Portland has mild winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 36°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normalsUpdated once a decade
☀️
July high
81°
122nd coolest of 425 Oregon towns
❄️
January low
36°
115th mildest of 425 Oregon towns
💧
Rain + melted snow
41 in
213th driest of 425 Oregon towns
🌨️
Snow a winter
4 in
166th snowiest of 396 Oregon towns
A normal year
What a year in Portland feels like
❄️
Winter
48° / 36°
Typical high / low · 1 days with an inch or more of snow
🌷
Spring
62° / 43°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Feb 25
☀️
Summer
79° / 55°
Typical high / low · 11 days reach 90° in a normal year
🍂
Fall
64° / 45°
Typical high / low · First frost around Dec 1
20°
40°
50°
60°
70°
80°
90°
32°
47°
36°
51°
36°
56°
39°
61°
42°
69°
47°
73°
52°
81°
56°
82°
56°
76°
52°
64°
45°
53°
40°
46°
36°
JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecD
32°, freezingBar runs from the typical overnight low up to the afternoon high
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month
Portland weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
Month
High
Low
Rain + melt
Snow
Wet days
Snow on ground
30-yr range
January
47°
36°
5.8"
1.3"
20
1
34° – 46°
February
51°
36°
4.2"
1.4"
16
1
37° – 49°
March
56°
39°
4.4"
0
18
0
44° – 52°
April
61°
42°
3.3"
0
17
0
47° – 56°
May
69°
47°
2.5"
0
12
0
53° – 63°
June
73°
52°
1.6"
0
9
0
59° – 69°
July
81°
56°
0.4"
0
3
0
63° – 72°
August
82°
56°
0.6"
0
3
0
65° – 72°
September
76°
52°
1.6"
0
7
0
60° – 66°
October
64°
45°
3.7"
0
13
0
50° – 59°
November
53°
40°
6.1"
0
19
0
41° – 52°
December
46°
36°
6.8"
0.9"
20
0
36° – 44°
Year
63°
45°
41.0"
3.6"
155
2
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.
Rain & snow
Rain and snow in Portland
Portland gets 41 inches of rain and melted snow a year. December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 155 days a year.
💧
41 in
Rain + melted snow a year
More rain than 54% of U.S. towns
❄️
4 in
Snow in a normal winter
Less snow than 80% of U.S. towns
⛄
2 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
Fewer than 77% of U.S. towns
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
6.8"
JFMAMJJASOND
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
1.4"
JFMAMJJASOND
Frost & the growing season
About 280 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by February 25 and the first one by December 1. That leaves about 280 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 94% of U.S. towns.
🌱 Feb 25
🍂 Dec 1
280 frost-free days
JFMAMJJASOND
🥶
18
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
🧊
0
nights below 0° in a normal year
🔥
11
days that reach 90° in a normal year
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
JFMAMJJASOND
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
JFMAMJJASOND
Heating & cooling
Heating and cooling a home in Portland
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Portland, 90% of that work is heating and 10% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
🔥
4,167 heating degree daysLess heating than 78% of U.S. towns
❄️
448 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 81% of U.S. towns
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
Around Portland
Portland and its neighbors
Portland borders 12 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.9°. West Haven-Sylvan has the coldest January nights (36°) and Milwaukie the hottest July afternoons (82°). Portland’s January low is 36° and its July high 81°.
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Then and now
Warmer than it used to be
+1.3°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)
The last 30 years in Portland averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.1°). The shift is larger than in 58% of U.S. towns.
❄️ Winter+1.7°now 42°, was 40°
🌷 Spring+0.9°now 52°, was 51°
☀️ Summer+1.5°now 67°, was 65°
🍂 Fall+1.2°now 55°, was 54°
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Portland’s spot on NOAA’s grid
+3.1°
+0.5°
JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecD
Year to year
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. February swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 37° to 49°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
20°
30°
40°
50°
60°
70°
80°
JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecD
Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions
Common questions about Portland’s climate
What is the coldest month in Portland?
December, with a typical high of 46° and a low of 36°.
What is the hottest month in Portland?
August, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 56°. About 11 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Portland get?
About 4 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.
When is the first frost in Portland?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by December 1, and the last spring frost by February 25.
What is the rainiest month in Portland?
December, with 6.8 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 41 inches.
📍Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Portland itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Portland Kgw-tv, OR (2 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.