Whitehorse weather in October

In October, Whitehorse sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -4°C, with 41 mm of precipitation across 10.4 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 6°C in the first days to -2°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 06 min at the start of October to 8 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Whitehorse's 9th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Whitehorse's year-round climate.

Daytime high
7th warmest
Overnight low
-4°
7th coldest
Precipitation
41 mm
10.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:55 AM – 5:36 PM
Cloud cover
75%
9th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.31 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10

Whitehorse is capital city of the territory of Yukon, Canada.

Air quality
Excellent
PM2.5 3 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
68/km²
people per km²
Founded
1898

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 6°C in the first days to -2°C by the end.

A typical October day in Whitehorse reaches about 2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -4°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 7°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 8°C cooler than September and about 10°C warmer than November.

-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
170
27-1
36-1
46-1
56-1
65-1
75-2
85-2
95-2
104-2
114-2
124-3
133-3
143-3
153-3
163-3
172-4
182-4
192-4
201-4
211-5
221-5
230-5
240-5
250-6
26-1-6
27-1-6
28-1-7
29-2-7
30-2-7
31-2-8

How October really feels in Whitehorse

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
4 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Whitehorse weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 7th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-14° / -20°257.38.76.20.0
Feb-9° / -18°1656.78.50.0
Mar-3° / -14°154.76.511.30.0
Apr / -5°144.1414.20.6
May12° / 256.91.816.93.5
Jun17° / 4410.30.218.65.3
Jul19° / 5311.1017.95.7
Aug17° / 5311.10.215.54.9
Sep11° / 4911.22.412.62.3
Oct / -4°4110.49.39.70.1
Nov-8° / -13°277.89.770.0
Dec-12° / -18°287.39.55.40.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 75%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22674
32674
42674
52575
62575
72575
82674
92674
102674
112674
122674
132674
142674
152674
162674
172575
182575
192476
202476
212476
222476
232476
242476
252476
262476
272476
282476
292476
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Whitehorse gets around 41 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 9 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13420
23421
33422
43323
53323
63324
73325
83426
93427
103428
113429
123430
133531
143532
153533
163533
173534
183534
193534
203534
213535
223535
233435
243434
253334
263334
273234
283234
293134
303034
313034

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
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min at the start of October to 8 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 168 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 7:16 AM to 8:35 AM, and sunset from 6:23 PM to 4:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.17:166:23
211.07:186:19
310.97:216:16
410.87:236:13
510.77:266:10
610.67:296:07
710.57:316:04
810.47:346:00
910.37:365:57
1010.37:395:54
1110.27:425:51
1210.17:445:48
1310.07:475:45
149.97:495:42
159.87:525:39
169.77:555:36
179.67:575:33
189.58:005:30
199.48:035:27
209.38:055:24
219.28:085:21
229.18:115:18
239.08:135:15
248.98:165:12
258.88:195:09
268.78:215:06
278.78:245:04
288.68:275:01
298.58:304:58
308.48:324:55
318.38:354:53

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 1.31 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.21 kWh/m² to a high of 6.06 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 1.31 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.7Dim
71.7Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.3Dim
161.3Dim
171.3Dim
181.2Dim
191.2Dim
201.2Dim
211.1Dim
221.1Dim
231.1Dim
241.0Dim
251.0Dim
261.0Dim
270.9Dim
280.9Dim
290.9Dim
300.8Dim
310.8Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Whitehorse?

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

0.1
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 Whitehorse.

What to pack for Whitehorse in October

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

In October, Whitehorse sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -4°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Whitehorse 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 Whitehorse peaks around July 15 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 15UV 6Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul6High
Aug4Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Whitehorse?

Whitehorse sits at 60.7°N, 135.1°W, 707 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Juneau, 271 km away.

JuneauDawson CityTerraceFort St. John

Topography around Whitehorse

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Whitehorse has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 181 m around an average of 688 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,175 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,734 m.

The land around Whitehorse is covered by trees (62%) within 3 km, trees (80%) within 16 km, and trees (65%) within 80 km.

3 km
181 m
16 km
1,175 m
80 km
1,734 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
October weather nearby: Juneau 271 km · Dawson City 435 km · Badger 779 km · Eagle River 783 km · Fairbanks 788 km · Terrace 788 km · Anchorage 801 km · Fort St. John 960 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 Whitehorse (60.7161°, -135.0538°, elevation 707 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).