Banff weather in October

In October, Banff sees average daytime highs of 3°C and overnight lows near -8°C, with 40 mm of precipitation across 8.3 wet days and about 10.4 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 7°C in the first days to -1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of October to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Banff's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Banff's year-round climate.

Daytime high
6th warmest
Overnight low
-8°
7th coldest
Precipitation
40 mm
8.3 wet days
Daylight
10 h 24 min
7:15 AM – 5:39 PM
Cloud cover
61%
4th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.2
out of 10

Banff is town in Alberta, Canada.

Density
1,741/km²
people per km²
Founded
1885

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

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 7°C in the first days to -1°C by the end.

A typical October day in Banff reaches about 3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -8°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -3°C and 9°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 8°C cooler than September and about 8°C warmer than November.

-20°-10°10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
17-4
27-4
37-4
46-5
56-5
66-5
75-5
85-6
95-6
105-6
114-6
124-7
134-7
144-7
153-7
163-7
173-8
183-8
192-8
202-8
212-9
222-9
231-9
241-9
251-10
261-10
270-10
280-10
290-11
30-1-11
31-1-11

How October really feels in Banff

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

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
21 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in October is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Banff weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-10° / -17°236.68.18.20.0
Feb-8° / -16°215.579.60.0
Mar-3° / -13°379.511.211.50.0
Apr / -8°5710.911.413.50.0
May / -3°7812.48.715.30.9
Jun12° / 11917.73.216.22.6
Jul17° / 8814.90.615.94.9
Aug17° / 7812.7114.45.1
Sep11° / -1°6210.24.912.42.9
Oct / -8°408.37.910.40.2
Nov-5° / -14°3589.48.70.0
Dec-11° / -18°236.27.57.70.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24654
34654
44555
54555
64456
74456
84456
94456
104456
114357
124456
134456
144456
154456
164555
174555
184555
194654
204654
214654
224654
234654
244654
254555
264555
274555
284357
294357
304258
314159

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Banff gets around 40 mm of rain and snow over 8.3 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 27% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13022
23023
32923
42924
52924
62824
72824
82824
92724
102724
112724
122625
132625
142625
152625
162625
172625
182625
192626
202626
212626
222626
232627
242627
252627
262627
272728
282728
292729
302829
312830

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in October

Winds average 8 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
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 11 h 24 min at the start of October to 9 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 114 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:50 AM to 7:42 AM, and sunset from 6:13 PM to 5:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:506:13
211.36:516:10
311.26:536:08
411.26:556:06
511.16:576:04
611.16:586:01
711.07:005:59
810.97:025:57
910.97:035:55
1010.87:055:52
1110.77:075:50
1210.77:085:48
1310.67:105:46
1410.57:125:44
1510.57:145:41
1610.47:155:39
1710.37:175:37
1810.37:195:35
1910.27:215:33
2010.17:225:31
2110.17:245:29
2210.07:265:27
2310.07:285:25
249.97:295:23
259.87:315:21
269.87:335:19
279.77:355:17
289.67:365:15
299.67:385:14
309.57:405:12
319.57:425:10

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.73 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.11 kWh/m² to a high of 6.57 kWh/m² in May across the year — October's 2.73 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.4Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.2Moderate
73.1Moderate
83.1Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.0Moderate
113.0Moderate
122.9Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.8Moderate
152.8Moderate
162.7Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Banff

In seasonPeak

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

Banff's rainy season runs April–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 Banff?

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

0.2
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Banff.

What to pack for Banff in October

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

In October, Banff sees daytime highs around 3°C and nights near -8°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Banff in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Banff peaks around July 15 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 15UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun6High
Jul9Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Banff 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 Banff is worst in August — around 64 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 25.7× the cleanest month (January, 3 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateUnhealthyGoodModerateGoodAug 1559 µg/m³Jan 103 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan3Good
Feb4Good
Mar5Good
Apr6Good
May9Good
Jun8Good
Jul31Moderate
Aug64Unhealthy
Sep14Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov29Moderate
Dec3Good
Location & terrain

Where is Banff?

Banff sits at 51.2°N, 115.6°W, 0 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Canmore, 18 km away.

Topography around Banff

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Banff has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 913 m around an average of 1,513 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,662 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,766 m.

The land around Banff is covered by trees (76%) within 3 km, trees (67%) and bare terrain (26%) within 16 km, and trees (63%) and bare terrain (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
913 m
16 km
1,662 m
80 km
2,766 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
October weather nearby: Canmore 18 km · Cochrane 77 km · Tuscany 93 km · Edgemont 99 km · Evanston 101 km · Panorama Hills 104 km · Calgary 105 km · Coventry Hills 105 km

Canada travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 83% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$55,698
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
5.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 53%none 35%Muslim 5%Hindu 2%

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 Banff (51.1762°, -115.5698°, elevation 0 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).