Ames weather in October

In October, Ames sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 2.9 in of precipitation across 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 68°F in the first days to 55°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% 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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Ames's 4th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ames's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
6th warmest
Overnight low
42°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.9 in
8 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:34 AM – 5:25 PM
Cloud cover
52%
4th clearest
Wind
10 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Ames is city in Story County, Iowa, United States.

Density
1,035/km²
people per km²
Founded
1864

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 68°F in the first days to 55°F by the end.

A typical October day in Ames reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 42°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 48°F and 75°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 13°F cooler than September and about 15°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16948
26847
36847
46747
56746
66746
76646
86645
96545
106544
116444
126444
136343
146343
156242
166242
176142
186141
196041
206040
215940
225940
235839
245839
255738
265738
275637
285637
295537
305536
315436

How October really feels in Ames

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 8 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
8
wind chill below the day's low

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

Ames 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
Jan28° / 13°1.264.89.30.0
Feb33° / 16°1.46.54.710.30.0
Mar47° / 28°2.58.9311.71.5
Apr60° / 40°4.511.1113.14.6
May71° / 52°5.513.60.114.36.0
Jun80° / 62°5.111.80156.3
Jul83° / 65°3.89.6014.76.1
Aug81° / 62°4.09.2013.76.8
Sep74° / 54°3.68.5012.37.2
Oct62° / 42°2.980.510.95.5
Nov47° / 29°2.06.51.79.61.6
Dec33° / 18°1.664.590.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% 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 46%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26139
36139
46139
56040
65941
75941
85842
95743
105644
115644
125545
135545
145446
155347
165347
175248
185248
195149
205149
215050
225050
235050
244951
254951
264852
274852
284951
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Ames gets around 2.9 in of rain and snow over 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 25% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1270
2270
3270
4270
5270
6270
7271
8261
9261
10261
11261
12251
13251
14251
15251
16251
17251
18252
19252
20252
21252
22252
23252
24253
25253
26253
27253
28243
29243
30233
31234

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 91% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1801163
2801163
3831052
484952
584952
685852
786842
887742
988741
1089641
1190631
1291531
1391531
1491531
1593430
1693430
1793430
1893430
1994420
2094420
2194420
2294420
2394420
2494420
2595320
2695320
2795320
2896310
2996310
3096310
3196310

Wind in October

Winds average 10 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 10 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
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 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 84 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:17 AM to 6:53 AM, and sunset from 5:50 PM to 5:03 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:175:50
211.56:185:48
311.56:195:47
411.46:205:45
511.46:215:43
611.36:235:41
711.36:245:40
811.26:255:38
911.26:265:36
1011.16:275:35
1111.16:285:33
1211.06:305:31
1311.06:315:30
1410.96:325:28
1510.96:335:26
1610.86:345:25
1710.86:355:23
1810.86:375:22
1910.76:385:20
2010.76:395:19
2110.66:405:17
2210.66:415:16
2310.56:435:14
2410.56:445:13
2510.46:455:11
2610.46:465:10
2710.46:485:09
2810.36:495:07
2910.36:505:06
3010.26:515:05
3110.26:535:03

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.18 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.77 kWh/m² to a high of 6.46 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 3.18 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.7Moderate
63.7Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.5Moderate
103.5Moderate
113.4Moderate
123.4Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.1Moderate
183.1Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Ames?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.4
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Ames for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ames in October

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

In October, Ames sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 42°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Ames 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 Ames peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 19UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

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

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 2016 µg/m³Oct 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun12Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct7Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ames?

Ames sits at 42.0°N, 93.6°W, 942 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ankeny, 21 mi away.

Topography around Ames

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Ames has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 207 ft around an average of 932 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 325 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 568 ft.

The land around Ames is covered by trees (38%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 2 miles, cropland (74%) within 10 miles, and cropland (78%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
207 ft
10 miles
325 ft
50 miles
568 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Ankeny 21 mi · Johnston 25 mi · Altoona 28 mi · Urbandale 29 mi · Des Moines 30 mi · Clive 30 mi · West Des Moines 32 mi · Waukee 32 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 Ames (42.0347°, -93.6199°, elevation 942 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).