Cambridge weather in October

In October, Cambridge sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 57 mm of rain across 10.4 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 13°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Cambridge's 7th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cambridge's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
6th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
57 mm
10.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 18 min
6:34 AM – 4:55 PM
Cloud cover
72%
7th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Cambridge is city in Cambridgeshire, England.

Density
3,579/km²
people per km²
Founded
~1 CE

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 16°C in the first days to 13°C by the end.

A typical October day in Cambridge reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 4°C cooler than September and about 4°C warmer than November.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11710
21710
3169
4169
5169
6169
7169
8169
9169
10159
11159
12159
13158
14158
15158
16158
17148
18148
19148
20148
21148
22148
23147
24147
25137
26137
27137
28137
29137
30137
31137

How October really feels in Cambridge

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.

Cambridge weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 5010.80.781.0
Feb / 399.71.29.51.2
Mar10° / 4310.10.711.52.4
Apr13° / 4810.70.113.63.6
May16° / 5410.5015.45.0
Jun19° / 11°5910.4016.45.9
Jul22° / 13°6011.50166.3
Aug22° / 13°6110.5014.56.3
Sep19° / 11°509.1012.45.9
Oct15° / 5710.4010.34.2
Nov10° / 5510.80.28.52.3
Dec / 5211.20.97.61.1

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% 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 69%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22773
32773
42773
52773
62773
72773
82773
92773
102872
112872
122872
133070
143070
153169
163169
173268
183268
193268
203268
213367
223466
233466
243466
253466
263466
273466
283466
293466
303466
313466

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Cambridge gets around 57 mm of rain over 10.4 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 33% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
235
335
434
534
633
733
832
932
1032
1131
1231
1331
1431
1532
1632
1732
1833
1933
2033
2134
2234
2334
2434
2535
2635
2735
2835
2935
3035
3135

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 92% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
18614
28614
38713
48713
58812
68812
78911
88911
98911
109010
119010
129010
139010
14919
15919
16919
17928
18928
19937
20946
21946
22955
23955
24955
25964
26964
27964
28964
29973
30973
31973

Wind in October

Winds average 16 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light 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
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

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

Days shrink by about 120 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:08 AM to 7:02 AM, and sunset from 5:29 PM to 4:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:085:29
211.36:095:27
311.26:115:25
411.26:135:22
511.16:155:20
611.06:175:17
710.96:185:15
810.96:205:13
910.86:225:10
1010.76:245:08
1110.76:255:06
1210.66:275:04
1310.56:295:01
1410.56:314:59
1510.46:334:57
1610.36:344:55
1710.36:364:53
1810.26:384:50
1910.16:404:48
2010.16:424:46
2110.06:444:44
229.96:454:42
239.96:474:40
249.86:494:38
259.76:514:36
269.76:534:34
279.66:554:32
289.66:564:30
299.56:584:28
309.47:004:26
319.47:024:24

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 1.77 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.61 kWh/m² to a high of 5.13 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 1.77 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.1Moderate
62.1Moderate
72.1Moderate
82.0Moderate
92.0Dim
102.0Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
141.8Dim
151.8Dim
161.8Dim
171.7Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.6Dim
241.5Dim
251.5Dim
261.5Dim
271.4Dim
281.4Dim
291.4Dim
301.4Dim
311.3Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Cambridge?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Cambridge for sightseeing.

What to pack for Cambridge in October

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

In October, Cambridge sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Cambridge 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 Cambridge peaks around August 11 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 11UV 6Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Cambridge?

Cambridge sits at 52.2°N, 0.1°E, 12 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Royston, 19 km away.

Topography around Cambridge

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cambridge has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 26 m around an average of 14 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 136 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 304 m.

The land around Cambridge is covered by artificial surfaces (32%), trees (30%) and grassland (23%) within 3 km, cropland (61%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and cropland (55%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
26 m
16 km
136 m
80 km
304 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Royston 19 km · Saint Ives 20 km · Newmarket 20 km · Saffron Walden 21 km · Ely 24 km · Huntingdon 25 km · Haverhill 26 km · Saint Neots 26 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 Cambridge (52.2°, 0.1167°, 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. 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).