Musselburgh weather in October

In October, Musselburgh sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 89 mm of rain across 13.9 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 13°C in the first days to 11°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% 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 Musselburgh's 7th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Musselburgh's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
6th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
89 mm
13.9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 06 min
6:55 AM – 5:00 PM
Cloud cover
73%
7th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10

Musselburgh is town in East Lothian, Scotland, UK.

Density
4,358/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 11°C by the end.

A typical October day in Musselburgh reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 15°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)
1139
2139
3139
4139
5139
6139
7139
8139
9139
10129
11128
12128
13128
14128
15128
16128
17128
18128
19118
20118
21118
22118
23117
24117
25117
26117
27117
28117
29117
30117
31107

How October really feels in Musselburgh

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.

Musselburgh 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 / 7814.82.27.40.5
Feb / 63122.29.20.6
Mar / 61131.611.41.1
Apr10° / 5411.10.613.82.0
May12° / 5812.50163.0
Jun15° / 10°7113.2017.24.0
Jul17° / 12°7713.9016.74.7
Aug17° / 12°8214014.84.7
Sep15° / 10°6712012.54.1
Oct12° / 8913.9010.12.8
Nov / 8014.10.481.5
Dec / 8214.31.86.80.6

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 70%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22971
32971
42971
52971
62971
72971
82971
93070
103070
113070
122971
132971
143070
153070
162971
173070
183070
193070
203070
213169
223070
233070
243169
253169
263169
273070
283169
293169
303169
313268

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Musselburgh gets around 89 mm of rain over 13.9 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 44% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
146
246
346
445
545
645
745
844
944
1044
1143
1243
1343
1443
1543
1643
1743
1843
1943
2044
2144
2244
2344
2445
2545
2645
2746
2846
2946
3046
3146

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 (%)
1982
2982
3982
4982
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
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 19 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light 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 6:23 AM to 7:27 AM, and sunset from 5:39 PM to 4:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.36:235:39
211.26:255:36
311.16:275:34
411.06:295:31
510.96:315:28
610.96:345:26
710.86:365:23
810.76:385:20
910.66:405:18
1010.66:425:15
1110.56:445:13
1210.46:465:10
1310.36:485:07
1410.26:505:05
1510.26:525:02
1610.16:555:00
1710.06:574:57
189.96:594:55
199.97:014:52
209.87:034:50
219.77:054:48
229.67:074:45
239.67:104:43
249.57:124:40
259.47:144:38
269.37:164:36
279.37:184:34
289.27:204:31
299.17:224:29
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 1.45 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.39 kWh/m² to a high of 4.8 kWh/m² in May across the year — October's 1.45 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.0Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.7Dim
81.7Dim
91.7Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.5Dim
141.5Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.4Dim
181.4Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.3Dim
221.3Dim
231.2Dim
241.2Dim
251.2Dim
261.1Dim
271.1Dim
281.1Dim
291.1Dim
301.1Dim
311.0Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Musselburgh?

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

2.8
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Musselburgh.

What to pack for Musselburgh in October

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

In October, Musselburgh sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 8°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Musselburgh 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 21 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 Musselburgh 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 Musselburgh 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 Musselburgh?

Musselburgh sits at 55.9°N, 3.0°W, 9 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Bonnyrigg, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Musselburgh

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Musselburgh has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 m around an average of 18 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 483 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 852 m.

The land around Musselburgh is covered by water (32%) and grassland (23%) within 3 km, water (34%), cropland (21%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (47%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
82 m
16 km
483 m
80 km
852 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Bonnyrigg 8.0 km · Edinburgh 9.0 km · Penicuik 16 km · Kirkcaldy 21 km · Broxburn 26 km · Glenrothes 29 km · Dunfermline 29 km · Livingston 30 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 Musselburgh (55.9417°, -3.0499°, elevation 9 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).