Portland in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Portland sees average daytime highs around 66°F and overnight lows near 52°F, with 5.7 in of rain over about 18 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 66°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter 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
- 66°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 52°F
- Rainfall
- 5.7 in
- 18 wet days
- Avg wind
- 10 mph
- Travel score
- 6.7
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Portland in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 66°F.
A typical winter day in Portland reaches about 66°F and drops to 52°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Portland
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Portland weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65° / 51° | 2.1 | 6.5 | 10.4 | 6.5 |
| Feb | 68° / 54° | 1.5 | 5.2 | 11 | 6.9 |
| Mar | 73° / 60° | 2.2 | 6.2 | 11.8 | 7.4 |
| Apr | 78° / 66° | 2.0 | 6.4 | 12.6 | 7.4 |
| May | 83° / 73° | 2.7 | 8.8 | 13.4 | 6.1 |
| Jun | 87° / 77° | 2.9 | 10.2 | 13.7 | 4.8 |
| Jul | 89° / 78° | 2.2 | 8.6 | 13.6 | 4.5 |
| Aug | 89° / 78° | 2.3 | 9.7 | 13 | 4.2 |
| Sep | 87° / 75° | 4.3 | 13.8 | 12.2 | 4.5 |
| Oct | 81° / 67° | 3.4 | 8.8 | 11.3 | 6.8 |
| Nov | 73° / 59° | 2.2 | 6.8 | 10.6 | 7.4 |
| Dec | 67° / 52° | 2.1 | 6.3 | 10.3 | 6.7 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Portland gets around 5.7 in of rain over 18 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 10 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 24 min in early December to 11 h 18 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Portland
None of Portland's seasonal hazards peak in winter. 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.
Is winter a good time to visit Portland?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Portland for sightseeing.
What to pack for Portland in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Portland sees daytime highs around 66°F and nights near 52°F. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 18 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Portland in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 66°F across winter — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 65 | 64 | 66 | 71 | 77 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 84 | 80 | 73 | 69 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65 | Cool |
| Feb | 64 | Cool |
| Mar | 66 | Cool |
| Apr | 71 | Refreshing |
| May | 77 | Warm |
| Jun | 82 | Tropical |
| Jul | 83 | Tropical |
| Aug | 84 | Tropical |
| Sep | 84 | Tropical |
| Oct | 80 | Warm |
| Nov | 73 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 69 | Refreshing |
UV index in Portland in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 5 — 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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 5 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Level | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | Moderate |
| Feb | 6 | High |
| Mar | 7 | High |
| Apr | 10 | Very high |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 10 | Very high |
| Oct | 7 | High |
| Nov | 5 | High |
| Dec | 4 | Moderate |
Air quality in Portland in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 8 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Good |
| Feb | 9 | Good |
| Mar | 12 | Good |
| Apr | 12 | Good |
| May | 16 | Moderate |
| Jun | 17 | Moderate |
| Jul | 20 | Moderate |
| Aug | 13 | Moderate |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 6 | Good |
| Nov | 6 | Good |
| Dec | 7 | Good |
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.
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
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.