Belfast weather in October

In October, Belfast sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 87 mm of rain across 13.5 wet days and about 10.2 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 12°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 18 min at the start of October to 9 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Belfast's 7th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Belfast's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
6th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
87 mm
13.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
7:03 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
76%
7th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
out of 10

Belfast is capital city of Northern Ireland.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 10.6 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,026/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 14°C in the first days to 12°C by the end.

A typical October day in Belfast reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 15°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)
11410
21410
3149
4149
5149
6149
7149
8149
9149
10139
11139
12139
13139
14139
15139
16138
17138
18138
19128
20128
21128
22128
23128
24128
25128
26128
27128
28127
29127
30117
31117

How October really feels in Belfast

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.

Belfast weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7714.20.87.61.0
Feb / 6212.10.99.31.1
Mar / 6213.40.611.51.6
Apr11° / 65130.213.72.5
May14° / 7014.10.115.83.5
Jun16° / 11°7513.2016.94.4
Jul18° / 12°8114.6016.44.9
Aug18° / 12°8114.2014.74.9
Sep16° / 11°7012.5012.54.4
Oct13° / 8713.5010.23.1
Nov10° / 85140.28.21.9
Dec / 8213.50.57.11.2

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% 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 75%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22476
32575
42575
52674
62674
72674
82773
92773
102674
112674
122773
132773
142773
152674
162674
172674
182575
192575
202575
212575
222575
232575
242575
252476
262476
272476
282476
292575
302575
312575

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Belfast gets around 87 mm of rain over 13.5 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 43% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
245
345
445
545
644
744
843
943
1042
1142
1242
1342
1442
1542
1642
1742
1842
1943
2043
2143
2244
2344
2444
2544
2644
2744
2844
2944
3044
3144

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1928
2928
3937
4937
5946
6946
7955
8955
9955
10955
11964
12964
13964
14964
15973
16973
17973
18973
19973
20982
21982
22982
23982
24982
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

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 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 min at the start of October to 9 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 132 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:34 AM to 7:34 AM, and sunset from 5:52 PM to 4:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.36:345:52
211.26:365:49
311.26:385:47
411.16:395:44
511.06:415:41
610.96:435:39
710.96:455:36
810.86:475:34
910.76:495:31
1010.66:515:29
1110.66:535:26
1210.56:555:24
1310.46:575:21
1410.36:595:19
1510.37:015:17
1610.27:035:14
1710.17:055:12
1810.07:075:10
1910.07:095:07
209.97:115:05
219.87:135:03
229.77:155:00
239.77:174:58
249.67:194:56
259.57:214:54
269.57:234:51
279.47:254:49
289.37:284:47
299.37:304:45
309.27:324:43
319.17:344:41

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 1.56 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.47 kWh/m² to a high of 4.95 kWh/m² in May across the year — October's 1.56 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.0Moderate
32.0Dim
42.0Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
71.9Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.7Dim
121.7Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.5Dim
181.5Dim
191.5Dim
201.4Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.3Dim
251.3Dim
261.3Dim
271.2Dim
281.2Dim
291.2Dim
301.1Dim
311.1Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Belfast?

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

3.1
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 Belfast.

What to pack for Belfast in October

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

In October, Belfast sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Belfast 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 31 km away) is warmest in September at about 14°C and coldest in March near 8°C.

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

6°8°10°12°14°16°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul12Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Belfast 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 Belfast peaks around July 24 at about 5 (high) — 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 5 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 24UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5High
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Belfast?

Belfast sits at 54.6°N, 5.9°W, 7 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Castlereagh, 4.0 km away.

Topography around Belfast

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Belfast has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 76 m around an average of 15 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 495 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 860 m.

The land around Belfast is covered by artificial surfaces (72%) within 3 km, grassland (58%) within 16 km, and grassland (47%) and water (45%) within 80 km.

3 km
76 m
16 km
495 m
80 km
860 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Castlereagh 4.0 km · Newtownabbey 7.0 km · Lisburn 11 km · Newtownards 15 km · Carrickfergus 15 km · Bangor 18 km · Antrim 23 km · Larne 29 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 Belfast (54.5968°, -5.9254°, elevation 7 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).