Darwin weather in October

In October, Darwin sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 76 mm of rain across 11.2 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 34°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in October, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Darwin's 6th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Darwin's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
1st warmest
Overnight low
24°
7th coldest
Rainfall
76 mm
11.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:23 AM – 6:40 PM
Cloud cover
47%
6th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
6.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.0
out of 10

Darwin is capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia, and the surrounding area.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,443/km²
people per km²
Founded
1869

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

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 34°C through the month.

A typical October day in Darwin reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°C and 36°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs on par with September and about 1°C warmer than November.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13423
23423
33423
43424
53424
63424
73424
83424
93424
103424
113424
123424
133424
143424
153424
163424
173424
183424
193424
203424
213424
223424
233425
243425
253425
263425
273425
283425
293425
303425
313425

How October really feels in Darwin

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
4 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in October is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Darwin weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 1st-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 26°43827.612.72.6
Feb31° / 26°37625.612.42.6
Mar32° / 25°30024.412.12.7
Apr33° / 24°10010.111.73.4
May33° / 22°142.411.44.2
Jun32° / 20°20.411.35.2
Jul32° / 19°10.311.35.3
Aug33° / 19°20.511.64.7
Sep34° / 22°163.811.93.6
Oct34° / 24°7611.212.33.0
Nov33° / 25°18020.812.62.6
Dec32° / 26°32324.912.72.6

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 29% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 28%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27228
37228
47327
57327
67327
77327
87327
97327
107327
117327
127327
137228
147228
157228
167228
177228
187228
197228
207228
217228
227129
237129
247129
257030
267129
277129
286931
296931
306931
316832

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Darwin gets around 76 mm of rain over 11.2 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 36% and peaks near 51% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
123
224
325
426
527
628
729
830
931
1032
1133
1234
1334
1435
1535
1635
1736
1837
1937
2038
2139
2239
2340
2441
2542
2643
2745
2846
2948
3049
3151

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the oppressive band about 54% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 94% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
11936513
21935523
31833544
41832554
51831555
61730566
71729576
81628587
91628578
101628569
1115285610
1215275611
1315285412
1415285313
1514285314
1614285215
1714285116
1814275117
1913275217
2013265218
2113265119
2213255219
2312245320
2412235321
2512225421
2611205622
2711195623
2801175824
2901165726
3001145728
3100125830

Wind in October

Winds average 8 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:32 AM to 6:17 AM, and sunset from 6:39 PM to 6:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:326:39
212.16:326:39
312.16:316:39
412.16:306:39
512.26:306:39
612.26:296:39
712.26:286:39
812.26:286:39
912.26:276:39
1012.26:276:39
1112.26:266:40
1212.26:256:40
1312.26:256:40
1412.36:246:40
1512.36:246:40
1612.36:236:40
1712.36:236:40
1812.36:226:40
1912.36:226:41
2012.36:216:41
2112.36:216:41
2212.36:206:41
2312.46:206:41
2412.46:196:42
2512.46:196:42
2612.46:196:42
2712.46:186:42
2812.46:186:43
2912.46:186:43
3012.46:176:43
3112.46:176:43

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 6.81 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.21 kWh/m² to a high of 6.81 kWh/m² in October across the year — October's 6.81 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.7Intense
26.7Intense
36.7Intense
46.7Intense
56.7Intense
66.7Intense
76.8Intense
86.8Intense
96.8Intense
106.8Intense
116.8Intense
126.8Intense
136.8Intense
146.8Intense
156.8Intense
166.8Intense
176.8Intense
186.8Intense
196.8Intense
206.8Intense
216.8Intense
226.8Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.8Intense
266.9Intense
276.9Intense
286.9Intense
296.9Intense
306.9Intense
316.9Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Darwin

In seasonPeak

None of Darwin's seasonal hazards are active in October. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Darwin sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Darwin's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is October a good time to visit Darwin?

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

3.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Darwin.

What to pack for Darwin in October

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

In October, Darwin sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Darwin in October

The nearest coast averages about 30°C in October — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in December at about 31°C and coldest in July near 26°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan30Tropical
Feb30Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct30Tropical
Nov31Tropical
Dec31Tropical

UV index in Darwin in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Darwin peaks around February 20 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 9 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 20UV 16Jun 18UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Darwin in October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Darwin is worst in June — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (March, 5 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Darwin's WHO annual average of 9.1 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1416 µg/m³Mar 185 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar5Good
Apr6Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Darwin?

Darwin sits at 12.5°S, 130.8°E, 31 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Palmerston, 16 km away.

SuaiAileuAtsabe

Topography around Darwin

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Darwin.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Darwin has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 40 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 51 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 227 m.

The land around Darwin is covered by water (62%) within 3 km, water (46%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and water (44%) and trees (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
40 m
16 km
51 m
80 km
227 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
October weather nearby: Palmerston 16 km · Lospalos 607 km · Venilale 647 km · Baucau 653 km · Suai 703 km · Aileu 710 km · Atsabe 713 km · Dili 721 km

Australia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 90% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$65,130
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
none 38%Roman Catholic 20%Protestant 18%other Christian 4%

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 Darwin (-12.4611°, 130.8418°, elevation 31 m), 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).