Palmerston North weather in October

In October, Palmerston North sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 110 mm of rain across 15 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 16°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 24 min at the start of October to 13 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Palmerston North's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palmerston North's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 16°; 7th warmest
Overnight low: 9°; 6th coldest
Rainfall: 110 mm; 15 wet days
Daylight: 13 h 06 min; 6:30 AM – 7:35 PM
Cloud cover: 67%; 11th clearest
Wind: 17 km/h; 2nd windiest
Solar energy: 4.78 kWh/m²
Travel score: 4.3; out of 10

Palmerston North is city on the North Island in New Zealand.

Density: 278/km²; people per km²
Founded: 1877

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

← September Palmerston North year-round climate November →Best places to visit in October

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

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 16°C through the month.

A typical October day in Palmerston North reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 1°C warmer than September and about 2°C cooler than November.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	17	17	17	17	17
Avg low (°C)	8	8	8	8	8	8	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	10

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	15	8
2	15	8
3	15	8
4	15	8
5	15	8
6	15	8
7	15	9
8	15	9
9	16	9
10	16	9
11	16	9
12	16	9
13	16	9
14	16	9
15	16	9
16	16	9
17	16	9
18	16	9
19	16	9
20	16	9
21	16	9
22	16	9
23	16	9
24	16	9
25	16	9
26	16	9
27	17	9
28	17	9
29	17	9
30	17	9
31	17	10

Palmerston North weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 7th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	21° / 14°	70	10.4	14.5	6.4
Feb	22° / 14°	64	8.2	13.6	6.8
Mar	20° / 12°	62	9.6	12.3	6.4
Apr	18° / 10°	82	10.5	11	5.7
May	15° / 8°	79	11.8	9.8	4.5
Jun	13° / 6°	90	13.3	9.2	3.4
Jul	12° / 6°	89	13.4	9.4	3.1
Aug	13° / 6°	89	13.9	10.4	3.3
Sep	14° / 7°	94	14.4	11.7	3.8
Oct	16° / 9°	110	15	13.1	4.3
Nov	18° / 10°	87	13.6	14.2	5.1
Dec	20° / 12°	98	13.5	14.8	5.6

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	35	35	34	34	34	34	34	35	35	35	35	36	36	36	37	37	38	38	39	39	39	39	39	39	39	39	38	38	39	37	37
Cloudier (%)	65	65	66	66	66	66	66	65	65	65	65	64	64	64	63	63	62	62	61	61	61	61	61	61	61	61	62	62	61	63	63

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	35	65
2	35	65
3	34	66
4	34	66
5	34	66
6	34	66
7	34	66
8	35	65
9	35	65
10	35	65
11	35	65
12	36	64
13	36	64
14	36	64
15	37	63
16	37	63
17	38	62
18	38	62
19	39	61
20	39	61
21	39	61
22	39	61
23	39	61
24	39	61
25	39	61
26	39	61
27	38	62
28	38	62
29	39	61
30	37	63
31	37	63

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Palmerston North gets around 110 mm of rain over 15 wet days in October, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 48% and peaks near 52% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	52	52	52	52	52	52	52	52	52	52	51	51	51	50	50	49	49	48	47	47	46	45	45	44	44	44	44	44	44	44	44

	Rain chance (%)
1	52
2	52
3	52
4	52
5	52
6	52
7	52
8	52
9	52
10	52
11	51
12	51
13	51
14	50
15	50
16	49
17	49
18	48
19	47
20	47
21	46
22	45
23	45
24	44
25	44
26	44
27	44
28	44
29	44
30	44
31	44

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	99	99	98	98	98	98	98	98	98	99	99	99	99	99	99	99	98	98	98	98	97	97	96	96	95	95	94	94	93	93	92
Comfortable (%)	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	3	3	4	4	5	5	6	6	7	7	8

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	99	1
2	99	1
3	98	2
4	98	2
5	98	2
6	98	2
7	98	2
8	98	2
9	98	2
10	99	1
11	99	1
12	99	1
13	99	1
14	99	1
15	99	1
16	99	1
17	98	2
18	98	2
19	98	2
20	98	2
21	97	3
22	97	3
23	96	4
24	96	4
25	95	5
26	95	5
27	94	6
28	94	6
29	93	7
30	93	7
31	92	8

Wind in October

Winds average 17 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16
Feels	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	17	light breeze
2	17	light breeze
3	17	light breeze
4	17	light breeze
5	17	light breeze
6	17	light breeze
7	17	light breeze
8	17	light breeze
9	17	light breeze
10	17	light breeze
11	17	light breeze
12	17	light breeze
13	17	light breeze
14	17	light breeze
15	17	light breeze
16	17	light breeze
17	17	light breeze
18	17	light breeze
19	17	light breeze
20	17	light breeze
21	17	light breeze
22	17	light breeze
23	16	light breeze
24	16	light breeze
25	16	light breeze
26	16	light breeze
27	16	light breeze
28	16	light breeze
29	16	light breeze
30	16	light breeze
31	16	light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 24 min at the start of October to 13 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 78 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:54 AM to 6:10 AM, and sunset from 7:19 PM to 7:52 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	12.4	12.5	12.5	12.6	12.6	12.6	12.7	12.7	12.8	12.8	12.9	12.9	13.0	13.0	13.0	13.1	13.1	13.2	13.2	13.3	13.3	13.3	13.4	13.4	13.5	13.5	13.6	13.6	13.6	13.7	13.7
Sunrise (AM)	6:54	6:52	6:51	6:49	6:47	6:46	6:44	6:42	6:41	6:39	6:38	6:36	6:34	6:33	6:31	6:30	6:28	6:27	6:25	6:24	6:23	6:21	6:20	6:19	6:17	6:16	6:15	6:13	6:12	6:11	6:10
Sunset (PM)	7:19	7:20	7:21	7:22	7:23	7:24	7:26	7:27	7:28	7:29	7:30	7:31	7:32	7:33	7:34	7:35	7:36	7:38	7:39	7:40	7:41	7:42	7:43	7:44	7:45	7:47	7:48	7:49	7:50	7:51	7:52

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	12.4	6:54	7:19
2	12.5	6:52	7:20
3	12.5	6:51	7:21
4	12.6	6:49	7:22
5	12.6	6:47	7:23
6	12.6	6:46	7:24
7	12.7	6:44	7:26
8	12.7	6:42	7:27
9	12.8	6:41	7:28
10	12.8	6:39	7:29
11	12.9	6:38	7:30
12	12.9	6:36	7:31
13	13.0	6:34	7:32
14	13.0	6:33	7:33
15	13.0	6:31	7:34
16	13.1	6:30	7:35
17	13.1	6:28	7:36
18	13.2	6:27	7:38
19	13.2	6:25	7:39
20	13.3	6:24	7:40
21	13.3	6:23	7:41
22	13.3	6:21	7:42
23	13.4	6:20	7:43
24	13.4	6:19	7:44
25	13.5	6:17	7:45
26	13.5	6:16	7:47
27	13.6	6:15	7:48
28	13.6	6:13	7:49
29	13.6	6:12	7:50
30	13.7	6:11	7:51
31	13.7	6:10	7:52

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.78 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.58 kWh/m² to a high of 6.82 kWh/m² in January across the year — October's 4.78 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	4.2	4.2	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.4	4.4	4.4	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.6	4.6	4.7	4.7	4.8	4.8	4.9	4.9	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.1	5.1	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.3	5.3	5.3	5.4
Level	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	4.2	Bright
2	4.2	Bright
3	4.3	Bright
4	4.3	Bright
5	4.3	Bright
6	4.4	Bright
7	4.4	Bright
8	4.4	Bright
9	4.5	Bright
10	4.5	Bright
11	4.5	Bright
12	4.6	Bright
13	4.6	Bright
14	4.7	Bright
15	4.7	Bright
16	4.8	Bright
17	4.8	Bright
18	4.9	Bright
19	4.9	Bright
20	5.0	Bright
21	5.0	Bright
22	5.0	Bright
23	5.1	Bright
24	5.1	Bright
25	5.2	Bright
26	5.2	Bright
27	5.2	Bright
28	5.3	Bright
29	5.3	Bright
30	5.3	Bright
31	5.4	Bright

Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Palmerston North?

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

4.3

Sightseeing

8th-best month of the year

0.5

Beach & pool

7th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Palmerston North for sightseeing.

What to pack for Palmerston North in October

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

In October, Palmerston North sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 9°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

rain geara warm layersun protection

Sea temperature near Palmerston North in October

The nearest coast averages about 14°C in October — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 41 km away) is warmest in February at about 19°C and coldest in August near 13°C.

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sea temperature (°C)	18	19	18	17	16	14	13	13	13	14	15	16
Comfort	Cool	Cool	Cool	Cool	Cool	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Cool

	Sea temperature (°C)	Comfort
Jan	18	Cool
Feb	19	Cool
Mar	18	Cool
Apr	17	Cool
May	16	Cool
Jun	14	Bracing
Jul	13	Bracing
Aug	13	Bracing
Sep	13	Bracing
Oct	14	Bracing
Nov	15	Bracing
Dec	16	Cool

UV index in Palmerston North 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 Palmerston North peaks around January 13 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	12	11	7	4	2	2	2	3	4	7	10	11
Level	Extreme	Extreme	High	Moderate	Moderate	Low	Low	Moderate	Moderate	High	Extreme	Extreme

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	12	Extreme
Feb	11	Extreme
Mar	7	High
Apr	4	Moderate
May	2	Moderate
Jun	2	Low
Jul	2	Low
Aug	3	Moderate
Sep	4	Moderate
Oct	7	High
Nov	10	Extreme
Dec	11	Extreme

Location & terrain

Where is Palmerston North?

Palmerston North sits at 40.4°S, 175.6°E, 34 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Levin, 42 km away.

Topography around Palmerston North

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Palmerston North has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 54 m around an average of 32 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 611 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,719 m.

The land around Palmerston North is covered by artificial surfaces (54%) and grassland (25%) within 3 km, grassland (71%) within 16 km, and grassland (58%) and trees (24%) within 80 km.

3 km

54 m

artificial surfaces 54%

16 km

611 m

grassland 71%

80 km

1,719 m

grassland 58%

treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater

← September Palmerston North year-round climate November →Best places to visit in October

October weather nearby: Levin 42 km · Whanganui 67 km · Masterton 67 km · Paraparaumu 80 km · Upper Hutt 99 km · Porirua 108 km · Lower Hutt 112 km · Wainuiomata 116 km

New Zealand travel facts

Travel advisory: Level 1; Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs: Type I; 230 V · 50 Hz
Prices: ≈ 86% of US; price level, 2025
GDP per capita: $49,591; 2025
Happiness: 7.0 / 10; World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water: 100%; of population, 2024
Homicide rate: 1.5; per 100k, 2022
Road deaths: 9.6; per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group: High; World Bank
Religion

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 Palmerston North (-40.3564°, 175.6111°, elevation 34 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).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	15	8
2	15	8
3	15	8
4	15	8
5	15	8
6	15	8
7	15	9
8	15	9
9	16	9
10	16	9
11	16	9
12	16	9
13	16	9
14	16	9
15	16	9
16	16	9
17	16	9
18	16	9
19	16	9
20	16	9
21	16	9
22	16	9
23	16	9
24	16	9
25	16	9
26	16	9
27	17	9
28	17	9
29	17	9
30	17	9
31	17	10

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	35	65
2	35	65
3	34	66
4	34	66
5	34	66
6	34	66
7	34	66
8	35	65
9	35	65
10	35	65
11	35	65
12	36	64
13	36	64
14	36	64
15	37	63
16	37	63
17	38	62
18	38	62
19	39	61
20	39	61
21	39	61
22	39	61
23	39	61
24	39	61
25	39	61
26	39	61
27	38	62
28	38	62
29	39	61
30	37	63
31	37	63

	Rain chance (%)
1	52
2	52
3	52
4	52
5	52
6	52
7	52
8	52
9	52
10	52
11	51
12	51
13	51
14	50
15	50
16	49
17	49
18	48
19	47
20	47
21	46
22	45
23	45
24	44
25	44
26	44
27	44
28	44
29	44
30	44
31	44

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	99	1
2	99	1
3	98	2
4	98	2
5	98	2
6	98	2
7	98	2
8	98	2
9	98	2
10	99	1
11	99	1
12	99	1
13	99	1
14	99	1
15	99	1
16	99	1
17	98	2
18	98	2
19	98	2
20	98	2
21	97	3
22	97	3
23	96	4
24	96	4
25	95	5
26	95	5
27	94	6
28	94	6
29	93	7
30	93	7
31	92	8

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	15	8
2	15	8
3	15	8
4	15	8
5	15	8
6	15	8
7	15	9
8	15	9
9	16	9
10	16	9
11	16	9
12	16	9
13	16	9
14	16	9
15	16	9
16	16	9
17	16	9
18	16	9
19	16	9
20	16	9
21	16	9
22	16	9
23	16	9
24	16	9
25	16	9
26	16	9
27	17	9
28	17	9
29	17	9
30	17	9
31	17	10

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	35	65
2	35	65
3	34	66
4	34	66
5	34	66
6	34	66
7	34	66
8	35	65
9	35	65
10	35	65
11	35	65
12	36	64
13	36	64
14	36	64
15	37	63
16	37	63
17	38	62
18	38	62
19	39	61
20	39	61
21	39	61
22	39	61
23	39	61
24	39	61
25	39	61
26	39	61
27	38	62
28	38	62
29	39	61
30	37	63
31	37	63

	Rain chance (%)
1	52
2	52
3	52
4	52
5	52
6	52
7	52
8	52
9	52
10	52
11	51
12	51
13	51
14	50
15	50
16	49
17	49
18	48
19	47
20	47
21	46
22	45
23	45
24	44
25	44
26	44
27	44
28	44
29	44
30	44
31	44

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	99	1
2	99	1
3	98	2
4	98	2
5	98	2
6	98	2
7	98	2
8	98	2
9	98	2
10	99	1
11	99	1
12	99	1
13	99	1
14	99	1
15	99	1
16	99	1
17	98	2
18	98	2
19	98	2
20	98	2
21	97	3
22	97	3
23	96	4
24	96	4
25	95	5
26	95	5
27	94	6
28	94	6
29	93	7
30	93	7
31	92	8

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	15	8
2	15	8
3	15	8
4	15	8
5	15	8
6	15	8
7	15	9
8	15	9
9	16	9
10	16	9
11	16	9
12	16	9
13	16	9
14	16	9
15	16	9
16	16	9
17	16	9
18	16	9
19	16	9
20	16	9
21	16	9
22	16	9
23	16	9
24	16	9
25	16	9
26	16	9
27	17	9
28	17	9
29	17	9
30	17	9
31	17	10

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	35	65
2	35	65
3	34	66
4	34	66
5	34	66
6	34	66
7	34	66
8	35	65
9	35	65
10	35	65
11	35	65
12	36	64
13	36	64
14	36	64
15	37	63
16	37	63
17	38	62
18	38	62
19	39	61
20	39	61
21	39	61
22	39	61
23	39	61
24	39	61
25	39	61
26	39	61
27	38	62
28	38	62
29	39	61
30	37	63
31	37	63

	Rain chance (%)
1	52
2	52
3	52
4	52
5	52
6	52
7	52
8	52
9	52
10	52
11	51
12	51
13	51
14	50
15	50
16	49
17	49
18	48
19	47
20	47
21	46
22	45
23	45
24	44
25	44
26	44
27	44
28	44
29	44
30	44
31	44

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	99	1
2	99	1
3	98	2
4	98	2
5	98	2
6	98	2
7	98	2
8	98	2
9	98	2
10	99	1
11	99	1
12	99	1
13	99	1
14	99	1
15	99	1
16	99	1
17	98	2
18	98	2
19	98	2
20	98	2
21	97	3
22	97	3
23	96	4
24	96	4
25	95	5
26	95	5
27	94	6
28	94	6
29	93	7
30	93	7
31	92	8