#26 of 35 US cities · 2024
How pleasant is the weather in Columbus, OH?
In 2024, 47% of daytime hours in Columbus were enjoyable outdoors: 2,214 of 4,758 hours between 8 AM and 9 PM. That's #26 of 35 major US cities. October was the best month and January the worst.
- Enjoyable
- 47%
- Comfortable temp
- 53%
- Too cold
- 34%
- Too hot
- 12%
- Lost to rain
- 2.3%
- Lost to gusts
- 4.6%
Month by month
Share of each month's daytime hours (8 AM to 9 PM). Avg temp is the plain air temperature over those hours, not feels-like.
| Month | Enjoyable | Comfortable | Too cold | Too hot | Rain | Avg temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4% | 4% | 96% | 0% | 0.0% | 32°F |
| February | 32% | 36% | 64% | 0% | 1.6% | 42°F |
| March | 39% | 44% | 56% | 0% | 1.7% | 48°F |
| April | 52% | 72% | 28% | 0% | 4.6% | 59°F |
| May | 73% | 91% | 1% | 8% | 6.9% | 71°F |
| June | 63% | 70% | 0% | 30% | 1.8% | 77°F |
| July | 47% | 54% | 0% | 46% | 3.2% | 79°F |
| August | 56% | 57% | 0% | 43% | 1.0% | 78°F |
| September | 71% | 79% | 1% | 19% | 6.2% | 74°F |
| October | 74% | 83% | 17% | 0% | 0.0% | 62°F |
| November | 38% | 43% | 57% | 0% | 0.5% | 50°F |
| December | 9% | 9% | 91% | 0% | 0.2% | 38°F |
What limits outdoor time
Columbus loses hours at both ends of the year: November through March are often too cold, and July and August are often too hot. Wind matters too: gusts took 4.6% of daytime hours.
Where you stand matters here. Of the comfortable hours, 16% were only comfortable in the sun and 30% only in the shade.
Weather escapes within driving distance
An hour's drive (about 45 miles) reaches places that average 4°F cooler in summer, but nowhere meaningfully warmer in winter. Stretch it to two hours (about 90 miles) and you can find places 3°F warmer in winter. Distances are straight-line; temperatures are PRISM 1991–2020 averages.
How Columbus, OH compares
- Phoenix, AZ · #23 · 48%
- Indianapolis, IN · #24 · 47%
- Dayton, OH · #25 · 47%
- Miami, FL · #27 · 47%
- Chicago, IL · #28 · 45%
- San Antonio, TX · #29 · 45%
Other Ohio cities: Dayton, OH (47%).
Questions
How many pleasant outdoor hours does Columbus, OH get?
2,214 hours in 2024, counting only 8 AM to 9 PM. That's 47% of daytime hours, about 170 days' worth of daytime, and ranks #26 of 35 major US cities.
What is the best month to be outside in Columbus, OH?
October, when 74% of daytime hours were enjoyable. May (73%) and September (71%) came next. January was the worst month, at 4%.
What makes outdoor time less pleasant in Columbus, OH?
Mostly temperature. 34% of daytime hours were too cold and 12% too hot. Rain took another 2.3%, and gusty wind 4.6%.
Scored with the default rule: 48–79°F feels-like in sun or shade, under 1 mm/h of rain, gusts under 27 mph, 8 AM to 9 PM. If you run hotter or colder than that, set your own range on the map. How the score works.