Altoona weather in October

In October, Altoona sees average daytime highs of 59°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 3.5 in of precipitation across 9.8 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 65°F in the first days to 54°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Altoona's 2nd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Altoona's year-round climate.

Daytime high
59°
6th warmest
Overnight low
42°
7th coldest
Precipitation
3.5 in
9.8 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:32 AM – 5:26 PM
Cloud cover
59%
2nd clearest
Wind
7 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
3.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.7
out of 10

Altoona is city in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Density
1,767/km²
people per km²
Founded
1849

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 65°F in the first days to 54°F by the end.

A typical October day in Altoona reaches about 59°F in the afternoon and slips back to 42°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 48°F and 71°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)
16547
26547
36547
46446
56446
66446
76345
86345
96244
106244
116244
126143
136143
146042
156042
165942
175941
185841
195841
205840
215740
225740
235640
245639
255639
265539
275538
285438
295438
305437
315337

How October really feels in Altoona

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 3 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
3
wind chill below the day's low

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

Altoona 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
Jan33° / 20°3.110.97.69.40.0
Feb36° / 21°2.8106.710.40.0
Mar45° / 28°3.912.1511.70.9
Apr58° / 39°4.213.41.3133.8
May67° / 49°4.614.6014.25.4
Jun75° / 57°4.412.7014.86.3
Jul79° / 62°3.912.4014.66.3
Aug78° / 60°3.311.2013.66.5
Sep71° / 53°4.110.2012.36.6
Oct59° / 42°3.59.80.510.94.7
Nov47° / 33°3.19.62.19.71.6
Dec38° / 25°3.210.25.59.20.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
35050
45050
55050
65149
75149
85050
95149
105050
115050
125050
135050
144951
154951
164852
174852
184753
194753
204654
214555
224555
234456
244357
254357
264357
274258
284258
294258
304258
314357

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Altoona gets around 3.5 in of rain and snow over 9.8 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 32% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1340
2330
3330
4320
5310
6311
7311
8301
9301
10301
11311
12311
13311
14321
15321
16321
17321
18331
19331
20332
21332
22332
23342
24342
25342
26332
27332
28332
29332
30322
31323

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 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
17514101
27613101
3771391
4771382
5791272
6791272
7811162
8821152
9841051
10851041
1186941
1287931
1388831
1489821
1590721
1691711
1792611
1893610
1993610
2093610
2195500
2295500
2395500
2496400
2596400
2696400
2796400
2897300
2997300
3097300
3197300

Wind in October

Winds average 7 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 18 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 6:15 AM to 6:49 AM, and sunset from 5:50 PM to 5:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:155:50
211.56:165:48
311.56:175:46
411.46:185:45
511.46:205:43
611.36:215:41
711.36:225:40
811.36:235:38
911.26:245:37
1011.26:255:35
1111.16:265:33
1211.16:275:32
1311.06:285:30
1411.06:295:29
1510.96:305:27
1610.96:325:26
1710.96:335:24
1810.86:345:23
1910.86:355:21
2010.76:365:20
2110.76:375:18
2210.66:385:17
2310.66:395:16
2410.66:415:14
2510.56:425:13
2610.56:435:12
2710.46:445:10
2810.46:455:09
2910.46:465:08
3010.36:485:07
3110.36:495:05

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.03 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.59 kWh/m² to a high of 5.92 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.03 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.5Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.4Moderate
73.4Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.0Moderate
173.0Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.6Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Altoona?

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

4.7
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.7
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Altoona for sightseeing.

What to pack for Altoona in October

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

In October, Altoona sees daytime highs around 59°F and nights near 42°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Altoona 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 Altoona peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Altoona 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 Altoona is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1316 µg/m³Nov 147 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Altoona?

Altoona sits at 40.5°N, 78.4°W, 1,165 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Johnstown, 30 mi away.

Topography around Altoona

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Altoona has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 942 ft around an average of 1,302 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,762 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,703 ft.

The land around Altoona is covered by trees (54%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 2 miles, trees (80%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
942 ft
10 miles
1,762 ft
50 miles
2,703 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
October weather nearby: Johnstown 30 mi · State College 34 mi · Chambersburg 56 mi · Cumberland 63 mi · Carlisle 67 mi · Murrysville 69 mi · Hagerstown 70 mi · Plum 71 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 Altoona (40.5187°, -78.3947°, elevation 1,165 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. 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).