Varanasi weather in October

In October, Varanasi sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 37 mm of rain across 4.1 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 33°C in the first days to 31°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% of the time in October, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of October to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Varanasi's 8th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Varanasi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
8th warmest
Overnight low
22°
6th coldest
Rainfall
37 mm
4.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:01 AM – 5:25 PM
Cloud cover
24%
8th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
4.89 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Varanasi is city on the banks of the Ganges in the Uttar Pradesh state of India.

Air quality
Severe
PM10 183.6 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
14,183/km²
people per km²

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 33°C in the first days to 31°C by the end.

A typical October day in Varanasi reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs on par with September and about 3°C warmer than November.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13325
23325
33325
43325
53324
63324
73324
83324
93324
103224
113223
123223
133223
143223
153223
163222
173222
183222
193222
203221
213221
223221
233121
243121
253120
263120
273120
283120
293120
303119
313119

How October really feels in Varanasi

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 27 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
27
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in October is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Varanasi weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 11°172.210.68.8
Feb27° / 14°172.311.18.3
Mar33° / 18°122.111.84.6
Apr38° / 24°6212.61.0
May40° / 27°92.913.20.0
Jun38° / 29°13212.613.50.9
Jul33° / 28°29524.513.42.1
Aug32° / 27°24724.212.92.4
Sep32° / 26°16317.512.23.1
Oct32° / 22°374.111.45.0
Nov29° / 16°60.610.87.6
Dec24° / 12°70.910.59.1

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 14%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27525
37624
47723
57921
68020
78119
88218
98317
108416
118515
128515
138614
148713
158713
168911
178911
188911
198911
209010
219010
22919
23919
24919
25928
26928
27937
28937
29937
30946
31946

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Varanasi gets around 37 mm of rain over 4.1 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 14% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
231
329
427
525
624
722
821
919
1018
1116
1215
1314
1413
1512
1611
1710
189
199
208
218
227
237
246
255
265
274
284
294
303
313

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of October feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, October lands in the muggy band about 29% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 78% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
100173458
200183655
300193753
4002103950
5002124047
6003134144
7003154141
8004174138
9004194235
10005224131
11016244128
12017264025
13018294022
140210313819
150211333717
160313353514
170414373312
180516393010
19051840288
20062041257
21082242236
22092342214
231102542184
241112742163
251122941142
262133140132
272143239111
283153437101
29416353681
30417373470
31518383260

Wind in October

Winds average 6 km/h in October, the calmest month.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of October to 11 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 42 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:54 AM to 6:10 AM, and sunset from 5:40 PM to 5:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.85:545:40
211.75:545:39
311.75:555:38
411.75:555:37
511.75:565:36
611.65:565:35
711.65:575:34
811.65:575:33
911.65:585:32
1011.55:585:31
1111.55:595:30
1211.55:595:29
1311.56:005:28
1411.46:005:27
1511.46:015:26
1611.46:015:25
1711.46:025:24
1811.36:025:23
1911.36:035:22
2011.36:035:21
2111.36:045:20
2211.36:045:20
2311.26:055:19
2411.26:065:18
2511.26:065:17
2611.26:075:17
2711.16:075:16
2811.16:085:15
2911.16:095:14
3011.16:095:14
3111.16:105:13

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.89 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.07 kWh/m² to a high of 7.19 kWh/m² in May across the year — October's 4.89 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Varanasi

In seasonPeak

In October, Varanasi sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Varanasi sits in the North Indian Ocean cyclone zone; the season peaks May and October–November.

Varanasi's monsoon runs July–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Varanasi sees seasonal dust haze (May–June), heaviest in June.

Cyclone
Monsoon
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is October a good time to visit Varanasi?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
7.9
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Varanasi for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Varanasi in October

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

In October, Varanasi sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Varanasi in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Varanasi peaks around August 15 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highVery highHighModerateAug 15UV 10Jan 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar8Very high
Apr10Very high
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct7High
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Varanasi 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 Varanasi is worst in December — around 307 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 4.6× the cleanest month (July, 67 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0306090120150180210240270300330JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery unhealthyUnhealthyVery unhealthyDec 19305 µg/m³Jul 2069 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan290Very unhealthy
Feb223Very unhealthy
Mar166Very unhealthy
Apr116Unhealthy
May104Unhealthy
Jun94Unhealthy
Jul67Unhealthy
Aug78Unhealthy
Sep98Unhealthy
Oct178Very unhealthy
Nov278Very unhealthy
Dec307Very unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Varanasi?

Varanasi sits at 25.3°N, 83.0°E, 86 m above sea level, in India. The nearest listed city is Bodh Gaya, 211 km away.

Bodh GayaLumbiniSiddharthanagarBirgañjButwālGaurTānsenChitwan

Topography around Varanasi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Varanasi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 38 m around an average of 77 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 39 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 420 m.

The land around Varanasi is covered by artificial surfaces (65%) within 3 km, cropland (55%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 16 km, and cropland (80%) within 80 km.

3 km
38 m
16 km
39 m
80 km
420 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Bodh Gaya 211 km · Lumbini 239 km · Siddharthanagar 247 km · Birgañj 266 km · Butwāl 268 km · Gaur 278 km · Tānsen 288 km · Chitwan 299 km

India travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / D / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 23% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,702
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
76%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.8
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
15.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 484
Religion
Hindu 80%Muslim 14%Christian 2%other and unspecified 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 Varanasi (25.3167°, 83.0104°, elevation 86 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).