Aberdeen weather in October

In October, Aberdeen sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 37°F, with 2.0 in of precipitation across 6.7 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 64°F in the first days to 50°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Aberdeen's 5th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Aberdeen's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
6th warmest
Overnight low
37°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.0 in
6.7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
6:58 AM – 5:40 PM
Cloud cover
54%
5th clearest
Wind
10 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
2.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Aberdeen is city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, United States.

Density
680/km²
people per km²
Founded
1880

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 64°F in the first days to 50°F by the end.

A typical October day in Aberdeen reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 37°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 42°F and 73°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 15°F cooler than September and about 17°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16543
26543
36442
46442
56441
66341
76241
86240
96140
106139
116039
126039
135938
145938
155837
165837
175737
185736
195636
205635
215535
225535
235434
245334
255333
265233
275232
285132
295031
305031
314930

How October really feels in Aberdeen

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 19 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
19
wind chill below the day's low

The story in October is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Aberdeen weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 0.74.24.58.90.0
Feb27° / 0.84.34.310.10.0
Mar40° / 21°1.45.93.511.60.5
Apr55° / 33°2.382.213.23.6
May68° / 47°3.410.50.114.76.1
Jun77° / 57°4.211.5015.46.6
Jul83° / 62°2.98.7015.16.4
Aug81° / 59°2.97.9013.97.1
Sep73° / 50°2.57.1012.37.3
Oct58° / 37°2.06.70.910.74.6
Nov41° / 23°1.04.43.39.30.5
Dec27° / 11°0.84.44.78.60.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
25842
35743
45743
55644
65545
75545
85446
95446
105347
115347
125248
135248
145248
155149
165149
175149
185050
194951
204951
214951
224852
234753
244852
254852
264852
274753
284753
294753
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Aberdeen gets around 2.0 in of rain and snow over 6.7 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 21% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1230
2231
3231
4231
5231
6231
7231
8232
9232
10232
11232
12232
13222
14223
15213
16213
17213
18203
19204
20204
21204
22204
23194
24195
25195
26195
27186
28186
29186
30176
31177

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 (%)Humid (%)
19451
29541
39541
49541
59730
69730
79730
89820
99820
109820
119820
129820
139910
149910
159910
169910
179910
1810000
1910000
2010000
2110000
2210000
2310000
2410000
2510000
2610000
2710000
2810000
2910000
3010000
3110000

Wind in October

Winds average 10 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 96 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:38 AM to 7:19 AM, and sunset from 6:08 PM to 5:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:386:08
211.46:396:06
311.46:416:04
411.36:426:02
511.36:436:00
611.26:455:58
711.26:465:56
811.16:475:54
911.16:495:52
1011.06:505:51
1111.06:515:49
1210.96:535:47
1310.96:545:45
1410.86:555:43
1510.76:575:42
1610.76:585:40
1710.67:005:38
1810.67:015:36
1910.57:025:35
2010.57:045:33
2110.47:055:31
2210.47:065:30
2310.37:085:28
2410.37:095:26
2510.27:115:25
2610.27:125:23
2710.17:145:22
2810.17:155:20
2910.07:165:19
3010.07:185:17
319.97:195:16

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.91 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.53 kWh/m² to a high of 6.69 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 2.91 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.4Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Aberdeen

In seasonPeak

In October, Aberdeen sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Aberdeen's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is October a good time to visit Aberdeen?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.6
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Aberdeen for sightseeing.

What to pack for Aberdeen in October

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

In October, Aberdeen sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 37°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Aberdeen in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Aberdeen peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 9Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Aberdeen?

Aberdeen sits at 45.5°N, 98.5°W, 1,302 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Watertown, 78 mi away.

Topography around Aberdeen

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Aberdeen.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Aberdeen has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 43 ft around an average of 1,306 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 161 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 981 ft.

The land around Aberdeen is covered by grassland (34%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 2 miles, cropland (67%) and grassland (27%) within 10 miles, and cropland (62%) and grassland (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
43 ft
10 miles
161 ft
50 miles
981 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Watertown 78 mi · Jamestown 101 mi · Brookings 115 mi · Mitchell 124 mi · West Fargo 124 mi · Fargo 127 mi · Moorhead 127 mi · Bismarck 144 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 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 Aberdeen (45.4647°, -98.4865°, elevation 1,302 ft), 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. 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).