Portsmouth weather in October

In October, Portsmouth sees average daytime highs of 67°F and overnight lows near 48°F, with 3.1 in of precipitation across 9 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 72°F in the first days to 61°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Portsmouth's 2nd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Portsmouth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
67°
6th warmest
Overnight low
48°
7th coldest
Precipitation
3.1 in
9 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:48 AM – 5:46 PM
Cloud cover
53%
2nd clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
3.34 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 72°F in the first days to 61°F by the end.

A typical October day in Portsmouth reaches about 67°F in the afternoon and slips back to 48°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 55°F and 79°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 12°F cooler than September and about 12°F warmer than November.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17353
27353
37253
47252
57252
67151
77151
87051
97050
106950
116949
126949
136849
146848
156748
166747
176647
186647
196546
206546
216546
226445
236445
246345
256344
266244
276244
286244
296143
306143
316042

How October really feels in Portsmouth

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October 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

October 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 October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 11th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25941
35941
45941
55842
65842
75743
85743
95644
105545
115545
125446
135446
145347
155347
165347
175248
185248
195248
205149
215050
225050
234951
244951
254951
264951
274951
284951
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Portsmouth gets around 3.1 in of rain and snow over 9 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 29% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
227
326
426
526
626
726
826
927
1027
1128
1228
1328
1429
1529
1630
1730
1831
1931
2031
2132
2232
2332
2432
2532
2632
2731
2831
2931
3030
3130

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 79% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
16218146
26517135
36617125
46617125
56717115
67016104
77016104
8711694
9731683
10741583
11751573
12761572
13781462
14781462
15801361
16811351
17821251
18821251
19841240
20851140
21851140
22861040
23861040
24871030
2588930
2688930
2788930
2889830
2990820
3090820
3191720

Wind in October

Winds average 6 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 72 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:33 AM to 7:04 AM, and sunset from 6:09 PM to 5:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:336:09
211.66:346:07
311.56:356:06
411.56:366:04
511.46:376:03
611.46:386:01
711.36:396:00
811.36:405:58
911.36:415:56
1011.26:425:55
1111.26:435:53
1211.16:445:52
1311.16:455:50
1411.16:465:49
1511.06:475:48
1611.06:485:46
1710.96:495:45
1810.96:505:43
1910.86:515:42
2010.86:525:41
2110.86:535:39
2210.76:545:38
2310.76:555:37
2410.76:565:35
2510.66:575:34
2610.66:595:33
2710.57:005:32
2810.57:015:31
2910.57:025:29
3010.47:035:28
3110.47:045:27

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.34 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 — October's 3.34 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.7Moderate
83.7Moderate
93.7Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.5Moderate
133.5Moderate
143.4Moderate
153.4Moderate
163.4Moderate
173.3Moderate
183.3Moderate
193.2Moderate
203.2Moderate
213.1Moderate
223.1Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Portsmouth

In seasonPeak

In October, 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 October a good time to visit Portsmouth?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
3.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Portsmouth for sightseeing.

What to pack for Portsmouth in October

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

In October, Portsmouth sees daytime highs around 67°F and nights near 48°F. Worth packing: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

rain gear

UV index in Portsmouth in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 3 — 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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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