Portsmouth weather in February

In February, Portsmouth sees average daytime highs of 38°F and overnight lows near 29°F, with 3.8 in of precipitation across 9.6 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 38°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in February, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 48 min at the start of February to 10 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, February is Portsmouth's 7th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Portsmouth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
38°
12th warmest
Overnight low
29°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
3.8 in
9.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 18 min
6:50 AM – 5:10 PM
Cloud cover
58%
7th clearest
Wind
14 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Portsmouth is town in Newport County, Rhode Island, USA.

Founded
1638

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

Temperature in February

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 38°F through the month.

A typical February day in Portsmouth reaches about 38°F in the afternoon and slips back to 29°F overnight — a 9°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°F and 46°F. Set against its neighbours, February runs on par with January and about 4°F cooler than March.

20°30°40°50°151015202528
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13727
23727
33728
43728
53728
63728
73728
83728
93728
103728
113728
123828
133828
143828
153828
163829
173829
183829
193829
203829
213929
223930
233930
243930
253930
263930
273930
283931

How February really feels in Portsmouth

Once humidity and wind are folded in, February averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 28 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
28
wind chill below the day's low

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

Portsmouth weather by month

How February compares with the rest of the year at a glance. February is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan38° / 28°4.410.64.59.30.0
Feb38° / 29°3.89.63.910.30.0
Mar42° / 34°5.110.93.611.70.3
Apr49° / 42°4.611.40.613.12.0
May57° / 51°3.910.9014.34.0
Jun66° / 60°3.79.30156.1
Jul73° / 67°3.08.9014.77.0
Aug73° / 68°3.68.8013.77.1
Sep68° / 62°4.18.8012.36.6
Oct60° / 53°5.1100.110.95.0
Nov51° / 43°4.59.70.49.72.7
Dec44° / 35°5.211.52.990.6

Cloud cover in February

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in February.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of February, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
25050
35050
45050
55050
65050
75050
85050
95050
105050
115050
124951
134951
144852
154852
164852
174753
184753
194753
204753
214654
224555
234456
244456
254357
264357
274456
284456

Chance of precipitation in February

Any precipitationSnow

Portsmouth gets around 3.8 in of rain and snow over 9.6 wet days in February. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 34% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202528
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13113
23113
33113
43213
53213
63214
73314
83314
93414
103414
113414
123415
133515
143515
153515
163515
173515
183515
193615
203615
213615
223615
233615
243615
253615
263616
273616
283716

Humidity in February

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, February 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%151015202528
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100

Wind in February

Winds average 14 mph in February.

Across February, daily wind ranges from about 14 mph on the calmest days to 14 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202528
Wind speed (mph)Feels
114breezy
214breezy
314breezy
414breezy
514breezy
614breezy
714breezy
814breezy
914breezy
1014breezy
1114breezy
1214breezy
1314breezy
1414breezy
1514breezy
1614breezy
1714breezy
1814breezy
1914breezy
2014breezy
2114breezy
2214breezy
2314breezy
2414breezy
2514breezy
2614breezy
2714breezy
2814breezy

Sunrise & sunset in February

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min at the start of February to 10 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over February. Sunrise moves from 7:05 AM to 6:31 AM, and sunset from 4:52 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202528
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.87:054:52
29.87:044:53
39.97:034:55
49.97:024:56
59.97:014:57
610.07:004:58
710.06:595:00
810.06:585:01
910.16:575:02
1010.16:565:03
1110.26:545:05
1210.26:535:06
1310.36:525:07
1410.36:515:08
1510.36:505:10
1610.46:485:11
1710.46:475:12
1810.56:465:13
1910.56:445:15
2010.56:435:16
2110.66:425:17
2210.66:405:18
2310.76:395:20
2410.76:375:21
2510.86:365:22
2610.86:345:23
2710.96:335:24
2810.96:315:26

Solar energy in February

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in February, about 2.88 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.64 kWh/m² to a high of 6.12 kWh/m² in July across the year — February's 2.88 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202528
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.7Moderate
102.8Moderate
112.8Moderate
122.8Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
163.0Moderate
173.0Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.1Moderate
213.1Moderate
223.1Moderate
233.1Moderate
243.2Moderate
253.2Moderate
263.2Moderate
273.3Moderate
283.3Moderate
Planning a trip in February

Hazard calendar for Portsmouth

In seasonPeak

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

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

February is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Portsmouth.

What to pack for Portsmouth in February

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

In February, Portsmouth sees daytime highs around 38°F and nights near 29°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Portsmouth in February

The nearest coast averages about 39°F in February — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 17 mi away) is warmest in August at about 69°F and coldest in February near 39°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 26 to Aug 30 — about 1.2 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan43Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar40Bracing
Apr44Bracing
May51Bracing
Jun60Cool
Jul67Cool
Aug69Refreshing
Sep67Cool
Oct61Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec49Bracing

UV index in Portsmouth in February

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in February peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Portsmouth peaks around June 23 at about 8 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 8Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Portsmouth?

Portsmouth sits at 41.6°N, 71.3°W, 141 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Middletown, 4.3 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 292 ft around an average of 66 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 358 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,181 ft.

The land around Portsmouth is covered by water (44%), trees (27%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, water (44%) and trees (36%) within 10 miles, and trees (50%) and water (43%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
292 ft
10 miles
358 ft
50 miles
1,181 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
February weather nearby: Middletown 4.3 mi · Bristol 5.0 mi · Newport 8.7 mi · Fall River 8.7 mi · Barrington 9.9 mi · Swansea 11 mi · Warwick 11 mi · North Kingstown 12 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 (41.6023°, -71.2503°, elevation 141 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).