Portsmouth weather in January

In January, Portsmouth sees average daytime highs of 41°F and overnight lows near 27°F, with 3.4 in of precipitation across 10.2 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 41°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Portsmouth's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Portsmouth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
41°
12th warmest
Overnight low
27°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.4 in
10.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:54 AM – 5:28 PM
Cloud cover
71%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.04 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 41°F through the month.

A typical January day in Portsmouth reaches about 41°F in the afternoon and slips back to 27°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°F and 57°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 4°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14329
24329
34329
44229
54229
64228
74228
84228
94228
104228
114127
124127
134127
144127
154126
164026
174026
184026
194026
204025
214025
224025
234025
244025
254025
264025
274125
284126
294126
304126
314126

How January really feels in Portsmouth

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

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

Portsmouth weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 8th-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33070
43070
52971
62971
72971
82971
92971
102971
112971
122971
133070
143070
153070
163169
173169
183169
193169
203169
213268
223268
233268
243268
253367
263367
273367
283367
293268
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Portsmouth gets around 3.4 in of rain and snow over 10.2 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 33% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1329
2339
33310
43410
53510
63510
73510
83611
93611
103611
113612
123612
133613
143513
153513
163513
173413
183413
193313
203313
213213
223213
233213
243113
253113
263113
273113
283113
293113
303213
313213

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2982
3982
4982
5982
6982
7982
8982
9982
10982
11982
12982
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in January

Winds average 7 mph in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:55 AM to 7:46 AM, and sunset from 5:15 PM to 5:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.37:555:15
29.37:555:16
39.47:555:17
49.47:565:17
59.47:565:18
69.47:565:19
79.47:565:20
89.47:565:21
99.47:565:22
109.57:555:23
119.57:555:24
129.57:555:24
139.57:555:25
149.57:555:26
159.57:545:27
169.67:545:28
179.67:545:29
189.67:545:30
199.67:535:31
209.77:535:32
219.77:525:34
229.77:525:35
239.77:515:36
249.87:515:37
259.87:505:38
269.87:505:39
279.97:495:40
289.97:485:41
299.97:485:42
309.97:475:43
3110.07:465:45

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.04 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 — January's 2.04 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
142.0Dim
152.0Dim
162.0Moderate
172.0Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Portsmouth

In seasonPeak

None of Portsmouth's seasonal hazards are active in January. 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 January a good time to visit Portsmouth?

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

0.1
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Portsmouth.

What to pack for Portsmouth in January

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

In January, Portsmouth sees daytime highs around 41°F and nights near 27°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Portsmouth in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. 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 January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January 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
January 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).