Alta weather in October

In October, Alta sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -3°C, with 57 mm of precipitation across 12.8 wet days and about 8.3 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 6°C in the first days to -1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 36 min at the start of October to 5 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Alta's 10th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Alta's year-round climate.

Daytime high
6th warmest
Overnight low
-3°
7th coldest
Precipitation
57 mm
12.8 wet days
Daylight
8 h 24 min
7:01 AM – 3:23 PM
Cloud cover
83%
10th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
0.5 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Alta is settlement in Alta Municipality, Norway.

Density
1,604/km²
people per km²
Founded
2000

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 6°C in the first days to -1°C by the end.

A typical October day in Alta reaches about 2°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 -3°C and 7°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 7°C cooler than September and about 5°C warmer than November.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
161
261
361
451
550
650
750
840
940
104-1
114-1
123-1
133-2
143-2
152-2
162-3
172-3
182-3
191-3
201-4
211-4
221-4
230-4
240-5
250-5
260-5
270-5
28-1-6
29-1-6
30-1-6
31-1-6

How October really feels in Alta

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
2 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Alta 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-7° / -14°429.811.50.70.0
Feb-7° / -13°359.410.86.30.0
Mar-3° / -10°3610.111.910.90.0
Apr / -6°3610.811.215.50.0
May / 50137.321.40.7
Jun12° / 7014.21.2242.6
Jul16° / 7513.7023.54.2
Aug14° / 6912.6017.83.7
Sep / 5812.31.512.91.8
Oct / -3°5712.88.48.30.0
Nov-3° / -8°409.69.52.40.0
Dec-5° / -11°401011.400.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in October.

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
51783
61783
71684
81585
91486
101387
111288
121189
131189
141189
151189
161189
171090
181090
191090
201090
211189
221189
231189
241189
251090
261189
271189
281189
291189
301189
311189

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Alta gets around 57 mm of rain and snow over 12.8 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 42% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13812
23813
33814
43915
53916
64017
74118
84219
94321
104322
114423
124425
134426
144427
154428
164429
174430
184431
194332
204333
214333
224234
234234
244135
254135
264135
274036
284036
294036
304036
313936

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 9 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 36 min at the start of October to 5 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 282 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:57 AM to 8:14 AM, and sunset from 4:35 PM to 2:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.65:574:35
210.56:014:30
310.36:054:25
410.26:094:20
510.06:144:16
69.96:184:11
79.76:224:06
89.66:264:01
99.46:313:56
109.36:353:52
119.16:393:47
129.06:443:42
138.86:483:37
148.76:523:32
158.56:573:27
168.47:013:23
178.27:063:18
188.07:103:13
197.97:153:08
207.77:203:03
217.67:242:58
227.47:292:53
237.27:342:48
247.17:392:43
256.97:432:38
266.77:482:33
276.67:532:28
286.47:582:23
296.28:032:18
306.18:092:12
315.98:142:07

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 0.5 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0 kWh/m² to a high of 4.84 kWh/m² in May across the year — October's 0.5 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.0Dim
20.9Dim
30.9Dim
40.8Dim
50.8Dim
60.8Dim
70.8Dim
80.7Dim
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
110.6Dim
120.6Dim
130.6Dim
140.5Dim
150.5Dim
160.5Dim
170.5Dim
180.4Dim
190.4Dim
200.4Dim
210.4Dim
220.3Dim
230.3Dim
240.3Dim
250.3Dim
260.3Dim
270.3Dim
280.2Dim
290.2Dim
300.2Dim
310.2Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Alta?

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
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Alta.

What to pack for Alta in October

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

In October, Alta sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -3°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Alta in October

The nearest coast averages about 8°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 48 km away) is warmest in August at about 10°C and coldest in April near 3°C.

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

0°5°10°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan5Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr3Bracing
May4Bracing
Jun7Bracing
Jul10Bracing
Aug10Bracing
Sep9Bracing
Oct8Bracing
Nov7Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Alta in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Alta peaks around July 13 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 2 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJul 13UV 4Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Low
May3Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep1Low
Oct0Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Alta?

Alta sits at 70.0°N, 23.3°E, 65 m above sea level, in Norway. The nearest listed city is Tromsdalen, 167 km away.

TromsdalenTromsoLeviKirunaNikelHarstadZapolyarnyyKovdor

Topography around Alta

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Alta has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 208 m around an average of 21 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 998 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,343 m.

The land around Alta is covered by water (39%) and trees (31%) within 3 km, trees (35%), grassland (26%) and water (25%) within 16 km, and grassland (41%), moss and lichen (23%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
208 m
16 km
998 m
80 km
1,343 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewaterwetlandmoss and lichen
October weather nearby: Tromsdalen 167 km · Tromso 169 km · Levi 248 km · Kiruna 265 km · Nikel 275 km · Harstad 294 km · Zapolyarnyy 297 km · Kovdor 394 km

Norway travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 91% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$94,594
2025
Happiness
7.2 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
2.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 613
Religion
Church of Norway 68%other Christian 4%Muslim 3%Roman Catholic 3%

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 Alta (69.9689°, 23.2717°, elevation 65 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).