Portland in Fall

In fall (September, October and November), Portland sees average daytime highs around 56°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 13.6 in of precipitation over about 30 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the wettest season of the year.

Over the season highs ease from about 68°F in early September to 42°F by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Avg daytime high
56°F
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
47°F
Precipitation
13.6 in
30 wet days
Avg wind
10 mph
Travel score
3.8
2nd-best season
Months
Sep · Oct · Nov

Temperature in Portland in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 68°F in early September to 42°F by late November.

A typical fall day in Portland reaches about 56°F and drops to 47°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.

20°40°60°80°SepOctNov

How fall really feels in Portland

Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 21 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
21
wind chill below the day's low

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

Portland weather by month

How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 20°3.99.96.99.10.0
Feb33° / 21°3.68.96.510.20.0
Mar38° / 28°4.610.95.611.60.0
Apr47° / 38°4.710.71.913.21.6
May56° / 47°3.9110.114.53.7
Jun65° / 56°4.010.3015.25.7
Jul71° / 63°3.19.2014.96.7
Aug71° / 63°3.28.4013.86.9
Sep65° / 57°3.78.7012.36.2
Oct56° / 47°5.410.60.210.83.8
Nov46° / 37°4.510.41.49.51.3
Dec37° / 28°4.9115.88.80.0

Cloud cover in Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitationSnow

Portland gets around 13.6 in of rain and snow over 30 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%SepOctNov

Humidity in Fall

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Wind in Fall

Winds average 10 mph across fall.

051015SepOctNov

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min in early September to 9 hours by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMSepOctNov

Solar energy in Fall

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 3.0 kWh/m².

024SepOctNov
Planning a trip in fall

Hazard calendar for Portland

In seasonPeak

In fall, Portland overlaps its atlantic hurricane season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Portland 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 fall a good time to visit Portland?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
0.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

fall is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Portland.

What to pack for Portland in Fall

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

In fall, Portland sees daytime highs around 56°F and nights near 47°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 30 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Portland in Fall

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

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 63°F and coldest in March near 38°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan42Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar38Bracing
Apr42Bracing
May48Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul62Cool
Aug63Cool
Sep60Cool
Oct54Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec45Bracing

UV index in Portland in Fall

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Portland peaks around July 12 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateModerateLowJul 12UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Portland?

Portland sits at 43.7°N, 70.3°W, 62 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is South Portland, 1.2 mi away.

Topography around Portland

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Portland has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 180 ft around an average of 30 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 548 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,352 ft.

The land around Portland is covered by water (40%), artificial surfaces (31%) and trees (21%) within 2 miles, trees (43%) and water (39%) within 10 miles, and trees (61%) and water (33%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
180 ft
10 miles
548 ft
50 miles
2,352 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
Fall weather nearby: South Portland 1.2 mi · South Portland Gardens 3.1 mi · Westbrook 5.6 mi · West Scarborough 8.7 mi · Saco 14 mi · Biddeford 15 mi · Brunswick 23 mi · Sanford 30 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 Portland (43.6574°, -70.2589°, elevation 62 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.