Portsmouth weather in April

In April, Portsmouth sees average daytime highs of 51°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 4.2 in of precipitation across 10.6 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 47°F in the first days to 55°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in April, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 24 min at the start of April to 13 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Portsmouth's 11th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Portsmouth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
51°
7th warmest
Overnight low
40°
6th coldest
Precipitation
4.2 in
10.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 12 min
5:08 AM – 6:19 PM
Cloud cover
64%
11th clearest
Wind
10 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.4
out of 10

Portsmouth is city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States.

Density
494/km²
people per km²
Founded
1630

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

Temperature in April

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 47°F in the first days to 55°F by the end.

A typical April day in Portsmouth reaches about 51°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 11°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 43°F and 60°F. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 10°F warmer than March and about 9°F cooler than May.

20°30°40°50°60°70°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14635
24635
34736
44736
54737
64837
74837
84837
94938
104938
114938
125039
135039
145139
155140
165140
175240
185241
195241
205341
215342
225342
235342
245443
255443
265443
275544
285544
295544
305544

How April really feels in Portsmouth

Once humidity and wind are folded in, April averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 11 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
11
wind chill below the day's low

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

Portsmouth weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 7th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 22°3.69.96.79.20.0
Feb35° / 23°3.49.1610.20.0
Mar41° / 30°4.511.25.211.60.2
Apr51° / 40°4.210.61.313.12.4
May60° / 49°3.310.5014.44.7
Jun69° / 58°3.610.6015.16.3
Jul75° / 65°3.110.6014.96.9
Aug74° / 64°3.28.8013.87.2
Sep68° / 57°3.48.5012.36.6
Oct58° / 47°4.49.90.210.84.5
Nov48° / 37°3.89.71.29.51.8
Dec39° / 28°4.610.84.98.90.1

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in April.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
33961
43862
53961
63961
73961
83862
93862
103862
113862
123862
133961
143862
153862
163862
174060
184060
194159
204159
214159
224159
234159
244159
254258
264258
274258
284258
294258
304258

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitationSnow

Portsmouth gets around 4.2 in of rain and snow over 10.6 wet days in April. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 36% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202530
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1389
2389
3389
4378
5378
6378
7367
8367
9356
10356
11346
12345
13335
14334
15344
16344
17343
18343
19353
20353
21352
22352
23352
24362
25362
26361
27361
28371
29371
30371

Humidity in April

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, April lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29982
30982

Wind in April

Winds average 10 mph in April.

Across April, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in April

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 24 min at the start of April to 13 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 84 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 5:35 AM to 4:46 AM, and sunset from 6:01 PM to 6:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.45:356:01
212.55:336:02
312.55:316:03
412.65:296:04
512.65:276:06
612.75:256:07
712.75:246:08
812.85:226:09
912.85:206:10
1012.95:186:11
1112.95:176:13
1213.05:156:14
1313.05:136:15
1413.15:116:16
1513.15:106:17
1613.25:086:19
1713.25:066:20
1813.35:056:21
1913.35:036:22
2013.45:016:23
2113.45:006:24
2213.54:586:26
2313.54:566:27
2413.64:556:28
2513.64:536:29
2613.64:526:30
2713.74:506:32
2813.74:496:33
2913.84:476:34
3013.84:466:35

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 5 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.54 kWh/m² to a high of 6.11 kWh/m² in July across the year — April's 5 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
Planning a trip in April

Hazard calendar for Portsmouth

In seasonPeak

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

Portsmouth 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 April a good time to visit Portsmouth?

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

2.4
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

April is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Portsmouth.

What to pack for Portsmouth in April

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

In April, Portsmouth sees daytime highs around 51°F and nights near 40°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Portsmouth in April

The nearest coast averages about 42°F in April — 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 65°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
May49Bracing
Jun57Bracing
Jul63Cool
Aug65Cool
Sep62Cool
Oct55Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec45Bracing

UV index in Portsmouth in April

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in April peaks 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 Portsmouth peaks around July 10 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighModerateModerateLowJul 10UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Portsmouth?

Portsmouth sits at 43.1°N, 70.8°W, 20 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Dover, 9.9 mi away.

Topography around Portsmouth

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Portsmouth has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 161 ft around an average of 39 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 430 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,454 ft.

The land around Portsmouth is covered by trees (45%), water (22%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 2 miles, trees (49%) and water (36%) within 10 miles, and trees (61%) and water (32%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
161 ft
10 miles
430 ft
50 miles
2,454 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
April weather nearby: Dover 9.9 mi · Amesbury 17 mi · Rochester 19 mi · Newburyport 19 mi · Sanford 25 mi · Haverhill 26 mi · Salem 30 mi · Derry Village 31 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 Portsmouth (43.077°, -70.7577°, elevation 20 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).