Dawson City weather in October

In October, Dawson City sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -8°C, with 26 mm of precipitation across 6.9 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 4°C in the first days to -7°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of October to 7 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Dawson City's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dawson City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
7th warmest
Overnight low
-8°
6th coldest
Precipitation
26 mm
6.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
8:23 AM – 5:42 PM
Cloud cover
70%
7th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
1.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Dawson City is town in Yukon Territory, Canada.

Density
42/km²
people per km²
Founded
1896

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 4°C in the first days to -7°C by the end.

A typical October day in Dawson City reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -8°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -7°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 12°C cooler than September and about 14°C warmer than November.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
15-2
25-3
35-3
44-3
54-4
63-4
73-4
83-5
92-5
102-5
111-6
121-6
130-6
140-7
150-7
16-1-7
17-1-8
18-2-8
19-2-9
20-2-9
21-3-10
22-3-10
23-4-10
24-4-11
25-5-11
26-5-12
27-6-12
28-6-13
29-7-13
30-7-14
31-8-14

How October really feels in Dawson City

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
16 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Dawson City weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-22° / -28°103.34.250.0
Feb-16° / -23°623.17.90.0
Mar-6° / -18°82.73.411.20.0
Apr / -6°164.83.714.60.6
May14° / 399.61.317.94.0
Jun19° / 6313.5020.15.5
Jul20° / 10°7214.2019.25.6
Aug17° / 5310.9016.15.2
Sep11° / 378.81.112.72.6
Oct-1° / -8°266.96.19.30.0
Nov-15° / -21°165.16.560.0
Dec-19° / -25°144.35.43.90.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 70%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33070
43169
53169
63070
73169
83169
93169
103070
112971
122971
132971
143070
153070
163070
173070
183070
193070
203070
213070
223070
233070
243070
253169
262971
272971
282971
292971
302971
312971

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Dawson City gets around 26 mm of rain and snow over 6.9 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 22% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12812
22813
32714
42715
52615
62616
72617
82517
92518
102518
112419
122419
132320
142320
152221
162121
172121
182021
192021
202021
212022
221922
231922
241922
251922
261822
271822
281822
291722
301722
311722

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 5 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours at the start of October to 7 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 198 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 7:37 AM to 9:11 AM, and sunset from 6:36 PM to 4:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.07:376:36
210.97:406:32
310.87:436:29
410.67:466:25
510.57:496:21
610.47:526:18
710.37:566:14
810.27:596:11
910.18:026:07
1010.08:056:04
119.98:086:00
129.88:115:56
139.68:145:53
149.58:175:49
159.48:205:46
169.38:235:42
179.28:265:39
189.18:305:35
199.08:335:32
208.98:365:28
218.88:395:25
228.78:425:21
238.58:455:18
248.48:495:15
258.38:525:11
268.28:555:08
278.18:585:04
288.09:025:01
297.99:054:58
307.89:084:54
317.79:114:51

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 1.1 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.07 kWh/m² to a high of 6.23 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 1.1 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.3Dim
111.3Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.1Dim
161.1Dim
171.1Dim
181.0Dim
191.0Dim
200.9Dim
210.9Dim
220.9Dim
230.8Dim
240.8Dim
250.8Dim
260.8Dim
270.7Dim
280.7Dim
290.7Dim
300.6Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Dawson City?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dawson City.

What to pack for Dawson City in October

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

In October, Dawson City sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -8°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Dawson City in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dawson City peaks around June 22 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateModerateLowJun 22UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low

Air quality in Dawson City 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 Dawson City is worst in July — around 38 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 127.7× the cleanest month (January, 0 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodJul 1938 µg/m³Jan 10 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan0Good
Feb1Good
Mar3Good
Apr6Good
May16Moderate
Jun30Moderate
Jul38Poor
Aug34Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct1Good
Nov0Good
Dec0Good
Location & terrain

Where is Dawson City?

Dawson City sits at 64.1°N, 139.4°W, 0 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Badger, 397 km away.

WhitehorseJuneauTerraceYellowknife

Topography around Dawson City

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dawson City has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 562 m around an average of 464 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 892 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,992 m.

The land around Dawson City is covered by trees (77%) within 3 km, trees (93%) within 16 km, and trees (69%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
562 m
16 km
892 m
80 km
1,992 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
October weather nearby: Badger 397 km · Fairbanks 406 km · Whitehorse 435 km · Eagle River 599 km · Anchorage 620 km · Juneau 694 km · Terrace 1,223 km · Yellowknife 1,258 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 Dawson City (64.0601°, -139.4333°, 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).