Anchorage weather in October

In October, Anchorage sees average daytime highs of 41°F and overnight lows near 33°F, with 3.5 in of precipitation across 13.2 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 47°F in the first days to 35°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 06 min at the start of October to 8 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Anchorage's 4th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Anchorage's year-round climate.

Daytime high
41°
7th warmest
Overnight low
33°
7th coldest
Precipitation
3.5 in
13.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:56 AM – 5:34 PM
Cloud cover
68%
4th clearest
Wind
5 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.4
out of 10

Anchorage is consolidated city-borough and largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska.

Density
57/km²
people per km²
Founded
1914

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 47°F in the first days to 35°F by the end.

A typical October day in Anchorage reaches about 41°F in the afternoon and slips back to 33°F overnight — a 8°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 33°F and 48°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 13°F cooler than September and about 12°F warmer than November.

20°30°40°50°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14840
24740
34739
44739
54638
64638
74538
84537
94437
104436
114336
124335
134235
144234
154134
164133
174033
184032
193932
203931
213831
223831
233730
243730
253729
263629
273629
283528
293528
303528
313427

How October really feels in Anchorage

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 21 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
21
wind chill below the day's low

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

Anchorage weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 14°2.010.410.760.0
Feb26° / 18°1.99.69.48.50.0
Mar32° / 21°1.58.58.511.30.0
Apr42° / 30°1.27.3414.30.5
May51° / 39°1.27.10.6172.7
Jun59° / 49°1.69018.84.5
Jul62° / 54°2.912.5018.14.9
Aug61° / 53°4.214.8015.54.4
Sep54° / 46°4.615.30.412.62.8
Oct41° / 33°3.513.24.19.60.4
Nov29° / 22°2.611.79.36.90.0
Dec23° / 16°2.912.8135.20.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23268
33268
43367
53367
63466
73466
83367
93466
103565
113565
123664
133664
143763
153763
163763
173862
183862
193862
203763
213763
223763
233763
243763
253664
263763
273664
283565
293565
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Anchorage gets around 3.5 in of rain and snow over 13.2 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 43% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1504
2505
3495
4496
5486
6487
7478
8478
9469
104610
114510
124411
134312
144313
154213
164214
174115
184115
194016
204016
214017
223917
233918
243918
253819
263819
273820
283821
293721
303722
313723

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in October

Winds average 5 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min at the start of October to 8 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 174 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 7:16 AM to 8:37 AM, and sunset from 6:21 PM to 4:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.17:166:21
211.07:186:18
310.97:216:15
410.87:246:12
510.77:266:08
610.67:296:05
710.57:326:02
810.47:345:59
910.37:375:56
1010.27:395:52
1110.17:425:49
1210.07:455:46
139.97:485:43
149.87:505:40
159.77:535:37
169.67:565:34
179.57:585:31
189.48:015:28
199.38:045:24
209.28:065:21
219.28:095:18
229.18:125:15
239.08:155:12
248.98:175:09
258.88:205:07
268.78:235:04
278.68:265:01
288.58:294:58
298.48:314:55
308.38:344:52
318.28:374:49

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 1.19 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.16 kWh/m² to a high of 5.49 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 1.19 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.4Dim
111.4Dim
121.3Dim
131.3Dim
141.3Dim
151.2Dim
161.2Dim
171.2Dim
181.1Dim
191.1Dim
201.1Dim
211.0Dim
221.0Dim
231.0Dim
240.9Dim
250.9Dim
260.9Dim
270.8Dim
280.8Dim
290.8Dim
300.8Dim
310.7Dim
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Anchorage

In seasonPeak

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

Anchorage's rainy season runs July–December, 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 Anchorage?

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

0.4
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Anchorage.

What to pack for Anchorage in October

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

In October, Anchorage sees daytime highs around 41°F and nights near 33°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Anchorage in October

The nearest coast averages about 47°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 10 mi away) is warmest in August at about 57°F and coldest in February near 31°F.

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

30°40°50°60°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan31Bracing
Feb31Bracing
Mar31Bracing
Apr32Bracing
May36Bracing
Jun48Bracing
Jul55Bracing
Aug57Bracing
Sep54Bracing
Oct47Bracing
Nov40Bracing
Dec32Bracing

UV index in Anchorage in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Anchorage peaks around June 23 at about 5 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJun 23UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar1Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep2Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Anchorage?

Anchorage sits at 61.2°N, 149.9°W, 102 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Eagle River, 13 mi away.

Dawson CityWhitehorseJuneauTerraceAnadyr

Topography around Anchorage

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Anchorage has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 194 ft around an average of 56 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,386 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,769 ft.

The land around Anchorage is covered by water (39%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 2 miles, trees (39%) and water (35%) within 10 miles, and trees (42%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
194 ft
10 miles
3,386 ft
50 miles
7,769 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewaterwetlandmoss and lichen
October weather nearby: Eagle River 13 mi · Badger 258 mi · Fairbanks 259 mi · Dawson City 385 mi · Whitehorse 498 mi · Juneau 574 mi · Terrace 903 mi · Anadyr 1,039 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 Anchorage (61.2181°, -149.9003°, elevation 102 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. 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).