Barnstaple weather in October

In October, Barnstaple sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 84 mm of rain across 14.2 wet days and about 10.4 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 12°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of October to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Barnstaple's 9th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Barnstaple's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
6th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
84 mm
14.2 wet days
Daylight
10 h 24 min
6:49 AM – 5:13 PM
Cloud cover
74%
9th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
out of 10

Barnstaple is town and civil parish in Devon, England.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 8.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,638/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 15°C in the first days to 12°C by the end.

A typical October day in Barnstaple reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 16°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 3°C cooler than September and about 3°C warmer than November.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11510
21510
31510
41510
51510
61510
71510
81510
91410
101410
111410
12149
13149
14149
15149
16149
17149
18149
19139
20139
21139
22139
23138
24138
25138
26138
27138
28138
29128
30128
31128

How October really feels in Barnstaple

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

October sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Barnstaple weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7914.50.88.21.1
Feb / 6511.80.79.61.2
Mar / 6312.80.511.51.8
Apr12° / 6311.90.113.52.9
May14° / 6312.2015.33.9
Jun17° / 11°6511.9016.25.0
Jul19° / 13°6712.6015.95.6
Aug19° / 13°7112.8014.45.5
Sep17° / 11°6111.1012.45.0
Oct14° / 8414.2010.43.5
Nov11° / 8815.208.72.1
Dec / 9514.60.37.81.3

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 74%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22575
32575
42575
52575
62575
72674
82674
92674
102773
112773
122773
132773
142872
152872
162971
172971
182971
192971
202971
212872
222773
232773
242674
252674
262674
272575
282575
292476
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Barnstaple gets around 84 mm of rain over 14.2 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 46% and peaks near 53% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
244
344
444
544
643
743
843
942
1042
1142
1241
1341
1442
1542
1642
1743
1844
1945
2045
2146
2247
2348
2449
2550
2650
2751
2852
2952
3053
3153

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 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
18317
28416
38416
48515
58614
68614
78713
88713
98812
108812
118812
128911
138911
148911
159010
169010
179010
18919
19919
20928
21928
22928
23928
24928
25928
26937
27937
28937
29937
30946
31946

Wind in October

Winds average 19 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2520light breeze
2620light breeze
2720light breeze
2820light breeze
2920light breeze
3020light breeze
3120light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of October to 9 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 114 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:24 AM to 7:15 AM, and sunset from 5:47 PM to 4:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:245:47
211.36:255:44
311.36:275:42
411.26:295:40
511.16:305:38
611.16:325:35
711.06:345:33
810.96:355:31
910.96:375:29
1010.86:395:26
1110.76:415:24
1210.76:425:22
1310.66:445:20
1410.56:465:18
1510.56:475:16
1610.46:495:13
1710.36:515:11
1810.36:535:09
1910.26:545:07
2010.26:565:05
2110.16:585:03
2210.07:005:01
2310.07:014:59
249.97:034:57
259.87:054:55
269.87:074:53
279.77:084:51
289.77:104:50
299.67:124:48
309.57:144:46
319.57:154:44

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 1.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.67 kWh/m² to a high of 5.43 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 1.86 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.2Moderate
82.1Moderate
92.1Moderate
102.1Moderate
112.0Moderate
122.0Moderate
132.0Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
171.9Dim
181.8Dim
191.8Dim
201.8Dim
211.7Dim
221.7Dim
231.6Dim
241.6Dim
251.6Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.4Dim
301.4Dim
311.4Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Barnstaple?

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
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Barnstaple.

What to pack for Barnstaple in October

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

In October, Barnstaple sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 9°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer. About 14 days see rain.

rain geara warm layer

Sea temperature near Barnstaple in October

The nearest coast averages about 15°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 23 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in February near 8°C.

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

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Barnstaple in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Barnstaple peaks around August 13 at about 7 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 13UV 7Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Barnstaple?

Barnstaple sits at 51.1°N, 4.1°W, 12 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Bideford, 13 km away.

Topography around Barnstaple

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Barnstaple has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 156 m around an average of 44 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 475 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 652 m.

The land around Barnstaple is covered by grassland (47%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, grassland (60%) within 16 km, and water (42%) and grassland (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
156 m
16 km
475 m
80 km
652 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
October weather nearby: Bideford 13 km · Tiverton 44 km · Porthcawl 51 km · Exeter 54 km · Heavitree 56 km · Bridgend 58 km · Coity 60 km · Swansea 61 km

United Kingdom travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 89% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$57,602
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
3.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 60%none 26%Muslim 4%other 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 Barnstaple (51.0802°, -4.0581°, elevation 12 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).