Inverness weather in October

In October, Inverness sees average daytime highs of 11°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 88 mm of precipitation across 15.1 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 10°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% 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 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Inverness's 3rd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Inverness's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11°
6th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
88 mm
15.1 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
7:03 AM – 5:01 PM
Cloud cover
78%
3rd clearest
Wind
13 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.23 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.5
out of 10

Inverness is city in the Highlands of Scotland, United Kingdom.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
2,309/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 13°C in the first days to 10°C by the end.

A typical October day in Inverness reaches about 11°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 8°C and 15°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)
1137
2137
3137
4137
5137
6137
7137
8127
9127
10126
11126
12126
13126
14126
15116
16116
17116
18116
19116
20116
21115
22115
23115
24105
25105
26105
27105
28105
29105
30105
31105

How October really feels in Inverness

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.

Inverness weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 9115.74.570.2
Feb / 7414590.4
Mar / 7214.53.411.41.2
Apr11° / 6514.31.813.92.2
May13° / 7014.60.216.23.3
Jun16° / 7314.9017.64.0
Jul18° / 11°7214.50174.8
Aug17° / 11°8115.20154.7
Sep15° / 7013012.54.0
Oct11° / 8815.10.1102.5
Nov / 7714.51.37.71.2
Dec / 8414.63.66.40.3

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% 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 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22476
32377
42377
52377
62278
72278
82278
92179
102179
112179
122179
132080
141981
151981
161981
171981
182080
192080
202179
212179
222080
232179
242179
252179
262278
272278
282278
292278
302278
312278

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Inverness gets around 88 mm of rain and snow over 15.1 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 48% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
146
246
347
447
547
647
747
846
946
1046
1146
1246
1346
1446
1547
1647
1747
1848
1948
2048
2149
2249
2350
2450
2550
2650
2750
2850
2950
3050
3150

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
81000
91000
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 13 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of October to 8 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 144 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:29 AM to 7:37 AM, and sunset from 5:42 PM to 4:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:295:42
211.16:315:40
311.16:345:37
411.06:365:34
510.96:385:31
610.86:405:28
710.76:435:26
810.66:455:23
910.66:475:20
1010.56:495:17
1110.46:525:15
1210.36:545:12
1310.26:565:09
1410.16:585:06
1510.17:015:04
1610.07:035:01
179.97:054:58
189.87:074:56
199.77:104:53
209.67:124:51
219.67:144:48
229.57:174:45
239.47:194:43
249.37:214:40
259.27:234:38
269.27:264:35
279.17:284:33
289.07:304:31
298.97:334:28
308.87:354:26
318.87:374:24

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 1.23 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.27 kWh/m² to a high of 4.59 kWh/m² in May across the year — October's 1.23 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.4Dim
111.4Dim
121.4Dim
131.3Dim
141.3Dim
151.3Dim
161.2Dim
171.2Dim
181.2Dim
191.1Dim
201.1Dim
211.1Dim
221.1Dim
231.0Dim
241.0Dim
251.0Dim
260.9Dim
270.9Dim
280.9Dim
290.9Dim
300.8Dim
310.8Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Inverness?

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

2.5
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 Inverness.

What to pack for Inverness in October

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

In October, Inverness sees daytime highs around 11°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Inverness 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 26 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 Inverness 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 Inverness peaks around July 11 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 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 11UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug4Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Inverness?

Inverness sits at 57.5°N, 4.2°W, 15 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Elgin, 57 km away.

Fort WilliamPerthAberdeenNiggDundeeArbroathPeterhead

Topography around Inverness

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Inverness has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 m around an average of 24 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 614 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,309 m.

The land around Inverness is covered by artificial surfaces (29%), water (26%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, grassland (44%) and trees (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (69%) within 80 km.

3 km
171 m
16 km
614 m
80 km
1,309 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Elgin 57 km · Fort William 91 km · Perth 130 km · Aberdeen 133 km · Nigg 134 km · Dundee 135 km · Arbroath 142 km · Peterhead 146 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 Inverness (57.4791°, -4.224°, elevation 15 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).