Burlington weather in October

In October, Burlington sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 3.1 in of rain across 7.3 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 75°F in the first days to 66°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Burlington's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Burlington's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
6th warmest
Overnight low
51°
7th coldest
Rainfall
3.1 in
7.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:31 AM – 5:35 PM
Cloud cover
47%
1st clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

Burlington is city in Alamance and Guilford counties, North Carolina, United States.

Density
798/km²
people per km²
Founded
1886

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 75°F in the first days to 66°F by the end.

A typical October day in Burlington reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 80°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 10°F cooler than September and about 10°F warmer than November.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17558
27557
37557
47456
57456
67456
77355
87355
97354
107354
117253
127253
137152
147152
157151
167151
177051
187050
197050
206949
216949
226949
236848
246848
256847
266747
276747
286747
296646
306646
316546

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 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan50° / 33°3.69.31.49.82.3
Feb53° / 35°3.28.71.410.63.1
Mar61° / 41°4.210.60.611.75.1
Apr71° / 50°3.59.4012.96.7
May78° / 59°3.411013.96.6
Jun85° / 67°3.912.5014.45.0
Jul88° / 71°4.114.3014.24.0
Aug86° / 69°3.812013.44.7
Sep80° / 63°4.39.7012.26.5
Oct71° / 51°3.17.3011.17.1
Nov60° / 41°3.27.70.110.15.3
Dec52° / 35°3.58.90.69.63.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% 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 41%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35446
45644
55644
65644
75644
85644
95644
105743
115842
125842
135941
145941
156040
166139
176238
186238
196337
206337
216337
226337
236238
246238
256238
266139
276139
286040
296040
305941
315941

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Burlington gets around 3.1 in of rain over 7.3 wet days in October, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 25% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
327
427
526
626
725
825
925
1025
1125
1225
1325
1425
1524
1624
1724
1823
1923
2023
2123
2223
2323
2423
2524
2624
2724
2825
2925
3025
3125

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 64% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 7% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1392119173
2412119163
3442118153
4462018143
5482017133
6502017113
7521916102
854191692
956191582
1056191582
1159181472
1260181462
1362181352
1463171352
1566171241
1666171241
1769161131
1869161131
1972161020
2072161020
217415920
227415920
237415920
247614820
257614820
267614820
277713820
287813720
297813720
307912720
317912720

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 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 30 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 6:18 AM to 6:45 AM, and sunset from 5:56 PM to 5:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:185:56
211.66:185:54
311.66:195:53
411.56:205:51
511.56:215:50
611.46:225:49
711.46:235:47
811.46:245:46
911.36:255:44
1011.36:255:43
1111.36:265:41
1211.26:275:40
1311.26:285:39
1411.16:295:37
1511.16:305:36
1611.16:315:35
1711.06:325:33
1811.06:335:32
1911.06:345:31
2010.96:355:30
2110.96:365:28
2210.86:365:27
2310.86:375:26
2410.86:385:25
2510.76:395:24
2610.76:405:23
2710.76:415:22
2810.66:425:20
2910.66:435:19
3010.66:445:18
3110.56:455:17

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.25 kWh/m² to a high of 6.17 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.65 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Moderate
24.0Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.8Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.7Moderate
113.7Moderate
123.7Moderate
133.7Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.6Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.6Moderate
193.6Moderate
203.6Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.4Moderate
263.4Moderate
273.3Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.2Moderate
313.2Moderate
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).

7.1
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is one of the better times to visit Burlington for general 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 71°F and nights near 51°F. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 7 days see rain.

UV index in Burlington 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 Burlington peaks around July 14 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 14UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

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 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Dec 128 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Burlington?

Burlington sits at 36.1°N, 79.4°W, 650 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Greensboro, 20 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 194 ft around an average of 643 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 597 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,113 ft.

The land around Burlington is covered by trees (57%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, trees (64%) and grassland (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
194 ft
10 miles
597 ft
50 miles
2,113 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Greensboro 20 mi · Carrboro 24 mi · Chapel Hill 25 mi · Durham 31 mi · Eden 33 mi · High Point 33 mi · Danville 34 mi · Asheboro 34 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 (36.0957°, -79.4378°, elevation 650 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).