Burlington weather in October

In October, Burlington sees average daytime highs of 64°F and overnight lows near 45°F, with 2.8 in of precipitation across 8.1 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 70°F in the first days to 57°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% 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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Burlington's 4th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Burlington's year-round climate.

Daytime high
64°
6th warmest
Overnight low
45°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.8 in
8.1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:23 AM – 5:16 PM
Cloud cover
53%
4th clearest
Wind
9 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
3.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Burlington is city in Des Moines County, Iowa, United States.

Density
644/km²
people per km²
Founded
1833

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 70°F in the first days to 57°F by the end.

A typical October day in Burlington reaches about 64°F in the afternoon and slips back to 45°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 51°F and 77°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 13°F cooler than September and about 14°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17151
27150
37050
47049
56949
66949
76848
86848
96747
106747
116747
126646
136546
146546
156445
166445
176445
186344
196244
206244
216243
226143
236043
246042
256042
265941
275841
285841
295840
305740
315639

How October really feels in Burlington

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.

Burlington weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 18°1.87.44.79.40.0
Feb37° / 21°2.06.93.810.40.0
Mar50° / 32°2.99.92.311.72.2
Apr62° / 43°4.411.90.613.15.0
May72° / 54°4.613014.26.2
Jun82° / 64°4.611.6014.96.0
Jul85° / 67°3.19.5014.65.5
Aug83° / 65°3.39013.66.1
Sep76° / 57°3.67.9012.37.3
Oct64° / 45°2.88.10.210.96.0
Nov49° / 33°2.67.71.19.72.3
Dec38° / 23°2.16.93.39.10.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26040
36040
46040
55941
65941
75941
85842
95842
105743
115644
125644
135644
145545
155446
165446
175248
185248
195149
205050
214852
224852
234852
244753
254654
264654
274555
284555
294555
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Burlington gets around 2.8 in of rain and snow over 8.1 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 26% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1230
2230
3230
4230
5230
6230
7230
8240
9240
10240
11240
12240
13240
14240
15240
16250
17250
18260
19260
20260
21271
22271
23281
24281
25281
26291
27291
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 86% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1721684
2741673
3751573
4751573
5761563
6771463
7791452
8801352
9811252
10821242
11831142
12851041
13861031
1487931
1588831
1688831
1788831
1890730
1990730
2091720
2191720
2292620
2392620
2492620
2592620
2692620
2793610
2893610
2994510
3094510
3194510

Wind in October

Winds average 9 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 18 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 6:06 AM to 6:40 AM, and sunset from 5:41 PM to 4:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:065:41
211.56:075:39
311.56:085:37
411.46:095:35
511.46:115:34
611.36:125:32
711.36:135:31
811.36:145:29
911.26:155:27
1011.26:165:26
1111.16:175:24
1211.16:185:22
1311.06:195:21
1411.06:205:19
1510.96:225:18
1610.96:235:16
1710.86:245:15
1810.86:255:13
1910.86:265:12
2010.76:275:10
2110.76:285:09
2210.66:305:07
2310.66:315:06
2410.56:325:05
2510.56:335:03
2610.56:345:02
2710.46:355:01
2810.46:374:59
2910.36:384:58
3010.36:394:57
3110.36:404:56

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.25 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.78 kWh/m² to a high of 6.41 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 3.25 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Moderate
24.0Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.7Moderate
83.7Moderate
93.6Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.5Moderate
123.5Moderate
133.4Moderate
143.4Moderate
153.3Moderate
163.3Moderate
173.2Moderate
183.2Moderate
193.1Moderate
203.1Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Burlington?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
2.1
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Burlington for sightseeing.

What to pack for Burlington in October

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

In October, Burlington sees daytime highs around 64°F and nights near 45°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Burlington 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 Burlington 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 highHighModerateJun 19UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Burlington 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 Burlington 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).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1815 µg/m³Oct 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar12Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Burlington?

Burlington sits at 40.8°N, 91.1°W, 607 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Macomb, 34 mi away.

Topography around Burlington

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Burlington has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 243 ft around an average of 633 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 443 ft.

The land around Burlington is covered by trees (34%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 2 miles, cropland (47%) and trees (31%) within 10 miles, and cropland (64%) and trees (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
243 ft
10 miles
272 ft
50 miles
443 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Macomb 34 mi · Galesburg 40 mi · Muscatine 43 mi · Rock Island 56 mi · Davenport 57 mi · Moline 57 mi · Bettendorf 58 mi · East Moline 59 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 Burlington (40.8075°, -91.1129°, elevation 607 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).