Portsmouth weather in April

In April, Portsmouth sees average daytime highs of 68°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 3.3 in of rain across 9.7 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 64°F in the first days to 71°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Portsmouth's 3rd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Portsmouth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
68°
7th warmest
Overnight low
51°
6th coldest
Rainfall
3.3 in
9.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:37 AM – 6:34 PM
Cloud cover
54%
3rd clearest
Wind
9 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Portsmouth is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
796/km²
people per km²
Founded
1752

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 64°F in the first days to 71°F by the end.

A typical April day in Portsmouth reaches about 68°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 55°F and 81°F. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 9°F warmer than March and about 7°F cooler than May.

40°60°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16446
26447
36447
46547
56547
66548
76648
86649
96649
106749
116749
126750
136850
146850
156851
166851
176951
186952
196952
206952
217053
227053
237053
247053
257054
267154
277154
287154
297155
307155

How April really feels in Portsmouth

Once humidity and wind are folded in, April 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

April 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 April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 7th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan49° / 34°3.49.11.39.82.2
Feb52° / 35°3.091.110.62.8
Mar59° / 42°3.910.40.511.74.5
Apr68° / 51°3.39.7012.96.4
May75° / 59°3.710.9013.96.7
Jun83° / 68°4.111.7014.55.6
Jul87° / 73°5.215.1014.34.3
Aug85° / 71°4.712.9013.45.0
Sep80° / 66°4.711.1012.26.4
Oct71° / 55°3.77.90117.0
Nov61° / 45°3.48.50.1105.3
Dec53° / 38°3.59.30.59.53.2

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25347
35347
45347
55347
65446
75446
85446
95446
105446
115446
125446
135347
145347
155347
165347
175347
185347
195347
205347
215248
225248
235248
245248
255050
265050
275050
285050
295050
305149

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitation

Portsmouth gets around 3.3 in of rain over 9.7 wet days in April. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 33% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
134
234
334
434
533
633
733
833
933
1032
1132
1232
1332
1432
1532
1632
1732
1833
1933
2033
2133
2232
2332
2432
2532
2633
2733
2833
2934
3034

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 74% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1861130
2851230
3841240
4831340
5831340
6831340
7801451
8801451
9801451
10781561
11781561
12771571
13761671
14751681
15741682
16721792
17721792
18721792
19711892
207018102
217018102
227018102
236918112
246818113
256718123
266718123
276518134
286518134
296418144
306218155

Wind in April

Winds average 9 mph in April, the windiest month of the year.

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

051015151015202530
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light 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 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 5:59 AM to 5:19 AM, and sunset from 6:20 PM to 6:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.45:596:20
212.45:586:21
312.45:566:22
412.55:556:23
512.55:536:24
612.65:526:25
712.65:506:26
812.65:496:27
912.75:476:27
1012.75:466:28
1112.75:446:29
1212.85:436:30
1312.85:416:31
1412.95:406:32
1512.95:396:33
1612.95:376:34
1713.05:366:35
1813.05:346:35
1913.15:336:36
2013.15:326:37
2113.15:306:38
2213.25:296:39
2313.25:286:40
2413.25:266:41
2513.35:256:42
2613.35:246:43
2713.35:236:43
2813.45:216:44
2913.45:206:45
3013.55:196:46

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 5.62 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.42 kWh/m² in June across the year — April's 5.62 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
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).

6.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
3.3
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

April is a reasonable time to visit Portsmouth for sightseeing.

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 68°F and nights near 51°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Portsmouth in April

The nearest coast averages about 54°F in April — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 22 mi away) is warmest in August at about 79°F and coldest in February near 41°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 3 to Oct 14 — about 4.4 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan44Bracing
Feb41Bracing
Mar45Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May63Cool
Jun72Refreshing
Jul78Warm
Aug79Warm
Sep76Warm
Oct68Cool
Nov57Bracing
Dec49Bracing

UV index in Portsmouth in April

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in April peaks around 7 — 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 12 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Portsmouth in April

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Portsmouth is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Portsmouth?

Portsmouth sits at 36.8°N, 76.3°W, 10 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Norfolk, 1.2 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 72 ft around an average of 10 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 194 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 230 ft.

The land around Portsmouth is covered by artificial surfaces (52%) within 2 miles, trees (44%), artificial surfaces (22%) and water (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (42%) and water (38%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
72 ft
10 miles
194 ft
50 miles
230 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
April weather nearby: Norfolk 1.2 mi · Chesapeake 1.9 mi · Portsmouth Heights 3.7 mi · Newport News 12 mi · Hampton 14 mi · East Hampton 14 mi · Suffolk 17 mi · Virginia Beach 18 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 (36.8354°, -76.2983°, elevation 10 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. 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).