Cottage Grove weather in October

In October, Cottage Grove sees average daytime highs of 57°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 2.6 in of precipitation across 8.7 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 64°F in the first days to 50°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Cottage Grove's 4th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cottage Grove's year-round climate.

Daytime high
57°
6th warmest
Overnight low
40°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.6 in
8.7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
6:35 AM – 5:18 PM
Cloud cover
60%
4th clearest
Wind
9 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
2.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Cottage Grove is city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States.

Density
370/km²
people per km²
Founded
1843

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 64°F in the first days to 50°F by the end.

A typical October day in Cottage Grove reaches about 57°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 43°F and 71°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 14°F cooler than September and about 16°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16546
26446
36445
46345
56344
66244
76244
86143
96143
106042
116042
125942
135941
145841
155840
165740
175740
185639
195639
205539
215538
225438
235338
245337
255337
265236
275136
285135
295035
305035
314934

How October really feels in Cottage Grove

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 10 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
10
wind chill below the day's low

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

Cottage Grove weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 1.06.16.190.0
Feb28° / 12°1.15.25.110.10.0
Mar41° / 24°2.184.211.60.5
Apr55° / 37°3.210.82.313.23.5
May68° / 49°4.412.20.114.65.9
Jun77° / 60°4.412015.36.4
Jul81° / 64°3.610.40156.5
Aug79° / 61°3.910.1013.96.8
Sep71° / 53°3.39.6012.36.8
Oct57° / 40°2.68.70.610.74.2
Nov41° / 27°1.96.73.69.40.5
Dec28° / 15°1.46.76.18.70.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35347
45347
55248
65248
75248
85248
95149
105149
115050
125050
134951
144951
154852
164753
174654
184456
194456
204258
214258
224159
234159
244060
253961
263862
273862
283862
293862
303862
313862

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Cottage Grove gets around 2.6 in of rain and snow over 8.7 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 28% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1310
2310
3300
4300
5300
6290
7291
8291
9291
10291
11291
12291
13292
14292
15292
16292
17293
18293
19293
20283
21283
22283
23274
24264
25264
26255
27255
28256
29246
30246
31247

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1861022
288921
389821
490721
592611
692611
793511
893511
994411
1094411
1194411
1295311
1396310
1496310
1596310
1696310
1796310
1896310
1996310
2096310
2197210
2297210
2398200
2498200
2598200
2698200
2798200
2898200
2999100
3099100
3199100

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
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light 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
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 90 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:16 AM to 6:56 AM, and sunset from 5:46 PM to 4:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:165:46
211.56:175:44
311.46:185:42
411.36:195:40
511.36:215:38
611.26:225:36
711.26:235:35
811.16:255:33
911.16:265:31
1011.06:275:29
1111.06:285:27
1210.96:305:26
1310.96:315:24
1410.86:325:22
1510.86:345:20
1610.76:355:18
1710.76:365:17
1810.66:385:15
1910.66:395:13
2010.56:415:12
2110.56:425:10
2210.46:435:09
2310.46:455:07
2410.36:465:05
2510.36:475:04
2610.26:495:02
2710.26:505:01
2810.16:514:59
2910.16:534:58
3010.06:544:56
3110.06:564:55

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.77 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.45 kWh/m² to a high of 6.29 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 2.77 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.5Moderate
23.4Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.1Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.0Moderate
123.0Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Cottage Grove?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.5
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Cottage Grove for sightseeing.

What to pack for Cottage Grove in October

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

In October, Cottage Grove sees daytime highs around 57°F and nights near 40°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Cottage Grove 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 Cottage Grove peaks around June 17 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 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 highHighModerateLowJun 17UV 9Jan 12UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Cottage Grove?

Cottage Grove sits at 44.8°N, 92.9°W, 814 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Inver Grove Heights, 5.0 mi away.

Topography around Cottage Grove

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Cottage Grove has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 289 ft around an average of 856 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 486 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 741 ft.

The land around Cottage Grove is covered by trees (42%), grassland (25%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (40%) and cropland (24%) within 10 miles, and cropland (41%) and trees (36%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
289 ft
10 miles
486 ft
50 miles
741 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Inver Grove Heights 5.0 mi · South Saint Paul 6.2 mi · Woodbury 6.8 mi · Hastings 7.5 mi · Maplewood 9.3 mi · Oakdale 9.3 mi · West Saint Paul 9.9 mi · Rosemount 11 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 Cottage Grove (44.8277°, -92.9438°, elevation 814 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).