Nuuk weather in October

In October, Nuuk sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -4°C, with 79 mm of precipitation across 10.4 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 3°C in the first days to -2°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of October to 7 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Nuuk's 1st-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nuuk's year-round climate.

Daytime high
6th warmest
Overnight low
-4°
7th coldest
Precipitation
79 mm
10.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:33 AM – 4:51 PM
Cloud cover
69%
1st clearest
Wind
13 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
1.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Nuuk is capital of Greenland.

Density
22/km²
people per km²
Founded
1721

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 3°C in the first days to -2°C by the end.

A typical October day in Nuuk reaches about 1°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 6°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 6°C cooler than September and about 5°C warmer than November.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
140
24-1
33-1
43-1
53-1
63-1
73-2
83-2
92-2
102-2
112-2
122-3
132-3
141-3
151-3
161-3
171-4
181-4
190-4
200-4
210-5
220-5
23-1-5
24-1-5
25-1-6
26-1-6
27-2-6
28-2-7
29-2-7
30-2-7
31-3-7

How October really feels in Nuuk

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.

Nuuk weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-10° / -15°569.411.74.90.0
Feb-10° / -15°427.19.57.90.0
Mar-8° / -13°487.89.411.20.0
Apr-2° / -7°538.1914.60.0
May / -2°588.26.917.90.0
Jun / 659.61.920.21.4
Jul11° / 6290.219.22.6
Aug10° / 7811.40.316.12.1
Sep / 9712.43.512.70.6
Oct / -4°7910.48.39.30.0
Nov-5° / -10°7711.111.360.0
Dec-8° / -13°6210.511.73.80.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in October, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
23070
33070
43169
53268
63268
73367
83466
93466
103466
113466
123664
133565
143565
153664
163565
173565
183565
193466
203466
213367
223466
233367
243367
253367
263268
273268
283169
293169
303268
313169

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Nuuk gets around 79 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 41% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14125
24026
33926
43927
53827
63727
73627
83627
93527
103527
113427
123427
133327
143227
153226
163226
173126
183126
193126
203126
213126
223126
233127
243127
253127
263228
273228
283229
293230
303230
313331

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 13 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light 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 7 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 204 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:47 AM to 8:21 AM, and sunset from 5:45 PM to 3:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:475:45
210.96:505:41
310.76:535:38
410.66:565:34
510.56:595:30
610.47:025:27
710.37:055:23
810.27:085:20
910.17:115:16
1010.07:145:12
119.97:175:09
129.77:205:05
139.67:235:02
149.57:274:58
159.47:304:54
169.37:334:51
179.27:364:47
189.17:394:44
199.07:424:40
208.97:464:37
218.77:494:33
228.67:524:30
238.57:554:27
248.47:584:23
258.38:024:20
268.28:054:16
278.18:084:13
288.08:114:10
297.98:154:06
307.78:184:03
317.68:213:59

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 1.1 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.06 kWh/m² to a high of 5.72 kWh/m² in May across the year — October's 1.1 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.5Dim
51.5Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.3Dim
101.3Dim
111.3Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.1Dim
161.1Dim
171.1Dim
181.0Dim
191.0Dim
200.9Dim
210.9Dim
220.9Dim
230.9Dim
240.8Dim
250.8Dim
260.8Dim
270.7Dim
280.7Dim
290.7Dim
300.7Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Nuuk?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nuuk.

What to pack for Nuuk in October

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

In October, Nuuk sees daytime highs around 1°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

Sea temperature near Nuuk in October

The nearest coast averages about 3°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 5°C and coldest in February near -0°C.

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

-2°0°2°4°6°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan0Bracing
Feb0Bracing
Mar0Bracing
Apr0Bracing
May1Bracing
Jun3Bracing
Jul5Bracing
Aug5Bracing
Sep4Bracing
Oct3Bracing
Nov2Bracing
Dec1Bracing

UV index in Nuuk 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 Nuuk peaks around June 17 at about 5 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJun 17UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr3Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Nuuk?

Nuuk sits at 64.2°N, 51.7°W, 5 m above sea level, in Greenland. The nearest listed city is Keflavik, 1,404 km away.

KeflavikReykjanesbærKópavogurHafnarfjörðurReykjavikAkureyriVik

Topography around Nuuk

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nuuk has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 349 m around an average of 21 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,157 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,598 m.

The land around Nuuk is covered by water (65%) within 3 km, water (51%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and water (47%), moss and lichen (21%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
349 m
16 km
1,157 m
80 km
1,598 m
grasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewaterwetlandmoss and lichen
October weather nearby: Keflavik 1,404 km · Reykjanesbær 1,405 km · Kópavogur 1,432 km · Hafnarfjörður 1,432 km · Reykjavik 1,432 km · Akureyri 1,574 km · Vik 1,590 km · Corner Brook 1,734 km

Greenland travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E / F / K
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 77% of US
price level, 2023
GDP per capita
$58,499
2023
Homicide rate
5.4
per 100k, 2016
Income group
High
World Bank

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 Nuuk (64.1835°, -51.7216°, elevation 5 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).