coast.

Weather predictions

August delivers peak summer conditions across the Lowcountry, with oppressive humidity, soaring temperatures and frequent afternoon thunderstorms offering brief relief from the heat.

Average temperature: 80 degrees (1 degree below average)
Precipitation: 5.5 inches (1 inch above average)

Forecast by week

• Aug. 1-11: Scattered thunderstorms; warm
• Aug. 12-14: Hurricane threat; cooler temperatures
• Aug. 15-23: Periods of showers; cool
• Aug. 24-28: Sunny and mild
• Aug. 29-31: Scattered thunderstorms; mild

Night & day

Summer still dominates the calendar in August, but daylight gradually begins its retreat as the Lowcountry shows its first subtle signs of fall.

Sunrise: 6:38 a.m.-6:57 a.m. (later each day)
Sunset: 8:20 p.m.-7:48 p.m. (earlier each day)

Astronomical events

August offers some of the year’s best stargazing opportunities with meteor showers, eclipse activity and warm summer nights.

• Aug. 12: A new moon occurs, creating dark skies ideal for nighttime viewing.
• Aug. 12-13: The Perseid meteor shower reaches peak activity, and the moonless sky makes conditions nearly perfect for viewing one of the year’s brightest meteor displays.
• Aug. 28: The full Sturgeon Moon rises. Named by Native American tribes for the giant lake sturgeon most abundant during late summer, it will brilliantly illuminate the evening sky.
• Aug. 28: A deep partial lunar eclipse occurs, with roughly 96% of the moon passing through Earth’s shadow, creating a striking blood moon effect.

Tides & currents

Life here follows the water. Follow the latest tide and current predictions from NOAA, and plan your days accordingly.

In the garden

August is a balancing act in the garden. Summer crops are reaching peak production while savvy gardeners begin laying the groundwork for the cooler months ahead.

Prep

Start planning next year’s garden layout, prepare strawberry beds for fall planting, thin carrots and rutabagas, cut back chard and celery, and stay diligent with weeding and harvesting.

Plant

August offers a valuable window for both heat-loving crops and the first vegetables destined for fall harvest.

Outdoors:Continue succession planting summer crops, direct sow Asian greens, and establish seedlings for cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collards and broccoli rabe. Early in the month, transplant quick-ripening tomatoes for a fall harvest, and sow cover crops such as buckwheat, soybeans, clovers and oats.