Portland in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), Portland sees average daytime highs around 78°F and overnight lows near 66°F, with 6.9 in of rain over about 21 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 70°F in early March to 85°F by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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

Avg daytime high
78°F
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
66°F
Rainfall
6.9 in
21 wet days
Avg wind
12 mph
Travel score
7.0
best season of the year
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Portland in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 70°F in early March to 85°F by late May.

A typical spring day in Portland reaches about 78°F and drops to 66°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.

40°60°80°MarAprMay

How spring really feels in Portland

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 10 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
10
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in spring is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Portland 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan65° / 51°2.16.510.46.5
Feb68° / 54°1.55.2116.9
Mar73° / 60°2.26.211.87.4
Apr78° / 66°2.06.412.67.4
May83° / 73°2.78.813.46.1
Jun87° / 77°2.910.213.74.8
Jul89° / 78°2.28.613.64.5
Aug89° / 78°2.39.7134.2
Sep87° / 75°4.313.812.24.5
Oct81° / 67°3.48.811.36.8
Nov73° / 59°2.26.810.67.4
Dec67° / 52°2.16.310.36.7

Cloud cover in Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time across spring.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitation

Portland gets around 6.9 in of rain over 21 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%MarAprMay

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of spring feels oppressive — 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 12 mph across spring.

051015MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min in early March to 13 h 36 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 Portland

In seasonPeak

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

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 spring a good time to visit Portland?

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.

7.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Portland in Spring

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

In spring, Portland sees daytime highs around 78°F and nights near 66°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 21 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Portland in Spring

The nearest coast averages about 71°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 21 mi away) is warmest in September at about 84°F and coldest in February near 64°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Mar 29 to Dec 20 — about 8.8 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°70°80°90°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan65Cool
Feb64Cool
Mar66Cool
Apr71Refreshing
May77Warm
Jun82Tropical
Jul83Tropical
Aug84Tropical
Sep84Tropical
Oct80Warm
Nov73Refreshing
Dec69Refreshing

UV index in Portland in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Portland peaks around June 16 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 16UV 11Dec 21UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5Moderate
Feb6High
Mar7High
Apr10Very high
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep10Very high
Oct7High
Nov5High
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Portland 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 Portland is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1419 µg/m³Nov 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May16Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct6Good
Nov6Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Portland?

Portland sits at 27.9°N, 97.3°W, 43 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Corpus Christi, 6.8 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 56 ft around an average of 16 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 115 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 394 ft.

The land around Portland is covered by water (47%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 2 miles, water (38%) and cropland (33%) within 10 miles, and water (33%), grassland (23%) and cropland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
56 ft
10 miles
115 ft
50 miles
394 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
Spring weather nearby: Corpus Christi 6.8 mi · Kingsville 41 mi · Alice 47 mi · Victoria 67 mi · Bay City 112 mi · Harlingen 119 mi · Edinburg 121 mi · San Benito 122 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 (27.8773°, -97.3239°, elevation 43 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.