Acton weather in October

In October, Acton sees average daytime highs of 61°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 3.7 in of precipitation across 9.3 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 66°F in the first days to 56°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Acton's 2nd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Acton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
61°
6th warmest
Overnight low
44°
7th coldest
Precipitation
3.7 in
9.3 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:06 AM – 4:55 PM
Cloud cover
56%
2nd clearest
Wind
7 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.89 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Acton is town in Massachusetts, United States.

Founded
1639

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 66°F in the first days to 56°F by the end.

A typical October day in Acton reaches about 61°F in the afternoon and slips back to 44°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 51°F and 72°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 12°F cooler than September and about 12°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16749
26749
36749
46648
56648
66547
76547
86547
96446
106446
116346
126346
136345
146245
156244
166144
176144
186144
196043
206043
215942
225942
235942
245842
255841
265841
275741
285740
295640
305640
315639

How October really feels in Acton

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 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
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.

Acton 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 (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 20°3.29.66.29.20.0
Feb37° / 22°3.08.55.710.30.0
Mar45° / 29°4.111.15.111.61.1
Apr57° / 39°3.610.51.213.14.0
May67° / 49°3.110.5014.46.0
Jun77° / 58°3.510.7015.16.5
Jul83° / 64°3.210.3014.85.8
Aug81° / 62°3.49.6013.76.5
Sep73° / 55°3.48012.37.0
Oct61° / 44°3.79.30.210.85.3
Nov50° / 34°3.39.11.19.62.3
Dec40° / 26°4.110.358.90.1

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35248
45248
55248
65347
75347
85347
95347
105347
115347
125347
135347
145347
155347
165347
175347
185149
195149
205149
215149
225050
235050
245050
254951
264951
274951
284852
294852
304951
314852

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Acton gets around 3.7 in of rain and snow over 9.3 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 30% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1290
2290
3300
4300
5300
6310
7310
8310
9310
10310
11310
12310
13310
14310
15310
16311
17301
18301
19301
20301
21291
22291
23291
24291
25291
26291
27292
28292
29292
30292
31292

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 88% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1751483
2751483
3771373
4781372
5801262
6811162
7841051
8841051
986941
1086941
1187841
1289731
1389731
1490631
1590631
1690631
1792521
1893520
1993520
2093520
2193520
2293520
2394420
2494420
2594420
2694420
2794420
2895410
2995410
3095410
3196310

Wind in October

Winds average 7 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287light breeze
297light breeze
307light breeze
317light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 78 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:48 AM to 6:25 AM, and sunset from 5:21 PM to 4:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:485:21
211.55:505:19
311.45:515:18
411.45:525:16
511.45:535:14
611.35:545:12
711.35:555:10
811.25:565:09
911.25:585:07
1011.15:595:05
1111.16:005:04
1211.06:015:02
1311.06:025:00
1410.96:044:59
1510.96:054:57
1610.86:064:55
1710.86:074:54
1810.76:084:52
1910.76:104:51
2010.66:114:49
2110.66:124:48
2210.56:134:46
2310.56:154:45
2410.56:164:43
2510.46:174:42
2610.46:184:40
2710.36:204:39
2810.36:214:38
2910.26:224:36
3010.26:234:35
3110.26:254:34

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.89 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.59 kWh/m² to a high of 5.88 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 2.89 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.5Moderate
23.4Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.8Moderate
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 Acton

In seasonPeak

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

Acton sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is October a good time to visit Acton?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.2
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Acton for sightseeing.

What to pack for Acton in October

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

In October, Acton sees daytime highs around 61°F and nights near 44°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Acton in October

The nearest coast averages about 56°F 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 29 mi away) is warmest in August at about 66°F and coldest in February near 38°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan41Bracing
Feb38Bracing
Mar38Bracing
Apr42Bracing
May50Bracing
Jun58Bracing
Jul65Cool
Aug66Cool
Sep63Cool
Oct56Bracing
Nov50Bracing
Dec46Bracing

UV index in Acton in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Acton peaks around July 10 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 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 highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Acton in October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where October falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Acton is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1715 µg/m³Nov 188 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Acton?

Acton sits at 42.5°N, 71.4°W, 266 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Concord, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Acton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Acton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 315 ft around an average of 236 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 574 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,176 ft.

The land around Acton is covered by trees (86%) within 2 miles, trees (84%) within 10 miles, and trees (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
315 ft
10 miles
574 ft
50 miles
3,176 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
October weather nearby: Concord 4.3 mi · Westford 6.2 mi · Sudbury 6.8 mi · Chelmsford 8.7 mi · Billerica 9.9 mi · Lexington 11 mi · Marlborough 11 mi · Lowell 12 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 Acton (42.4851°, -71.4328°, elevation 266 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).