Yellowknife weather in October

In October, Yellowknife sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -3°C, with 24 mm of precipitation across 6.4 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 5°C in the first days to -3°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of October to 8 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Yellowknife's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Yellowknife's year-round climate.

Daytime high
6th warmest
Overnight low
-3°
7th coldest
Precipitation
24 mm
6.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:37 AM – 5:08 PM
Cloud cover
84%
12th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Yellowknife is capital and largest city of the Northwest Territories, Canada.

Air quality
Excellent
PM2.5 4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
149/km²
people per km²
Founded
1970

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 5°C in the first days to -3°C by the end.

A typical October day in Yellowknife reaches about 1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -3°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -4°C and 6°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 9°C cooler than September and about 11°C warmer than November.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
161
261
351
450
550
640
740
84-1
93-1
103-1
113-2
122-2
132-2
142-2
152-3
161-3
171-3
181-3
190-4
200-4
210-4
220-5
23-1-5
24-1-5
25-1-6
26-2-6
27-2-7
28-2-7
29-3-8
30-3-8
31-3-8

How October really feels in Yellowknife

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
9 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Yellowknife weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-22° / -28°103.44.45.60.0
Feb-19° / -26°62.12.88.20.0
Mar-12° / -21°103.24.211.30.0
Apr-1° / -11°113.12.514.40.0
May10° / 194.61.417.42.5
Jun18° / 255.3019.36.2
Jul21° / 13°377.3018.56.8
Aug18° / 11°469.2015.85.7
Sep11° / 408.20.512.62.5
Oct / -3°246.44.39.50.0
Nov-10° / -16°154.666.50.0
Dec-18° / -24°103.44.54.70.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in October, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 87%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
21981
31882
41882
51882
61882
71783
81684
91684
101585
111585
121585
131387
141387
151189
161189
171189
181189
191090
201090
211090
221090
231189
241189
251189
261189
271189
281189
291288
301288
311288

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Yellowknife gets around 24 mm of rain and snow over 6.4 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 21% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1246
2236
3236
4237
5227
6228
7228
8229
9229
102210
112210
122211
132212
142212
152213
162214
172215
182215
192216
202217
212117
222118
232118
242019
252019
261919
271919
281820
291820
301820
311721

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 14 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 13 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
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

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

Days shrink by about 180 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:55 AM to 8:21 AM, and sunset from 5:58 PM to 4:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:555:58
210.96:585:54
310.87:015:51
410.77:035:48
510.67:065:44
610.57:095:41
710.47:125:37
810.37:155:34
910.27:175:31
1010.17:205:27
1110.07:235:24
129.97:265:21
139.87:295:17
149.77:325:14
159.67:355:11
169.57:375:08
179.47:405:04
189.37:435:01
199.27:464:58
209.17:494:55
219.07:524:52
228.97:554:48
238.87:584:45
248.78:014:42
258.68:044:39
268.58:074:36
278.48:104:33
288.38:134:30
298.28:154:27
308.18:184:24
318.08:214:21

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 1.03 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.13 kWh/m² to a high of 6.39 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 1.03 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.5Dim
41.5Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.3Dim
91.3Dim
101.2Dim
111.2Dim
121.1Dim
131.1Dim
141.1Dim
151.0Dim
161.0Dim
171.0Dim
180.9Dim
190.9Dim
200.9Dim
210.8Dim
220.8Dim
230.8Dim
240.8Dim
250.8Dim
260.7Dim
270.7Dim
280.7Dim
290.7Dim
300.6Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Yellowknife?

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

0.0
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 Yellowknife.

What to pack for Yellowknife in October

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

In October, Yellowknife sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -3°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Yellowknife 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 Yellowknife peaks around June 15 at about 4 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJun 15UV 4Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar1Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low

Air quality in Yellowknife 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 Yellowknife is worst in August — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 224.0× the cleanest month (January, 0 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Yellowknife's WHO annual average of 4 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1421 µg/m³Jan 10 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan0Good
Feb0Good
Mar1Good
Apr2Good
May2Good
Jun4Good
Jul13Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep3Good
Oct0Good
Nov0Good
Dec0Good
Location & terrain

Where is Yellowknife?

Yellowknife sits at 62.5°N, 114.4°W, 252 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Fort McMurray, 659 km away.

Fort McMurrayFort St. JohnGrande PrairieSt. AlbertEdmontonWîhkwêntôwinStony PlainSpruce Grove

Topography around Yellowknife

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Yellowknife has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 56 m around an average of 180 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 97 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 220 m.

The land around Yellowknife is covered by trees (43%) and water (31%) within 3 km, trees (60%) and water (29%) within 16 km, and trees (50%) and water (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
56 m
16 km
97 m
80 km
220 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
October weather nearby: Fort McMurray 659 km · Fort St. John 781 km · Grande Prairie 849 km · St. Albert 982 km · Edmonton 991 km · Wîhkwêntôwin 992 km · Stony Plain 992 km · Spruce Grove 992 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 Yellowknife (62.4541°, -114.3725°, elevation 252 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).