Fort William weather in October

In October, Fort William sees average daytime highs of 10°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 186 mm of precipitation across 18.9 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 12°C in the first days to 9°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of October to 8 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Fort William's 6th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fort William's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10°
6th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
186 mm
18.9 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
7:05 AM – 5:06 PM
Cloud cover
83%
6th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
1.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.8
out of 10

Fort William is town in Highland, Scotland, UK.

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 12°C in the first days to 9°C by the end.

A typical October day in Fort William reaches about 10°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 7°C and 13°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 3°C cooler than September and about 3°C warmer than November.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1127
2126
3126
4126
5126
6126
7116
8116
9116
10116
11116
12116
13115
14115
15105
16105
17105
18105
19105
20105
21105
22105
23105
2495
2594
2694
2794
2894
2994
3094
3194

How October really feels in Fort William

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.

Fort William 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 / 22419.510.87.20.0
Feb / 18117.59.89.10.0
Mar / 16617.97.611.40.6
Apr10° / 11316.42.813.91.7
May13° / 12216.90.416.12.8
Jun15° / 11817.4017.43.4
Jul16° / 10°12919.4016.93.7
Aug16° / 10°14519.5014.93.7
Sep14° / 15117012.53.1
Oct10° / 18618.90.5101.8
Nov / 17518.73.27.80.7
Dec / 20518.486.60.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 87%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11288
21288
31288
41288
51288
61288
71288
81387
91486
101486
111387
121387
131387
141387
151387
161387
171387
181387
191387
201387
211387
221387
231486
241486
251387
261387
271288
281288
291288
301387
311387

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Fort William gets around 186 mm of rain and snow over 18.9 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 61% and peaks near 65% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1630
2630
3630
4630
5620
6610
7610
8600
9591
10581
11571
12561
13561
14561
15562
16562
17562
18572
19583
20593
21603
22613
23623
24623
25633
26644
27644
28654
29654
30654
31655

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in October

Winds average 11 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of October to 8 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 138 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:32 AM to 7:38 AM, and sunset from 5:47 PM to 4:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:325:47
211.26:345:44
311.16:375:41
411.06:395:38
510.96:415:36
610.86:435:33
710.76:455:30
810.76:475:27
910.66:495:25
1010.56:525:22
1110.46:545:19
1210.36:565:17
1310.36:585:14
1410.27:005:11
1510.17:035:09
1610.07:055:06
179.97:075:04
189.97:095:01
199.87:114:58
209.77:144:56
219.67:164:53
229.57:184:51
239.57:204:48
249.47:234:46
259.37:254:44
269.27:274:41
279.27:294:39
289.17:324:37
299.07:344:34
308.97:364:32
318.97:384:30

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 1.18 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.29 kWh/m² to a high of 4.43 kWh/m² in May across the year — October's 1.18 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.5Dim
51.5Dim
61.5Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.4Dim
111.3Dim
121.3Dim
131.3Dim
141.3Dim
151.2Dim
161.2Dim
171.2Dim
181.1Dim
191.1Dim
201.1Dim
211.0Dim
221.0Dim
231.0Dim
240.9Dim
250.9Dim
260.9Dim
270.9Dim
280.8Dim
290.8Dim
300.8Dim
310.8Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Fort William?

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

1.8
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Fort William.

What to pack for Fort William in October

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

In October, Fort William sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Fort William in October

The nearest coast averages about 13°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 47 km away) is warmest in August at about 14°C and coldest in February 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
Jan8Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Fort William in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Fort William peaks around July 11 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 11UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug4Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Fort William?

Fort William sits at 56.8°N, 5.1°W, 24 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Inverness, 91 km away.

InvernessGreenockVale of LevenDumbartonStirlingErskineClydebankBearsden

Topography around Fort William

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Fort William has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 521 m around an average of 97 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,341 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,339 m.

The land around Fort William is covered by grassland (48%), trees (23%) and water (21%) within 3 km, grassland (69%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (68%) within 80 km.

3 km
521 m
16 km
1,341 m
80 km
1,339 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Inverness 91 km · Greenock 99 km · Vale of Leven 100 km · Dumbarton 103 km · Stirling 106 km · Erskine 110 km · Clydebank 111 km · Bearsden 111 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 Fort William (56.8165°, -5.1121°, elevation 24 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).