Columbus weather in August

In August, Columbus sees average daytime highs of 84°F and overnight lows near 66°F, with 3.1 in of rain across 9.1 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 84°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in August, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 06 min at the start of August to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Columbus's 2nd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Columbus's year-round climate.

Daytime high
84°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
66°
11th coldest
Rainfall
3.1 in
9.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
6:01 AM – 7:34 PM
Cloud cover
53%
2nd clearest
Wind
5 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

Columbus is city in Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States.

Density
644/km²
people per km²
Founded
1820

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 84°F through the month.

A typical August day in Columbus reaches about 84°F in the afternoon and slips back to 66°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 77°F and 91°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 6°F warmer than September.

50°60°70°80°90°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18567
28567
38467
48467
58467
68467
78467
88466
98466
108466
118466
128466
138466
148466
158466
168466
178466
188466
198466
208465
218365
228365
238365
248365
258365
268365
278365
288365
298364
308364
318364

How August really feels in Columbus

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

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

August sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Columbus weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan38° / 24°3.39.33.79.60.0
Feb42° / 26°2.98.53.410.50.4
Mar53° / 35°4.110.81.611.72.8
Apr64° / 46°4.912.30.2135.4
May73° / 56°5.013.3014.16.2
Jun82° / 65°4.411.8014.75.8
Jul85° / 68°3.611.6014.55.1
Aug84° / 66°3.19.1013.55.8
Sep78° / 58°3.08.1012.37.1
Oct66° / 47°3.28.50116.2
Nov52° / 37°3.59.20.79.92.9
Dec42° / 29°3.510.23.19.30.3

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35842
45842
55743
65743
75644
85644
95644
105545
115545
125545
135545
145644
155644
165644
175743
185743
195743
205842
215842
225842
235842
245842
255842
265941
275941
285842
295941
305941
315941

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Columbus gets around 3.1 in of rain over 9.1 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 30% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
233
332
432
532
631
731
831
931
1031
1131
1231
1331
1431
1530
1630
1729
1829
1928
2028
2128
2228
2328
2428
2528
2628
2727
2827
2927
3027
3127

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the muggy band about 28% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 47% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
17182329220
28182330210
38182330210
48182430200
58192430191
68192429191
79192429191
89192429181
910192428181
1010192427181
1110192427182
1210192427182
1310192426182
1411192426182
1511192426182
1611202426172
1711202526172
1811202526172
1911202526172
2010202527171
2111192427171
2211192428171
2311192428171
2411192328171
2512192328171
2613192229170
2714192229160
2814202129160
2915202128150
3016202128140
3117212028140

Wind in August

Winds average 5 mph in August, the calmest month.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 06 min at the start of August to 12 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 72 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:47 AM to 6:15 AM, and sunset from 7:52 PM to 7:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:477:52
214.05:487:51
314.05:497:50
414.05:507:49
513.95:517:48
613.95:527:47
713.95:537:46
813.85:547:44
913.85:557:43
1013.85:567:42
1113.75:577:41
1213.75:587:39
1313.75:597:38
1413.65:597:37
1513.66:007:36
1613.56:017:34
1713.56:027:33
1813.56:037:31
1913.46:047:30
2013.46:057:29
2113.46:067:27
2213.36:077:26
2313.36:087:24
2413.26:097:23
2513.26:107:21
2613.16:117:20
2713.16:127:18
2813.16:137:17
2913.06:147:15
3013.06:157:14
3112.96:157:12

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.68 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.72 kWh/m² to a high of 6.24 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 5.68 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.0Intense
36.0Bright
46.0Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Columbus?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
7.2
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Columbus for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Columbus in August

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

In August, Columbus sees daytime highs around 84°F and nights near 66°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Columbus in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Columbus peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Columbus in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Columbus is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1316 µg/m³Oct 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Columbus?

Columbus sits at 39.2°N, 85.9°W, 630 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Seymour, 17 mi away.

Topography around Columbus

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Columbus has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 112 ft around an average of 623 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 463 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 778 ft.

The land around Columbus is covered by cropland (33%), trees (26%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, cropland (46%) and trees (38%) within 10 miles, and trees (47%) and cropland (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
112 ft
10 miles
463 ft
50 miles
778 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Seymour 17 mi · Franklin 21 mi · Shelbyville 24 mi · Greenwood 30 mi · Bloomington 32 mi · Greenfield 41 mi · Indianapolis 41 mi · Plainfield 43 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 Columbus (39.2014°, -85.9214°, elevation 630 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).