Thunder Bay weather in October

In October, Thunder Bay sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 72 mm of precipitation across 10.4 wet days and about 10.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 12°C in the first days to 6°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% 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 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Thunder Bay's 10th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Thunder Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
6th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Precipitation
72 mm
10.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 36 min
7:25 AM – 5:59 PM
Cloud cover
73%
10th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
2.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.7
out of 10

Thunder Bay is city in Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada.

Air quality
Excellent
PM2.5 5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
243/km²
people per km²
Founded
1683

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 12°C in the first days to 6°C by the end.

A typical October day in Thunder Bay reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 15°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 8°C cooler than September and about 8°C warmer than November.

-10°10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1136
2135
3125
4125
5125
6125
7114
8114
9114
10114
11104
12103
13103
14103
1593
1693
1792
1892
1982
2082
2182
2272
2371
2471
2571
2661
2761
2860
2960
3050
3150

How October really feels in Thunder Bay

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 20 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
20
wind chill below the day's low

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

Thunder Bay weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-10° / -18°296.57.58.60.0
Feb-7° / -16°224.95.49.90.0
Mar-1° / -10°316.85.611.60.0
Apr / -3°548.3513.40.7
May13° / 6610.10.8153.5
Jun19° / 10°6510.5015.85.8
Jul22° / 14°7610.6015.56.6
Aug22° / 13°679.1014.16.7
Sep17° / 8410.5012.45.2
Oct / 7210.41.310.61.7
Nov / -5°497.85.790.0
Dec-6° / -13°387.37.88.20.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33664
43565
53466
63367
73268
83268
93070
103070
112971
122971
132872
142872
152674
162674
172575
182575
192476
202377
212377
222377
232278
242278
252278
262179
272179
282179
292179
302179
312179

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Thunder Bay gets around 72 mm of rain and snow over 10.4 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 34% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1351
2351
3341
4341
5342
6342
7342
8352
9352
10353
11353
12353
13354
14354
15354
16354
17355
18355
19355
20355
21346
22346
23336
24337
25327
26328
27318
28318
29309
30299
312910

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19541
29541
39640
49730
59730
69730
79730
89820
99820
109820
119820
129820
139910
149910
159910
169910
179910
189910
199910
209910
219910
229910
2310000
2410000
2510000
2610000
2710000
2810000
2910000
3010000
3110000

Wind in October

Winds average 14 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of October to 9 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 102 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 7:03 AM to 7:49 AM, and sunset from 6:29 PM to 5:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.47:036:29
211.47:046:27
311.37:066:25
411.37:076:23
511.27:096:21
611.17:106:19
711.17:126:17
811.07:136:15
911.07:156:13
1010.97:166:10
1110.87:186:08
1210.87:196:06
1310.77:216:04
1410.77:226:02
1510.67:246:01
1610.67:255:59
1710.57:275:57
1810.47:295:55
1910.47:305:53
2010.37:325:51
2110.37:335:49
2210.27:355:47
2310.27:365:46
2410.17:385:44
2510.07:405:42
2610.07:415:40
279.97:435:39
289.97:445:37
299.87:465:35
309.87:475:34
319.77:495:32

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.21 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.12 kWh/m² to a high of 6.21 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 2.21 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.9Moderate
22.9Moderate
32.8Moderate
42.8Moderate
52.7Moderate
62.7Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.0Moderate
212.0Dim
221.9Dim
231.9Dim
241.9Dim
251.8Dim
261.8Dim
271.8Dim
281.7Dim
291.7Dim
301.7Dim
311.7Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Thunder Bay?

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

1.7
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Thunder Bay.

What to pack for Thunder Bay in October

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

In October, Thunder Bay sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Thunder Bay in October

The nearest coast averages about 10°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 August at about 15°C and coldest in March near 1°C.

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

0°5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan2Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr2Bracing
May3Bracing
Jun4Bracing
Jul9Bracing
Aug15Cool
Sep14Bracing
Oct10Bracing
Nov6Bracing
Dec4Bracing

UV index in Thunder Bay 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 Thunder Bay peaks around June 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 17UV 8Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Thunder Bay?

Thunder Bay sits at 48.4°N, 89.3°W, 188 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Marquette, 247 km away.

WausauWestonKenoraMarshfield

Topography around Thunder Bay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Thunder Bay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 20 m around an average of 188 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 297 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 503 m.

The land around Thunder Bay is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, trees (43%) and water (39%) within 16 km, and trees (57%) and water (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
20 m
16 km
297 m
80 km
503 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
October weather nearby: Marquette 247 km · Duluth 278 km · Superior 283 km · Hibbing 295 km · Wausau 382 km · Weston 389 km · Kenora 411 km · Marshfield 419 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 Thunder Bay (48.382°, -89.2502°, elevation 188 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).