Dorchester weather in October

In October, Dorchester sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 81 mm of rain across 12.3 wet days and about 10.4 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 1st-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 16% 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 Dorchester's 7th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dorchester's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
6th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
81 mm
12.3 wet days
Daylight
10 h 24 min
6:42 AM – 5:08 PM
Cloud cover
71%
7th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.93 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Dorchester is town in Dorset, England, UK.

Density
3,431/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 16°C in the first days to 13°C by the end.

A typical October day in Dorchester 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 17°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 4°C cooler than September and about 3°C warmer than November.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11610
21610
31610
41610
51610
61610
71510
81510
91510
10159
11159
12159
13159
14159
15149
16149
17149
18149
19149
20149
21148
22148
23148
24138
25138
26138
27138
28138
29138
30138
31138

How October really feels in Dorchester

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.

Dorchester 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 / 70120.38.31.2
Feb / 5610.50.69.71.3
Mar10° / 5310.10.411.52.3
Apr13° / 6311.50.113.53.3
May16° / 6311.1015.24.6
Jun18° / 11°6010.8016.25.7
Jul20° / 13°5710.8015.86.2
Aug20° / 13°7110.7014.36.1
Sep18° / 11°569.3012.45.7
Oct14° / 8112.3010.43.9
Nov11° / 7712.208.72.4
Dec / 7611.70.27.81.5

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% 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 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33268
43268
53268
63268
73268
83169
93169
103367
113367
123367
133367
143367
153367
163367
173268
183367
193367
203367
213367
223268
233169
243169
253367
263367
273367
283268
293268
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Dorchester gets around 81 mm of rain over 12.3 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 40% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
239
339
439
538
638
738
837
937
1037
1137
1237
1337
1437
1537
1638
1738
1839
1939
2040
2141
2241
2342
2442
2543
2643
2743
2843
2943
3043
3142

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 86% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
176231
277221
378211
479201
580191
681181
781181
882171
983161
1083161
1184151
1284151
1385150
1486140
1586140
1687130
1787130
1888120
1988120
2089110
2189110
2289110
2390100
2490100
2590100
2690100
279190
289190
299190
309280
319280

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
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3117light 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 6:17 AM to 7:08 AM, and sunset from 5:40 PM to 4:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:175:40
211.36:195:38
311.36:205:36
411.26:225:34
511.16:245:31
611.16:255:29
711.06:275:27
810.96:295:25
910.96:305:23
1010.86:325:20
1110.76:345:18
1210.76:355:16
1310.66:375:14
1410.66:395:12
1510.56:405:10
1610.46:425:08
1710.46:445:05
1810.36:455:03
1910.26:475:01
2010.26:494:59
2110.16:514:57
2210.16:524:55
2310.06:544:53
249.96:564:51
259.96:574:50
269.86:594:48
279.77:014:46
289.77:034:44
299.67:044:42
309.67:064:40
319.57:084:39

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 1.93 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.71 kWh/m² to a high of 5.56 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 1.93 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.2Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.1Moderate
112.1Moderate
122.1Moderate
132.0Moderate
142.0Moderate
152.0Dim
161.9Dim
171.9Dim
181.9Dim
191.8Dim
201.8Dim
211.8Dim
221.7Dim
231.7Dim
241.7Dim
251.6Dim
261.6Dim
271.6Dim
281.5Dim
291.5Dim
301.5Dim
311.4Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Dorchester?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dorchester.

What to pack for Dorchester in October

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

In October, Dorchester sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Dorchester in October

The nearest coast averages about 16°C in October — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in March near 8°C.

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

10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb9Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Dorchester 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 Dorchester peaks around August 13 at about 6 (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 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Dorchester?

Dorchester sits at 50.7°N, 2.4°W, 55 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Weymouth, 12 km away.

Topography around Dorchester

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dorchester has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 75 m around an average of 74 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 408 m.

The land around Dorchester is covered by grassland (42%) and cropland (30%) within 3 km, grassland (42%) and cropland (27%) within 16 km, and grassland (36%) and water (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
75 m
16 km
272 m
80 km
408 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Weymouth 12 km · Yeovil 29 km · Poole 32 km · Wimborne Minster 33 km · Ferndown 39 km · Bournemouth 39 km · Christchurch 46 km · New Milton 54 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 Dorchester (50.7167°, -2.4333°, elevation 55 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).