Weather without surprises: West Portsmouth keeps close to the norm for U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 87°. By July afternoons alone, it runs hotter than 60% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.4°, most of all in December. Garden chairs stay out from April to June and September to October, the months with highs of 68–84°.
A year in West Portsmouth at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about West Portsmouth’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with West Portsmouth’s place in Ohio beside it.
What a year in West Portsmouth feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 191 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 17 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Portsmouth-sciotoville, OH, 8 miles from the town’s center, 240 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts West Portsmouth’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 21 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Warnock 2, KY, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 41 inches a year; May is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 156 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in West Portsmouth
81% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Portsmouth-sciotoville, OH.
Living with West Portsmouth’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
191 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 17 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in West Portsmouth from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (60%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 22%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →West Portsmouth and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around West Portsmouth yet.
Climates most like West Portsmouth’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Portsmouth, OH | 24° | 87° | 41" | 21" |
| Front Royal, VA | 24° | 87° | 41" | 21" |
| Charles Town, WV | 23° | 87° | 41" | 23" |
| Robinwood, MD | 23° | 87° | 41" | 28" |
| Mechanicsburg, PA | 23° | 86° | 43" | 24" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in West Portsmouth averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 51% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How West Portsmouth compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with West Portsmouth’s place among Ohio’s.
West Portsmouth weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at West Portsmouth’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Warnock 2, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 24° | 3.0" | 5.5" | 14 | 7 | 24° – 42° |
| February | 46° | 26° | 2.8" | 6.7" | 14 | 8 | 23° – 44° |
| March | 55° | 33° | 3.9" | 4.0" | 14 | 2 | 38° – 56° |
| April | 68° | 42° | 3.8" | 0.6" | 13 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| May | 76° | 51° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 57° – 71° |
| June | 84° | 60° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| July | 87° | 64° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| August | 86° | 63° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| September | 80° | 55° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| October | 69° | 44° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| November | 56° | 34° | 2.4" | 0.7" | 11 | 1 | 38° – 50° |
| December | 46° | 28° | 3.4" | 3.3" | 15 | 3 | 26° – 47° |
| Year | 66° | 44° | 40.7" | 20.8" | 156 | 21 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 23° to 44°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where West Portsmouth’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at West Portsmouth’s center.
- Snow: Warnock 2, KY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Portsmouth-sciotoville, OH, 8 miles from the town’s center, 240 ft lower; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about West Portsmouth’s climate
What is the weather like in West Portsmouth?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 21 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 59% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 60% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in West Portsmouth in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 106 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does West Portsmouth get?
About 21 inches in a normal winter at Warnock 2, KY, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 21 days a year.
How hot does it get in West Portsmouth?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 64°. About 26 days a year reach 90° (Portsmouth-sciotoville, OH).
When is the first and last frost in West Portsmouth?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 17 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 191 frost-free days, at Portsmouth-sciotoville, OH.
What growing zone is West Portsmouth in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit West Portsmouth?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is West Portsmouth getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 51% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in West Portsmouth.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.