Portsmouth weather in August

In August, Portsmouth sees average daytime highs of 85°F and overnight lows near 66°F, with 3.0 in of rain across 11.2 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 85°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in August, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 14 hours at the start of August to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Portsmouth's 3rd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Portsmouth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
85°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
66°
11th coldest
Rainfall
3.0 in
11.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:50 AM – 7:22 PM
Cloud cover
54%
3rd clearest
Wind
5 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.5 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Portsmouth is city in Scioto County, Ohio, United States.

Density
712/km²
people per km²
Founded
1803

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 85°F through the month.

A typical August day in Portsmouth reaches about 85°F in the afternoon and slips back to 66°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 77°F and 92°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 6°F warmer than September.

50°60°70°80°90°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18568
28568
38567
48567
58567
68567
78567
88567
98567
108567
118567
128567
138567
148567
158567
168566
178566
188566
198566
208566
218466
228466
238466
248466
258466
268465
278465
288465
298465
308365
318364

How August really feels in Portsmouth

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.

Portsmouth weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan41° / 27°3.410.23.69.60.1
Feb45° / 29°3.410.13.710.50.8
Mar54° / 36°4.2121.711.73.1
Apr66° / 47°4.412.40.3135.6
May74° / 56°4.612.9014.16.2
Jun82° / 64°4.313.1014.75.6
Jul85° / 68°3.912.5014.44.9
Aug85° / 66°3.011.2013.55.3
Sep79° / 59°3.38.1012.37.0
Oct67° / 48°3.190.1116.3
Nov54° / 38°3.28.70.69.93.5
Dec45° / 31°3.6102.39.30.9

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15545
25545
35545
45545
55545
65446
75446
85545
95545
105446
115446
125446
135446
145545
155545
165644
175644
185743
195743
205842
215842
225842
235842
245842
255842
265941
275941
285842
295941
305941
315941

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Portsmouth gets around 3.0 in of rain over 11.2 wet days in August, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 36% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
238
338
437
537
637
737
838
938
1038
1138
1238
1338
1438
1538
1638
1737
1837
1936
2036
2136
2235
2335
2434
2534
2633
2732
2831
2931
3030
3130

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the muggy band about 30% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 50% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
14142533240
24152532230
34152632221
45152632221
55162631211
65162631211
76162631201
86172630201
96172629201
107172629201
117172629201
127182629201
137182629191
148182629191
158182629191
168182629181
178182630181
189172630181
199172630180
209172630180
219172530180
229172530180
239162530190
2410162530190
2510172530180
2610172530180
2711172530180
2811182529170
2912182529170
3012192528160
3113192527160

Wind in August

Winds average 5 mph in August, the calmest month.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 hours at the start of August to 12 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 66 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:37 AM to 6:04 AM, and sunset from 7:39 PM to 7:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.05:377:39
214.05:387:38
314.05:397:37
413.95:397:36
513.95:407:35
613.95:417:34
713.85:427:33
813.85:437:32
913.85:447:31
1013.75:457:29
1113.75:467:28
1213.75:477:27
1313.65:487:26
1413.65:497:24
1513.65:507:23
1613.55:507:22
1713.55:517:20
1813.45:527:19
1913.45:537:18
2013.45:547:16
2113.35:557:15
2213.35:567:13
2313.35:577:12
2413.25:587:10
2513.25:597:09
2613.16:007:07
2713.16:017:06
2813.06:017:04
2913.06:027:03
3013.06:037:01
3112.96:047:00

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.5 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.73 kWh/m² to a high of 6.11 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 5.5 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Portsmouth

In seasonPeak

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

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 August a good time to visit Portsmouth?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Portsmouth in August

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

In August, Portsmouth sees daytime highs around 85°F and nights near 66°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Portsmouth in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 8 — 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 June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 18UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Portsmouth in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Portsmouth is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1218 µg/m³Oct 248 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Portsmouth?

Portsmouth sits at 38.7°N, 83.0°W, 531 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ashland, 26 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 640 ft around an average of 620 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 817 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 925 ft.

The land around Portsmouth is covered by trees (42%) within 2 miles, trees (77%) within 10 miles, and trees (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
640 ft
10 miles
817 ft
50 miles
925 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
August weather nearby: Ashland 26 mi · Meads 27 mi · Huntington 37 mi · Chillicothe 42 mi · Athens 63 mi · Lancaster 71 mi · Charleston 78 mi · Grove City 80 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 (38.7317°, -82.9977°, elevation 531 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). UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).