Zermatt weather in October

In October, Zermatt sees average daytime highs of 5°C and overnight lows near -3°C, with 130 mm of precipitation across 11.7 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 7°C in the first days to 2°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Zermatt's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zermatt's year-round climate.

Daytime high
6th warmest
Overnight low
-3°
7th coldest
Precipitation
130 mm
11.7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
6:54 AM – 5:34 PM
Cloud cover
61%
7th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.2
out of 10

Zermatt is municipality in Visp district, canton of Valais, Switzerland.

Density
27/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 7°C in the first days to 2°C by the end.

A typical October day in Zermatt reaches about 5°C in the afternoon and slips back to -3°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -1°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 5°C cooler than September and about 7°C warmer than November.

-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
17-1
27-1
37-1
47-1
57-1
66-2
76-2
86-2
96-2
106-2
116-2
125-3
135-3
145-3
155-3
165-3
174-3
184-3
194-4
204-4
214-4
224-4
234-4
243-4
253-4
263-5
273-5
283-5
292-5
302-5
312-5

How October really feels in Zermatt

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Zermatt weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-8° / -15°10012.113.18.90.0
Feb-6° / -14°8011.212.2100.0
Mar-2° / -10°9012.213.611.60.0
Apr / -6°1441515.113.30.0
May / -1°18718.512.314.70.4
Jun11° / 17319.54.415.52.2
Jul14° / 18819.6115.23.2
Aug13° / 18419.41.3143.0
Sep10° / 13715.54.812.31.8
Oct / -3°13011.78.810.70.2
Nov-2° / -9°17313.714.49.20.0
Dec-7° / -14°10212.313.48.50.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24159
34159
44159
54060
64159
74258
84258
94258
104357
114357
124357
134357
144456
154456
164456
174555
184555
194555
204456
214456
224456
234456
244456
254357
264357
274258
284258
294258
304258
314159

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Zermatt gets around 130 mm of rain and snow over 11.7 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 39% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14624
24525
34525
44526
54426
64427
74327
84327
94228
104128
114128
124028
133928
143828
153728
163628
173628
183528
193428
203428
213429
223429
233430
243430
253531
263632
273734
283835
293936
304038
314139

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 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 96 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:33 AM to 7:15 AM, and sunset from 6:03 PM to 5:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:336:03
211.46:356:01
311.46:365:59
411.36:375:57
511.36:395:55
611.26:405:53
711.26:425:51
811.16:435:49
911.06:445:47
1011.06:465:45
1110.96:475:43
1210.96:485:41
1310.86:505:40
1410.86:515:38
1510.76:535:36
1610.76:545:34
1710.66:555:32
1810.66:575:31
1910.56:585:29
2010.57:005:27
2110.47:015:25
2210.47:035:24
2310.37:045:22
2410.37:055:20
2510.27:075:19
2610.17:085:17
2710.17:105:16
2810.07:115:14
2910.07:135:13
3010.07:145:11
319.97:155:10

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.02 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.54 kWh/m² to a high of 6.43 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.02 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.4Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.0Moderate
173.0Moderate
183.0Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.6Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Zermatt?

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

0.2
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Zermatt.

What to pack for Zermatt in October

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

In October, Zermatt sees daytime highs around 5°C and nights near -3°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Zermatt in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Zermatt peaks around July 16 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 16UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Zermatt?

Zermatt sits at 46.0°N, 7.7°E, 0 m above sea level, in Switzerland. The nearest listed city is Sierre, 34 km away.

SierreSittenDomodossolaAostaMartigny-VilleVerbania

Topography around Zermatt

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zermatt has very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,598 m around an average of 2,203 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,378 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,639 m.

The land around Zermatt is covered by grassland (47%) and trees (34%) within 3 km, snow and ice (46%) and bare terrain (25%) within 16 km, and trees (43%) and grassland (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
1,598 m
16 km
3,378 m
80 km
4,639 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
October weather nearby: Sierre 34 km · Sitten 38 km · Domodossola 43 km · Aosta 46 km · Martigny-Ville 53 km · Biella 56 km · Ivrea 62 km · Verbania 63 km

Switzerland travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / J
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 112% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$114,769
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.6
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
2.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 564
Religion
Roman Catholic 34%none 29%Protestant 23%other Christian 6%

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 Zermatt (46.02°, 7.7486°, elevation 0 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).