Chesapeake in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), Chesapeake sees average daytime highs around 67°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 10.9 in of precipitation over about 31 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 55°F in early March to 79°F by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

Spring is Chesapeake's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Chesapeake's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
67°F
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
51°F
Precipitation
10.9 in
31 wet days
Avg wind
9 mph
Travel score
5.9
2nd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Chesapeake in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 55°F in early March to 79°F by late May.

A typical spring day in Chesapeake reaches about 67°F and drops to 51°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.

20°40°60°80°MarAprMay

How spring really feels in Chesapeake

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 3 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
3
wind chill below the day's low

The story in spring is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Chesapeake weather by month

How the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan49° / 34°3.49.11.39.82.2
Feb52° / 35°3.091.110.62.8
Mar59° / 42°3.910.40.511.74.5
Apr68° / 51°3.39.7012.96.4
May75° / 59°3.710.9013.96.7
Jun83° / 68°4.111.7014.55.6
Jul87° / 73°5.215.1014.34.3
Aug85° / 71°4.712.9013.45.0
Sep80° / 66°4.711.1012.26.4
Oct71° / 55°3.77.90117.0
Nov61° / 45°3.48.50.1105.3
Dec53° / 38°3.59.30.59.53.2

Cloud cover in Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time across spring.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitationSnow

Chesapeake gets around 10.9 in of rain and snow over 31 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%MarAprMay

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Wind in Spring

Winds average 9 mph across spring.

051015MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min in early March to 14 h 18 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMMarAprMay

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 5.4 kWh/m².

0246MarAprMay
Planning a trip in spring

Hazard calendar for Chesapeake

In seasonPeak

None of Chesapeake's seasonal hazards peak in spring. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.

Chesapeake sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is spring a good time to visit Chesapeake?

Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

5.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
3.1
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

spring is a reasonable time to visit Chesapeake for sightseeing.

What to pack for Chesapeake in Spring

From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In spring, Chesapeake sees daytime highs around 67°F and nights near 51°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes, a warm layer and rain gear. About 31 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesa warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Chesapeake in Spring

The nearest coast averages about 54°F across spring — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 22 mi away) is warmest in August at about 78°F and coldest in February near 43°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 3 to Oct 16 — about 4.5 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan46Bracing
Feb43Bracing
Mar46Bracing
Apr53Bracing
May63Cool
Jun72Refreshing
Jul77Warm
Aug78Warm
Sep75Warm
Oct68Refreshing
Nov59Cool
Dec52Bracing

UV index in Chesapeake in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chesapeake peaks around July 12 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Chesapeake in Spring

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Chesapeake is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Chesapeake?

Chesapeake sits at 36.8°N, 76.3°W, 10 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Portsmouth, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Chesapeake

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Chesapeake.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Chesapeake has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 79 ft around an average of 13 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 194 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 230 ft.

The land around Chesapeake is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and trees (28%) within 2 miles, trees (48%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 10 miles, and trees (41%) and water (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
79 ft
10 miles
194 ft
50 miles
230 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
Spring weather nearby: Portsmouth 1.9 mi · Norfolk 1.9 mi · Portsmouth Heights 5.0 mi · Newport News 14 mi · Hampton 15 mi · East Hampton 16 mi · Virginia Beach 17 mi · Suffolk 18 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Chesapeake (36.819°, -76.2749°, elevation 10 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.