Athens weather in October

In October, Athens sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 54°F, with 3.4 in of rain across 7.3 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 76°F in the first days to 67°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of October to 10 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Athens's 1st-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Athens's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
6th warmest
Overnight low
54°
7th coldest
Rainfall
3.4 in
7.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:00 AM – 5:06 PM
Cloud cover
45%
1st clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
3.82 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Athens is county seat of Limestone County, Alabama, United States.

Density
240/km²
people per km²
Founded
1818

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 76°F in the first days to 67°F by the end.

A typical October day in Athens reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 54°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 62°F and 80°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 10°F cooler than September and about 11°F warmer than November.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17760
27660
37659
47659
57558
67558
77558
87457
97457
107456
117356
127356
137355
147255
157255
167154
177154
187153
197053
207053
217052
226952
236951
246951
256851
266851
276750
286750
296749
306649
316649

How October really feels in Athens

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.

Athens weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan50° / 35°5.09.90.69.92.2
Feb54° / 38°4.810.60.910.73.1
Mar62° / 45°5.511.40.311.75.1
Apr71° / 53°4.99.9012.86.5
May78° / 62°4.010.9013.86.6
Jun85° / 70°3.812014.35.0
Jul87° / 73°4.012.1014.14.4
Aug87° / 72°3.010.8013.34.7
Sep82° / 66°3.37.2012.26.6
Oct71° / 54°3.47.3011.17.3
Nov60° / 44°4.08.6010.25.2
Dec52° / 38°5.310.70.49.72.8

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in October, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 38%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16634
26733
36733
46733
56634
66634
76535
86535
96436
106436
116337
126337
136238
146238
156238
166238
176139
186139
196139
206139
216040
226040
236040
245941
255941
265842
275842
285644
295644
305644
315644

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Athens gets around 3.4 in of rain over 7.3 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 24% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
121
220
320
420
521
621
722
823
923
1024
1124
1225
1325
1425
1525
1625
1725
1824
1924
2024
2124
2224
2324
2424
2525
2625
2725
2826
2926
3027
3127

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 55% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 9% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1332223175
2342322174
3362322164
4372321153
5382321153
6402320143
7412320133
8422320132
9442219122
10462219112
11482119102
1251201991
1353201881
1454191881
1556191771
1658181761
1761181650
1861181650
1963181540
2064181440
2164181440
2265181340
2366181240
2466181240
2567181140
2667181140
2768181040
2868181040
297017940
307017940
317216840

Wind in October

Winds average 6 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 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
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of October to 10 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 66 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:47 AM to 6:13 AM, and sunset from 5:27 PM to 4:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.75:475:27
211.65:485:25
311.65:495:24
411.55:505:22
511.55:505:21
611.55:515:19
711.45:525:18
811.45:535:17
911.45:545:15
1011.35:555:14
1111.35:555:13
1211.35:565:11
1311.25:575:10
1411.25:585:09
1511.15:595:07
1611.16:005:06
1711.16:015:05
1811.06:015:04
1911.06:025:03
2011.06:035:01
2110.96:045:00
2210.96:054:59
2310.96:064:58
2410.86:074:57
2510.86:084:56
2610.86:094:55
2710.76:104:54
2810.76:114:52
2910.76:114:51
3010.66:124:50
3110.66:134:50

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.82 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.23 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.82 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.2Bright
64.2Bright
74.2Bright
84.1Bright
94.1Bright
104.0Bright
114.0Bright
124.0Moderate
133.9Moderate
143.9Moderate
153.9Moderate
163.8Moderate
173.8Moderate
183.8Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.6Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.4Moderate
273.4Moderate
283.4Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Athens?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is one of the better times to visit Athens for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Athens in October

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

In October, Athens sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 54°F. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 7 days see rain.

UV index in Athens in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Athens peaks around July 12 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Athens 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 Athens is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1719 µg/m³Jan 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Athens?

Athens sits at 34.8°N, 87.0°W, 722 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Decatur, 14 mi away.

Topography around Athens

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Athens has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 157 ft around an average of 715 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 371 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,493 ft.

The land around Athens is covered by trees (41%) and grassland (31%) within 2 miles, trees (38%), cropland (30%) and grassland (26%) within 10 miles, and trees (61%) and grassland (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
157 ft
10 miles
371 ft
50 miles
1,493 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Decatur 14 mi · Madison 14 mi · Huntsville 22 mi · East Florence 39 mi · Florence 40 mi · Cullman 44 mi · Shelbyville 55 mi · Columbia 57 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 Athens (34.8024°, -86.9722°, elevation 722 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).