Bristol weather in October

In October, Bristol sees average daytime highs of 61°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 4.4 in of precipitation across 9.5 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-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 38% 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 Bristol's 1st-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bristol's year-round climate.

Daytime high
61°
6th warmest
Overnight low
44°
7th coldest
Precipitation
4.4 in
9.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:11 AM – 5:03 PM
Cloud cover
55%
1st clearest
Wind
7 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Bristol is city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States.

Density
871/km²
people per km²
Founded
1785

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 Bristol 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 72°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)
16750
26749
36649
46649
56548
66548
76547
86447
96447
106446
116346
126346
136245
146245
156145
166144
176144
186044
196043
205943
215943
225942
235842
245842
255741
265741
275741
285640
295640
305640
315539

How October really feels in Bristol

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.

Bristol weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 20°3.69.56.39.30.0
Feb37° / 22°3.18.75.410.30.0
Mar45° / 29°4.311.14.511.71.1
Apr58° / 40°3.911.21.213.14.0
May68° / 49°3.811.6014.36.0
Jun77° / 59°4.511.90156.4
Jul82° / 64°4.311.2014.76.1
Aug80° / 63°4.611013.76.4
Sep73° / 55°4.39.2012.36.9
Oct61° / 44°4.49.50.210.95.2
Nov49° / 35°3.58.71.19.62.2
Dec40° / 26°4.310.24.890.1

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in October, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25248
35248
45248
55347
65347
75347
85347
95347
105347
115347
125248
135248
145248
155248
165248
175248
185248
195149
205149
215149
225050
235050
245050
255050
264951
274951
284951
294951
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Bristol gets around 4.4 in of rain and snow over 9.5 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 31% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
331
431
531
631
731
831
931
1031
1131
1231
1331
1431
1531
1631
1732
1832
1932
2032
2131
2231
2331
2431
2531
2631
2730
2830
2930
3029
3129

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 86% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
17115104
2721594
3751483
4751483
5771373
6791362
7801262
8811252
9821152
10831052
11851041
1286941
1387931
1488831
1588831
1689731
1789731
1890721
1991621
2091621
2191621
2292620
2392620
2492620
2592620
2692620
2793610
2893610
2993610
3094510
3194510

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
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
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 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 5:54 AM to 6:29 AM, and sunset from 5:28 PM to 4:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.65:545:28
211.55:555:26
311.55:565:24
411.45:575:22
511.45:585:21
611.36:005:19
711.36:015:17
811.26:025:16
911.26:035:14
1011.16:045:12
1111.16:055:11
1211.06:065:09
1311.06:085:07
1410.96:095:06
1510.96:105:04
1610.96:115:03
1710.86:125:01
1810.86:134:59
1910.76:154:58
2010.76:164:56
2110.66:174:55
2210.66:184:54
2310.56:194:52
2410.56:214:51
2510.56:224:49
2610.46:234:48
2710.46:244:47
2810.36:264:45
2910.36:274:44
3010.26:284:43
3110.26:294:41

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.98 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.67 kWh/m² to a high of 5.96 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 2.98 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.5Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.0Moderate
163.0Moderate
173.0Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.6Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Bristol

In seasonPeak

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

Bristol sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is October a good time to visit Bristol?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.1
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Bristol for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bristol in October

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

In October, Bristol sees daytime highs around 61°F and nights near 44°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Bristol in October

The nearest coast averages about 64°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 38 mi away) is warmest in August at about 73°F and coldest in February near 36°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 4 to Sep 28 — about 2.9 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan39Bracing
Feb36Bracing
Mar37Bracing
Apr44Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun64Cool
Jul71Refreshing
Aug73Refreshing
Sep71Refreshing
Oct64Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec46Bracing

UV index in Bristol 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 Bristol peaks around July 11 at about 8 (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 8Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Bristol 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 Bristol 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 Bristol?

Bristol sits at 41.7°N, 72.9°W, 305 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Plainville, 5.0 mi away.

Topography around Bristol

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bristol has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 840 ft around an average of 545 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,148 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,585 ft.

The land around Bristol is covered by trees (68%) within 2 miles, trees (81%) within 10 miles, and trees (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
840 ft
10 miles
1,148 ft
50 miles
2,585 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Plainville 5.0 mi · Wolcott 5.0 mi · Southington 6.2 mi · Farmington 6.8 mi · New Britain 8.7 mi · Waterbury 9.3 mi · Avon 11 mi · Newington 12 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 Bristol (41.6718°, -72.9493°, elevation 305 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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. 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).