Columbus weather in August

In August, Columbus sees average daytime highs of 83°F and overnight lows near 64°F, with 3.1 in of rain across 8.8 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 83°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in August, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 18 min at the start of August to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Columbus's 3rd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Columbus's year-round climate.

Daytime high
83°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
64°
11th coldest
Rainfall
3.1 in
8.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:43 AM – 7:24 PM
Cloud cover
45%
3rd clearest
Wind
8 mph
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.83 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Columbus is city in and county seat of Platte County, Nebraska, United States.

Density
831/km²
people per km²
Founded
1856

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 83°F through the month.

A typical August day in Columbus reaches about 83°F in the afternoon and slips back to 64°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 75°F and 93°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 2°F cooler than July and about 7°F warmer than September.

50°60°70°80°90°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18566
28565
38565
48465
58465
68465
78465
88465
98464
108464
118464
128464
138364
148364
158364
168364
178364
188363
198363
208363
218363
228363
238363
248363
258363
268363
278362
288362
298362
308262
318261

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 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 15°0.94.43.79.30.0
Feb37° / 18°1.05410.30.0
Mar49° / 29°2.07.42.811.72.2
Apr61° / 40°3.510.21.613.15.0
May71° / 51°5.112.4014.36.3
Jun82° / 62°4.410.8014.96.1
Jul86° / 66°2.78.4014.75.4
Aug83° / 64°3.18.8013.76.1
Sep77° / 55°2.67.1012.37.5
Oct63° / 42°2.36.90.610.96.1
Nov49° / 29°1.54.91.89.72.2
Dec36° / 19°1.24.63.79.10.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 34%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16535
26436
36436
46337
56337
66337
76337
86337
96337
106337
116337
126436
136535
146634
156634
166733
176733
186733
196733
206733
216832
226832
236832
246931
256931
267030
277030
287129
297129
307129
317129

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Columbus gets around 3.1 in of rain over 8.8 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 28% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
230
330
430
530
630
730
831
931
1031
1131
1231
1330
1430
1529
1629
1729
1828
1928
2028
2127
2227
2327
2426
2526
2625
2724
2824
2924
3023
3123

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the humid band about 31% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 39% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
16163231141
26163231141
36163231141
46173231131
57173131131
67173131131
77173131131
88183131120
98183131120
108183131110
119183131110
129193131100
139193131100
141019313190
151019313180
161119313180
171119313170
181119313260
191119313260
201119323350
211120313350
221220313350
231220313340
241220313240
251321313240
261421303130
271521303130
281621303030
291821302830
301922302720
312222292520

Wind in August

Winds average 8 mph in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 18 min at the start of August to 13 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 78 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:28 AM to 5:59 AM, and sunset from 7:43 PM to 7:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.35:287:43
214.25:297:42
314.25:307:41
414.15:317:40
514.15:327:39
614.15:337:37
714.05:347:36
814.05:357:35
914.05:367:34
1013.95:377:32
1113.95:387:31
1213.85:397:30
1313.85:407:28
1413.85:417:27
1513.75:427:25
1613.75:437:24
1713.65:447:22
1813.65:457:21
1913.65:467:19
2013.55:477:18
2113.55:487:16
2213.45:507:15
2313.45:517:13
2413.35:527:12
2513.35:537:10
2613.25:547:08
2713.25:557:07
2813.25:567:05
2913.15:577:03
3013.15:587:02
3113.05:597:00

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.83 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.97 kWh/m² to a high of 6.72 kWh/m² in July across the year — August's 5.83 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.3Intense
26.3Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.0Intense
96.0Intense
106.0Bright
116.0Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Columbus

In seasonPeak

In August, Columbus sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Columbus's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

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).

6.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
7.4
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 83°F and nights near 64°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 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 Columbus peaks around June 22 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 22UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Columbus?

Columbus sits at 41.4°N, 97.4°W, 1,447 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Norfolk, 42 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 82 ft around an average of 1,450 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 312 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,024 ft.

The land around Columbus is covered by artificial surfaces (32%), grassland (25%) and trees (21%) within 2 miles, cropland (67%) within 10 miles, and cropland (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
82 ft
10 miles
312 ft
50 miles
1,024 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Norfolk 42 mi · Fremont 45 mi · Lincoln 57 mi · Grand Island 62 mi · Papillion 71 mi · La Vista 71 mi · Omaha 75 mi · Hastings 79 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 (41.4297°, -97.3684°, elevation 1,447 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).