Cusco weather in October

In October, Cusco sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 84 mm of precipitation across 20.3 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 6th-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 5% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Cusco's 7th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cusco's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
1st warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Precipitation
84 mm
20.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:24 AM – 5:42 PM
Cloud cover
80%
7th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
out of 10

Cusco is historic city of Peru, capital of the Department of Cusco.

Density
1,113/km²
people per km²
Founded
1534

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

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 Cusco reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 10°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 on par with September and on par with November.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1155
2155
3155
4155
5165
6165
7165
8165
9165
10165
11165
12165
13165
14165
15165
16165
17165
18165
19165
20165
21165
22165
23165
24165
25166
26166
27166
28166
29166
30166
31166

Cusco weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 1st-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan14° / 22928.80.712.72.3
Feb14° / 21426.10.312.52.2
Mar14° / 17027.40.312.12.4
Apr14° / 7618.6011.73.2
May14° / 248.1011.44.5
Jun14° / 123.30.111.24.9
Jul14° / 113.10.111.35.0
Aug15° / 226.50.511.64.9
Sep15° / 3713.1011.94.3
Oct16° / 8420.30.112.33.5
Nov16° / 11622.80.312.63.1
Dec15° / 19727.50.512.82.5

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 83%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23070
33070
42971
52773
62674
72674
82476
92377
102278
112179
122080
131981
141783
151684
161684
171486
181486
191189
201189
211090
221090
23991
24991
25892
26892
27892
28892
29892
30892
31991

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Cusco gets around 84 mm of rain and snow over 20.3 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 66% and peaks near 72% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
159
259
360
460
560
661
761
861
962
1062
1162
1263
1364
1464
1565
1665
1766
1867
1967
2068
2169
2269
2370
2470
2571
2671
2772
2872
2972
3072
3172

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 4 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:33 AM to 5:17 AM, and sunset from 5:40 PM to 5:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.15:335:40
212.15:335:40
312.15:325:41
412.25:315:41
512.25:305:41
612.25:305:41
712.25:295:41
812.25:295:41
912.25:285:41
1012.25:275:41
1112.25:275:41
1212.35:265:42
1312.35:255:42
1412.35:255:42
1512.35:245:42
1612.35:245:42
1712.35:235:42
1812.35:235:43
1912.35:225:43
2012.45:225:43
2112.45:215:43
2212.45:215:43
2312.45:205:44
2412.45:205:44
2512.45:195:44
2612.45:195:44
2712.45:185:45
2812.45:185:45
2912.55:185:45
3012.55:175:46
3112.55:175:46

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 6.11 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.59 kWh/m² to a high of 6.11 kWh/m² in October across the year — October's 6.11 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.2Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.1Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Cusco

In seasonPeak

None of Cusco's seasonal hazards are active in October. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Cusco's monsoon runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is October a good time to visit Cusco?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Cusco.

What to pack for Cusco in October

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

In October, Cusco sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 5°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 20 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectiona warm layer

UV index in Cusco in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 16 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cusco peaks around February 10 at about 19 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 10UV 19Jun 23UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan19Extreme
Feb19Extreme
Mar17Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct16Extreme
Nov17Extreme
Dec16Extreme

Air quality in Cusco 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 Cusco is worst in September — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1315 µg/m³Jan 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar8Good
Apr8Good
May8Good
Jun8Good
Jul8Good
Aug13Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov8Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Cusco?

Cusco sits at 13.5°S, 72.0°W, 3,312 m above sea level, in Peru. The nearest listed city is Wanchaq, 1.0 km away.

Sicuani

Topography around Cusco

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cusco has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 503 m around an average of 3,446 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,566 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,473 m.

The land around Cusco is covered by artificial surfaces (59%) and grassland (22%) within 3 km, grassland (74%) within 16 km, and grassland (77%) within 80 km.

3 km
503 m
16 km
1,566 m
80 km
5,473 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Wanchaq 1.0 km · Santiago 2.0 km · Aguas Calientes 73 km · Machu Picchu 73 km · Abancay 100 km · Quillabamba 108 km · Santa Ana 110 km · Sicuani 115 km

Peru travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B / C
220 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 51% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$9,684
2025
Happiness
6.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
49%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
8.6
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
13.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 519
Religion
Catholic 76%Evangelical Christian 16%no religion 5%other religions 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 Cusco (-13.5319°, -71.967°, elevation 3,312 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. 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).