Sydney weather in October

In October, Sydney sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 131 mm of precipitation across 12.3 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 10°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Sydney's 7th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sydney's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
131 mm
12.3 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
6:26 AM – 5:06 PM
Cloud cover
70%
7th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
2.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
out of 10

Sydney is community in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 5.6 µg/m³ · 2015
Density
3,601/km²
people per km²
Founded
1785

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 15°C in the first days to 10°C by the end.

A typical October day in Sydney reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 8°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 6°C cooler than September and about 5°C warmer than November.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11610
21510
31510
41510
5159
6149
7149
8149
9149
10148
11138
12138
13138
14138
15138
16128
17127
18127
19127
20127
21117
22117
23117
24116
25116
26116
27106
28106
29106
30105
31105

How October really feels in Sydney

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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
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.

Sydney weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -7°11812.9118.80.0
Feb-2° / -9°11111.29.7100.0
Mar / -5°10812.48.311.60.0
Apr / -1°10612.34.913.30.4
May11° / 8611.70.514.72.4
Jun16° / 10°8911015.54.8
Jul21° / 15°8510.5015.26.3
Aug22° / 16°8910.90146.4
Sep18° / 12°10410.5012.35.6
Oct12° / 13112.30.210.73.1
Nov / 12412.72.49.20.9
Dec / -2°13914.19.58.50.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23961
33862
43763
53763
63664
73664
83565
93664
103565
113565
123466
133466
143367
153367
163268
173268
183268
193169
203169
213070
222971
232872
242872
252773
262674
272674
282575
292476
302377
312377

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Sydney gets around 131 mm of rain and snow over 12.3 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 40% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1370
2370
3370
4380
5380
6380
7380
8380
9380
10390
11390
12390
13400
14400
15400
16410
17410
18410
19410
20411
21421
22421
23421
24421
25421
26421
27431
28432
29432
30432
31432

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 92% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1811351
2821251
3831241
4841141
5861031
6871030
789920
889920
990820
1091810
1192710
1292710
1392710
1493610
1594600
1694600
1794600
1894600
1995500
2095500
2195500
2295500
2396400
2496400
2596400
2697300
2797300
2897300
2998200
3098200
3198200

Wind in October

Winds average 19 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2220light breeze
2320light breeze
2420light breeze
2520light breeze
2620light breeze
2720light breeze
2820breezy
2920breezy
3020breezy
3120breezy

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 96 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:05 AM to 6:47 AM, and sunset from 5:34 PM to 4:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:055:34
211.46:075:32
311.46:085:30
411.36:095:28
511.36:115:26
611.26:125:24
711.26:135:22
811.16:155:21
911.06:165:19
1011.06:175:17
1110.96:195:15
1210.96:205:13
1310.86:225:11
1410.86:235:09
1510.76:245:07
1610.76:265:06
1710.66:275:04
1810.66:295:02
1910.56:305:00
2010.56:324:59
2110.46:334:57
2210.36:344:55
2310.36:364:54
2410.26:374:52
2510.26:394:50
2610.16:404:49
2710.16:424:47
2810.06:434:46
2910.06:454:44
309.96:464:43
319.96:474:41

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.32 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.96 kWh/m² to a high of 5.7 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 2.32 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.0Moderate
23.0Moderate
32.9Moderate
42.9Moderate
52.8Moderate
62.8Moderate
72.7Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.6Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.0Moderate
232.0Moderate
242.0Dim
251.9Dim
261.9Dim
271.8Dim
281.8Dim
291.8Dim
301.7Dim
311.7Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Sydney?

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

3.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sydney.

What to pack for Sydney in October

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

In October, Sydney sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Sydney in October

The nearest coast averages about 12°C in October — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 27 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in March near -0°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan1Bracing
Feb0Bracing
Mar0Bracing
Apr1Bracing
May4Bracing
Jun9Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec4Bracing

UV index in Sydney 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 Sydney peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 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 highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sydney?

Sydney sits at 46.1°N, 60.2°W, 6 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Glace Bay, 19 km away.

Topography around Sydney

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sydney has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 90 m around an average of 31 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 200 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 535 m.

The land around Sydney is covered by trees (34%), grassland (26%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, trees (66%) within 16 km, and water (53%) and trees (43%) within 80 km.

3 km
90 m
16 km
200 m
80 km
535 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
October weather nearby: Glace Bay 19 km · New Glasgow 201 km · Charlottetown 227 km · Cole Harbour 304 km · Woodlawn 307 km · Dartmouth 311 km · Lower Sackville 312 km · Downtown Halifax 312 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 Sydney (46.1351°, -60.1831°, elevation 6 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. 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).