Amherst weather in October

In October, Amherst sees average daytime highs of 61°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 4.2 in of precipitation across 9.1 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 1st-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 35% 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 Amherst's 2nd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Amherst's year-round climate.

Daytime high
61°
6th warmest
Overnight low
44°
7th coldest
Precipitation
4.2 in
9.1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:10 AM – 5:00 PM
Cloud cover
56%
2nd clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.92 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Amherst is town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States.

Founded
1703

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 Amherst 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 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)
16749
26649
36649
46648
56548
66547
76447
86447
96446
106346
116346
126245
136245
146245
156144
166144
176044
186043
196043
205943
215942
225842
235842
245841
255741
265741
275640
285640
295640
305540
315539

How October really feels in Amherst

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.

Amherst 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 (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 19°3.39.66.39.30.0
Feb37° / 21°3.08.75.810.30.0
Mar45° / 29°4.010.34.811.61.0
Apr57° / 39°3.610.71.213.14.0
May68° / 49°3.210.6014.46.1
Jun77° / 58°3.510.80156.6
Jul82° / 64°3.39.9014.86.2
Aug80° / 62°3.38.7013.76.7
Sep73° / 55°3.78.3012.37.0
Oct61° / 44°4.29.10.210.85.1
Nov49° / 34°3.39.11.29.62.1
Dec39° / 26°4.110.1590.1

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
25149
35149
45149
55149
65149
75248
85149
95149
105149
115149
125050
135050
145050
155050
165050
174951
184951
194951
204852
214852
224753
234852
244852
254852
264753
274654
284753
294753
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Amherst gets around 4.2 in of rain and snow over 9.1 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 precipitation averages around 30% and peaks near 30% 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
6300
7300
8300
9300
10300
11300
12300
13300
14300
15300
16300
17300
18300
19301
20301
21301
22301
23301
24301
25301
26302
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 (%)
1751393
2751393
3771283
4781273
5801172
6821062
7831052
884952
987841
1087841
1188741
1289731
1389731
1491621
1591621
1691621
1792521
1892521
1992521
2092521
2192521
2293520
2393520
2494510
2594510
2694510
2794510
2895410
2995410
3095410
3195410

Wind in October

Winds average 6 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
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
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 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 5:53 AM to 6:29 AM, and sunset from 5:25 PM to 4:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:535:25
211.55:545:24
311.45:555:22
411.45:565:20
511.45:575:18
611.35:585:17
711.36:005:15
811.26:015:13
911.26:025:12
1011.16:035:10
1111.16:045:08
1211.06:055:06
1311.06:075:05
1410.96:085:03
1510.96:095:02
1610.86:105:00
1710.86:114:58
1810.76:134:57
1910.76:144:55
2010.66:154:54
2110.66:164:52
2210.66:184:51
2310.56:194:49
2410.56:204:48
2510.46:214:46
2610.46:234:45
2710.36:244:44
2810.36:254:42
2910.26:264:41
3010.26:284:40
3110.26:294:38

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.92 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.62 kWh/m² to a high of 5.9 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 2.92 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.5Moderate
23.4Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Amherst?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Amherst for sightseeing.

What to pack for Amherst in October

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

In October, Amherst 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

UV index in Amherst 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 Amherst peaks around July 11 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 11UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Amherst 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 Amherst is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1615 µg/m³Nov 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Amherst?

Amherst sits at 42.4°N, 72.5°W, 269 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Amherst Center, 0.6 mi away.

Topography around Amherst

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Amherst has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 374 ft around an average of 220 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,260 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,583 ft.

The land around Amherst is covered by trees (58%) and grassland (23%) within 2 miles, trees (79%) within 10 miles, and trees (91%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
374 ft
10 miles
1,260 ft
50 miles
3,583 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Amherst Center 0.6 mi · Northampton 6.8 mi · South Hadley 8.1 mi · Easthampton 11 mi · Holyoke 12 mi · North Chicopee 13 mi · Ludlow 14 mi · Chicopee 16 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 Amherst (42.3672°, -72.5185°, elevation 269 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).