Helsinki weather in October

In October, Helsinki sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 59 mm of precipitation across 11.1 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 11°C in the first days to 6°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Helsinki's 8th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Helsinki's year-round climate.

Daytime high
6th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Precipitation
59 mm
11.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:13 AM – 4:57 PM
Cloud cover
74%
8th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
1.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.5
out of 10

Helsinki is capital and most populous city of Finland.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7.3 µg/m³ · 2019
Founded
1550

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 11°C in the first days to 6°C by the end.

A typical October day in Helsinki reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°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 12°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 7°C cooler than September and about 5°C warmer than November.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1126
2126
3116
4116
5116
6115
7105
8105
9105
10105
1195
1294
1394
1494
1584
1683
1783
1883
1983
2073
2173
2272
2372
2472
2562
2662
2762
2862
2962
3062
3162

How October really feels in Helsinki

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 16 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
16
wind chill below the day's low

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

Helsinki weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -6°4810.910.16.40.0
Feb-2° / -8°409.28.48.60.0
Mar / -5°378.56.911.30.0
Apr / 378.72.414.21.3
May14° / 448.90.116.84.3
Jun18° / 10°7211.8018.45.6
Jul21° / 14°7611.9017.76.3
Aug20° / 12°7612.3015.45.9
Sep15° / 5810.4012.64.3
Oct / 5911.10.89.71.5
Nov / -0°5911.54.67.10.0
Dec / -4°5612.295.60.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% 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%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23268
33169
43169
53169
63070
73070
83070
93070
103070
113070
122971
132971
142971
152872
162872
172773
182674
192575
202476
212377
222377
232377
242278
252278
262278
272179
282179
292278
302278
312179

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Helsinki gets around 59 mm of rain and snow over 11.1 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 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1340
2350
3350
4361
5361
6361
7361
8361
9361
10361
11362
12352
13352
14352
15352
16342
17342
18343
19343
20343
21353
22354
23354
24354
25365
26365
27365
28366
29377
30377
31378

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in October

Winds average 15 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min at the start of October to 8 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 162 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:35 AM to 7:52 AM, and sunset from 5:43 PM to 4:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:355:43
211.06:385:40
310.96:405:37
410.96:435:34
510.86:455:31
610.76:485:28
710.66:505:25
810.56:535:22
910.46:555:18
1010.36:585:15
1110.27:005:12
1210.17:035:09
1310.07:055:06
149.97:085:03
159.87:115:00
169.77:134:57
179.67:164:54
189.67:184:52
199.57:214:49
209.47:244:46
219.37:264:43
229.27:294:40
239.17:314:37
249.07:344:34
258.97:374:32
268.87:394:29
278.77:424:26
288.67:444:23
298.67:474:21
308.57:504:18
318.47:524:15

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 1.13 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.16 kWh/m² to a high of 5.82 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 1.13 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.4Dim
111.3Dim
121.3Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.2Dim
161.1Dim
171.1Dim
181.1Dim
191.0Dim
201.0Dim
210.9Dim
220.9Dim
230.9Dim
240.8Dim
250.8Dim
260.8Dim
270.8Dim
280.7Dim
290.7Dim
300.7Dim
310.7Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Helsinki?

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

1.5
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 Helsinki.

What to pack for Helsinki in October

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

In October, Helsinki sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Helsinki 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 17°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°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan2Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr2Bracing
May6Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep14Bracing
Oct10Bracing
Nov7Bracing
Dec4Bracing

UV index in Helsinki 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 Helsinki peaks around June 18 at about 5 (high) — 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 18UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Helsinki?

Helsinki sits at 60.2°N, 24.9°E, 26 m above sea level, in Finland. The nearest listed city is Kallio, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Helsinki

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Helsinki has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 47 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 83 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 193 m.

The land around Helsinki is covered by water (42%) and artificial surfaces (41%) within 3 km, water (49%) and trees (28%) within 16 km, and water (49%) and trees (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
47 m
16 km
83 m
80 km
193 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Kallio 2.0 km · Taka-Töölö 2.0 km · Suomenlinna 4.0 km · Lauttasaari 4.0 km · Munkkiniemi 5.0 km · Laajasalo 5.0 km · Haaga 6.0 km · Herttoniemi 6.0 km

Finland travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 85% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$56,149
2025
Happiness
7.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 603
Religion
Lutheran 67%none 31%other 2%Greek Orthodox 1%

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 Helsinki (60.1695°, 24.9354°, elevation 26 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).