Punakha weather in October

In October, Punakha sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 185 mm of rain across 21.7 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of October to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Punakha's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Punakha's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 17°; 6th warmest
Overnight low: 8°; 7th coldest
Rainfall: 185 mm; 21.7 wet days
Daylight: 11 h 18 min; 6:06 AM – 5:25 PM
Cloud cover: 63%; 1st clearest
Wind: 3 km/h; 8th windiest
Solar energy: 3.69 kWh/m²
Travel score: 4.0; out of 10

Punakha is city in Bhutan.

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

← September Punakha year-round climate November →Best places to visit in October

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

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical October day in Punakha reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 2°C cooler than September and about 3°C warmer than November.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	15	15	15	15
Avg low (°C)	11	11	10	10	10	10	10	10	9	9	9	9	9	9	8	8	8	8	8	7	7	7	7	7	6	6	6	6	6	6	5

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	18	11
2	18	11
3	18	10
4	18	10
5	18	10
6	18	10
7	18	10
8	18	10
9	18	9
10	18	9
11	18	9
12	17	9
13	17	9
14	17	9
15	17	8
16	17	8
17	17	8
18	17	8
19	17	8
20	16	7
21	16	7
22	16	7
23	16	7
24	16	7
25	16	6
26	16	6
27	16	6
28	15	6
29	15	6
30	15	6
31	15	5

How October really feels in Punakha

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 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

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 0°C

wind chill below the day's low

October sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Punakha weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Snow days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	8° / -1°	162	20.9	14.1	10.5	1.1
Feb	10° / 1°	192	22.7	11.3	11	1.4
Mar	13° / 3°	242	27.1	4.9	11.8	2.1
Apr	16° / 7°	208	26.6	0.2	12.6	3.1
May	19° / 10°	265	28.5	0	13.3	3.5
Jun	20° / 13°	501	29.5	0	13.7	3.2
Jul	20° / 14°	735	30.9	0	13.6	3.1
Aug	20° / 14°	571	30.4	0	13	3.2
Sep	19° / 12°	385	27.9	0	12.2	3.4
Oct	17° / 8°	185	21.7	0	11.3	4.0
Nov	14° / 4°	111	17.4	0.4	10.6	3.2
Dec	10° / 1°	116	18.8	5.8	10.3	2.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in October, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	28	29	31	33	34	36	37	39	40	41	43	43	45	45	45	46	46	46	47	47	47	48	49	48	49	50	49	50	51	52	52
Cloudier (%)	72	71	69	67	66	64	63	61	60	59	57	57	55	55	55	54	54	54	53	53	53	52	51	52	51	50	51	50	49	48	48

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	28	72
2	29	71
3	31	69
4	33	67
5	34	66
6	36	64
7	37	63
8	39	61
9	40	60
10	41	59
11	43	57
12	43	57
13	45	55
14	45	55
15	45	55
16	46	54
17	46	54
18	46	54
19	47	53
20	47	53
21	47	53
22	48	52
23	49	51
24	48	52
25	49	51
26	50	50
27	49	51
28	50	50
29	51	49
30	52	48
31	52	48

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Punakha gets around 185 mm of rain over 21.7 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 70% and peaks near 83% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	83	82	81	80	79	78	77	75	74	73	72	71	70	69	68	68	67	67	66	66	65	65	65	64	64	63	63	62	61	60	59

	Rain chance (%)
1	83
2	82
3	81
4	80
5	79
6	78
7	77
8	75
9	74
10	73
11	72
12	71
13	70
14	69
15	68
16	68
17	67
18	67
19	66
20	66
21	65
22	65
23	65
24	64
25	64
26	63
27	63
28	62
29	61
30	60
31	59

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	76	79	82	84	86	88	90	91	92	94	95	96	96	97	97	98	98	99	99	99	99	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
Comfortable (%)	24	21	18	16	14	12	10	9	8	6	5	4	4	3	3	2	2	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	76	24
2	79	21
3	82	18
4	84	16
5	86	14
6	88	12
7	90	10
8	91	9
9	92	8
10	94	6
11	95	5
12	96	4
13	96	4
14	97	3
15	97	3
16	98	2
17	98	2
18	99	1
19	99	1
20	99	1
21	99	1
22	100	0
23	100	0
24	100	0
25	100	0
26	100	0
27	100	0
28	100	0
29	100	0
30	100	0
31	100	0

Wind in October

Winds average 3 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 3 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3
Feels	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	3	calm
2	3	calm
3	3	calm
4	3	calm
5	3	calm
6	3	calm
7	3	calm
8	3	calm
9	3	calm
10	3	calm
11	3	calm
12	3	calm
13	3	calm
14	3	calm
15	3	calm
16	3	calm
17	3	calm
18	3	calm
19	3	calm
20	3	calm
21	3	calm
22	3	calm
23	3	calm
24	3	calm
25	3	calm
26	3	calm
27	3	calm
28	3	calm
29	3	calm
30	3	calm
31	3	calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of October to 11 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 42 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:57 AM to 6:15 AM, and sunset from 5:42 PM to 5:13 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.5	11.5	11.5	11.5	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.3	11.3	11.3	11.3	11.2	11.2	11.2	11.1	11.1	11.1	11.1	11.0	11.0	11.0	11.0	11.0
Sunrise (AM)	5:57	5:58	5:58	5:59	5:59	6:00	6:00	6:01	6:02	6:02	6:03	6:03	6:04	6:04	6:05	6:06	6:06	6:07	6:07	6:08	6:09	6:09	6:10	6:11	6:11	6:12	6:13	6:13	6:14	6:15	6:15
Sunset (PM)	5:42	5:41	5:39	5:38	5:37	5:36	5:35	5:34	5:33	5:32	5:31	5:30	5:28	5:27	5:26	5:25	5:24	5:24	5:23	5:22	5:21	5:20	5:19	5:18	5:17	5:16	5:16	5:15	5:14	5:13	5:13

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	11.7	5:57	5:42
2	11.7	5:58	5:41
3	11.7	5:58	5:39
4	11.7	5:59	5:38
5	11.6	5:59	5:37
6	11.6	6:00	5:36
7	11.6	6:00	5:35
8	11.5	6:01	5:34
9	11.5	6:02	5:33
10	11.5	6:02	5:32
11	11.5	6:03	5:31
12	11.4	6:03	5:30
13	11.4	6:04	5:28
14	11.4	6:04	5:27
15	11.4	6:05	5:26
16	11.3	6:06	5:25
17	11.3	6:06	5:24
18	11.3	6:07	5:24
19	11.3	6:07	5:23
20	11.2	6:08	5:22
21	11.2	6:09	5:21
22	11.2	6:09	5:20
23	11.1	6:10	5:19
24	11.1	6:11	5:18
25	11.1	6:11	5:17
26	11.1	6:12	5:16
27	11.0	6:13	5:16
28	11.0	6:13	5:15
29	11.0	6:14	5:14
30	11.0	6:15	5:13
31	11.0	6:15	5:13

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.69 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.64 kWh/m² to a high of 4.96 kWh/m² in April across the year — October's 3.69 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.6	3.6	3.6	3.6	3.6	3.6	3.6	3.6	3.6	3.6	3.6	3.6	3.6	3.6
Level	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	3.7	Moderate
2	3.7	Moderate
3	3.7	Moderate
4	3.7	Moderate
5	3.7	Moderate
6	3.7	Moderate
7	3.7	Moderate
8	3.7	Moderate
9	3.7	Moderate
10	3.7	Moderate
11	3.7	Moderate
12	3.7	Moderate
13	3.7	Moderate
14	3.7	Moderate
15	3.7	Moderate
16	3.7	Moderate
17	3.7	Moderate
18	3.6	Moderate
19	3.6	Moderate
20	3.6	Moderate
21	3.6	Moderate
22	3.6	Moderate
23	3.6	Moderate
24	3.6	Moderate
25	3.6	Moderate
26	3.6	Moderate
27	3.6	Moderate
28	3.6	Moderate
29	3.6	Moderate
30	3.6	Moderate
31	3.6	Moderate

Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Punakha

In seasonPeak

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

Punakha's rainy season runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Is October a good time to visit Punakha?

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

4.0

Sightseeing

1st-best month of the year

0.9

Beach & pool

6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Punakha for sightseeing.

What to pack for Punakha in October

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

In October, Punakha sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 8°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer. About 22 days see rain.

rain geara warm layer

UV index in Punakha in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Punakha peaks around July 12 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 5 (moderate).

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	5	7	10	11	13	14	15	13	12	9	6	5
Level	Moderate	High	Very high	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Very high	High	Moderate

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	5	Moderate
Feb	7	High
Mar	10	Very high
Apr	11	Extreme
May	13	Extreme
Jun	14	Extreme
Jul	15	Extreme
Aug	13	Extreme
Sep	12	Extreme
Oct	9	Very high
Nov	6	High
Dec	5	Moderate

Air quality in Punakha 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 Punakha is worst in February — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.4× the cleanest month (September, 4 µg/m³).

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
PM2.5 (µg/m³)	7	16	15	15	10	6	4	4	4	4	5	6
Level	Good	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good

	PM2.5 (µg/m³)	Level
Jan	7	Good
Feb	16	Moderate
Mar	15	Moderate
Apr	15	Moderate
May	10	Good
Jun	6	Good
Jul	4	Good
Aug	4	Good
Sep	4	Good
Oct	4	Good
Nov	5	Good
Dec	6	Good

Location & terrain

Where is Punakha?

Punakha sits at 27.6°N, 89.9°E, 1,293 m above sea level, in Bhutan. The nearest listed city is Thimphu, 27 km away.

Topography around Punakha

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Punakha has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,103 m around an average of 1,495 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,669 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,227 m.

The land around Punakha is covered by trees (62%) and grassland (21%) within 3 km, trees (88%) within 16 km, and trees (59%) within 80 km.

3 km

1,103 m

trees 62%

16 km

2,669 m

trees 88%

80 km

7,227 m

trees 59%

treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen

← September Punakha year-round climate November →Best places to visit in October

October weather nearby: Thimphu 27 km · Paro 49 km · Trongsa 63 km · Tsirang 68 km · Jakar 86 km · Phuentsholing 95 km · Mongar 139 km · Trashigang 168 km

Bhutan travel facts

Travel advisory: Level 1; Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs: Type C / D / F / G / M; 230 V · 50 Hz
Prices: ≈ 23% of US; price level, 2025
GDP per capita: $4,493; 2025
Happiness: 5.1 / 10; World Happiness, 2018
Safe drinking water: 66%; of population, 2024
Homicide rate: 2.5; per 100k, 2020
Road deaths: 16.2; per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group: Lower middle; World Bank
English: Low; EF EPI 473
Religion

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 Punakha (27.5914°, 89.8774°, elevation 1,293 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. 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).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	18	11
2	18	11
3	18	10
4	18	10
5	18	10
6	18	10
7	18	10
8	18	10
9	18	9
10	18	9
11	18	9
12	17	9
13	17	9
14	17	9
15	17	8
16	17	8
17	17	8
18	17	8
19	17	8
20	16	7
21	16	7
22	16	7
23	16	7
24	16	7
25	16	6
26	16	6
27	16	6
28	15	6
29	15	6
30	15	6
31	15	5

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	28	72
2	29	71
3	31	69
4	33	67
5	34	66
6	36	64
7	37	63
8	39	61
9	40	60
10	41	59
11	43	57
12	43	57
13	45	55
14	45	55
15	45	55
16	46	54
17	46	54
18	46	54
19	47	53
20	47	53
21	47	53
22	48	52
23	49	51
24	48	52
25	49	51
26	50	50
27	49	51
28	50	50
29	51	49
30	52	48
31	52	48

	Rain chance (%)
1	83
2	82
3	81
4	80
5	79
6	78
7	77
8	75
9	74
10	73
11	72
12	71
13	70
14	69
15	68
16	68
17	67
18	67
19	66
20	66
21	65
22	65
23	65
24	64
25	64
26	63
27	63
28	62
29	61
30	60
31	59

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	76	24
2	79	21
3	82	18
4	84	16
5	86	14
6	88	12
7	90	10
8	91	9
9	92	8
10	94	6
11	95	5
12	96	4
13	96	4
14	97	3
15	97	3
16	98	2
17	98	2
18	99	1
19	99	1
20	99	1
21	99	1
22	100	0
23	100	0
24	100	0
25	100	0
26	100	0
27	100	0
28	100	0
29	100	0
30	100	0
31	100	0

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	18	11
2	18	11
3	18	10
4	18	10
5	18	10
6	18	10
7	18	10
8	18	10
9	18	9
10	18	9
11	18	9
12	17	9
13	17	9
14	17	9
15	17	8
16	17	8
17	17	8
18	17	8
19	17	8
20	16	7
21	16	7
22	16	7
23	16	7
24	16	7
25	16	6
26	16	6
27	16	6
28	15	6
29	15	6
30	15	6
31	15	5

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	28	72
2	29	71
3	31	69
4	33	67
5	34	66
6	36	64
7	37	63
8	39	61
9	40	60
10	41	59
11	43	57
12	43	57
13	45	55
14	45	55
15	45	55
16	46	54
17	46	54
18	46	54
19	47	53
20	47	53
21	47	53
22	48	52
23	49	51
24	48	52
25	49	51
26	50	50
27	49	51
28	50	50
29	51	49
30	52	48
31	52	48

	Rain chance (%)
1	83
2	82
3	81
4	80
5	79
6	78
7	77
8	75
9	74
10	73
11	72
12	71
13	70
14	69
15	68
16	68
17	67
18	67
19	66
20	66
21	65
22	65
23	65
24	64
25	64
26	63
27	63
28	62
29	61
30	60
31	59

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	76	24
2	79	21
3	82	18
4	84	16
5	86	14
6	88	12
7	90	10
8	91	9
9	92	8
10	94	6
11	95	5
12	96	4
13	96	4
14	97	3
15	97	3
16	98	2
17	98	2
18	99	1
19	99	1
20	99	1
21	99	1
22	100	0
23	100	0
24	100	0
25	100	0
26	100	0
27	100	0
28	100	0
29	100	0
30	100	0
31	100	0

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	18	11
2	18	11
3	18	10
4	18	10
5	18	10
6	18	10
7	18	10
8	18	10
9	18	9
10	18	9
11	18	9
12	17	9
13	17	9
14	17	9
15	17	8
16	17	8
17	17	8
18	17	8
19	17	8
20	16	7
21	16	7
22	16	7
23	16	7
24	16	7
25	16	6
26	16	6
27	16	6
28	15	6
29	15	6
30	15	6
31	15	5

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	28	72
2	29	71
3	31	69
4	33	67
5	34	66
6	36	64
7	37	63
8	39	61
9	40	60
10	41	59
11	43	57
12	43	57
13	45	55
14	45	55
15	45	55
16	46	54
17	46	54
18	46	54
19	47	53
20	47	53
21	47	53
22	48	52
23	49	51
24	48	52
25	49	51
26	50	50
27	49	51
28	50	50
29	51	49
30	52	48
31	52	48

	Rain chance (%)
1	83
2	82
3	81
4	80
5	79
6	78
7	77
8	75
9	74
10	73
11	72
12	71
13	70
14	69
15	68
16	68
17	67
18	67
19	66
20	66
21	65
22	65
23	65
24	64
25	64
26	63
27	63
28	62
29	61
30	60
31	59

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	76	24
2	79	21
3	82	18
4	84	16
5	86	14
6	88	12
7	90	10
8	91	9
9	92	8
10	94	6
11	95	5
12	96	4
13	96	4
14	97	3
15	97	3
16	98	2
17	98	2
18	99	1
19	99	1
20	99	1
21	99	1
22	100	0
23	100	0
24	100	0
25	100	0
26	100	0
27	100	0
28	100	0
29	100	0
30	100	0
31	100	0