Edinburgh weather in October

In October, Edinburgh sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 80 mm of rain across 13 wet days and about 10.1 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 11°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% 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 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Edinburgh's 6th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Edinburgh's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
6th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
80 mm
13 wet days
Daylight
10 h 06 min
6:55 AM – 5:00 PM
Cloud cover
74%
6th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
out of 10

Edinburgh is capital city of Scotland, UK.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,988/km²
people per km²
Founded
~601 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 14°C in the first days to 11°C by the end.

A typical October day in Edinburgh reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°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)
1149
2149
3148
4148
5148
6148
7148
8138
9138
10138
11138
12138
13138
14137
15127
16127
17127
18127
19127
20127
21127
22127
23127
24127
25117
26116
27116
28116
29116
30116
31116

How October really feels in Edinburgh

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.

Edinburgh 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 / 74142.47.40.6
Feb / 6111.82.59.20.8
Mar / 5912.51.711.41.5
Apr11° / 5411.60.713.82.5
May14° / 5612.60.1163.6
Jun16° / 10°6413.1017.24.5
Jul18° / 12°7113.6016.75.2
Aug18° / 12°7513.2014.85.2
Sep16° / 10°5911.1012.54.5
Oct12° / 8013010.13.1
Nov / 7113.60.581.6
Dec / 7613.41.96.80.7

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12575
22575
32476
42476
52476
62476
72476
82575
92575
102575
112773
122773
132674
142773
152773
162773
172773
182773
192773
202773
212773
222872
232971
242971
252971
262872
272872
282971
293070
303070
313070

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Edinburgh gets around 80 mm of rain over 13 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 41% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
242
342
441
541
641
740
840
939
1039
1138
1238
1338
1438
1538
1639
1739
1840
1940
2041
2142
2242
2343
2443
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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1964
2964
3973
4973
5973
6973
7973
8982
9982
10982
11982
12982
13982
14982
15982
16982
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

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 16 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
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

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

Days shrink by about 138 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:24 AM to 7:27 AM, and sunset from 5:40 PM to 4:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.36:245:40
211.26:265:37
311.16:285:34
411.06:305:32
510.96:325:29
610.96:345:26
710.86:365:24
810.76:385:21
910.66:405:18
1010.66:435:16
1110.56:455:13
1210.46:475:11
1310.36:495:08
1410.26:515:05
1510.26:535:03
1610.16:555:00
1710.06:574:58
189.96:594:55
199.97:024:53
209.87:044:51
219.77:064:48
229.67:084:46
239.67:104:43
249.57:124:41
259.47:144:39
269.37:174:36
279.37:194:34
289.27:214:32
299.17:234:30
309.07:254:27
319.07:274:25

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 1.41 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.38 kWh/m² to a high of 4.74 kWh/m² in May across the year — October's 1.41 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.7Dim
71.7Dim
81.7Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.5Dim
131.5Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.4Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.3Dim
221.2Dim
231.2Dim
241.2Dim
251.1Dim
261.1Dim
271.1Dim
281.1Dim
291.1Dim
301.0Dim
311.0Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Edinburgh?

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 Edinburgh.

What to pack for Edinburgh in October

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

In October, Edinburgh sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Edinburgh in October

The nearest coast averages about 12°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 20 km away) is warmest in August at about 14°C and coldest in February near 6°C.

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

5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh peaks around June 20 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 5 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 20UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Edinburgh?

Edinburgh sits at 56.0°N, 3.2°W, 66 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Musselburgh, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Edinburgh

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Edinburgh has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 229 m around an average of 54 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 582 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 978 m.

The land around Edinburgh is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) and trees (32%) within 3 km, water (33%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (49%) within 80 km.

3 km
229 m
16 km
582 m
80 km
978 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Musselburgh 9.0 km · Bonnyrigg 10 km · Penicuik 14 km · Broxburn 17 km · Kirkcaldy 18 km · Dunfermline 21 km · Livingston 21 km · Glenrothes 27 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 Edinburgh (55.9521°, -3.1965°, elevation 66 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).