Decatur weather in October

In October, Decatur sees average daytime highs of 73°F and overnight lows near 53°F, with 3.4 in of rain across 7.4 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 77°F in the first days to 68°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% 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 Decatur's 1st-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Decatur's year-round climate.

Daytime high
73°
6th warmest
Overnight low
53°
7th coldest
Rainfall
3.4 in
7.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
5:59 AM – 5:06 PM
Cloud cover
45%
1st clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
3.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Decatur is city in Morgan and Limestone counties, Alabama, United States.

Density
354/km²
people per km²
Founded
1821

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 77°F in the first days to 68°F by the end.

A typical October day in Decatur reaches about 73°F in the afternoon and slips back to 53°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 62°F and 82°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)
17859
27758
37758
47758
57657
67657
77657
87556
97556
107555
117455
127455
137454
147354
157353
167253
177253
187252
197152
207151
217151
227051
237050
247050
256950
266949
276949
286849
296848
306748
316748

How October really feels in Decatur

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.

Decatur weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan51° / 35°4.99.90.69.92.4
Feb55° / 38°4.710.40.610.73.4
Mar63° / 45°5.511.40.211.75.4
Apr71° / 53°5.010.1012.86.6
May79° / 62°4.210.9013.86.5
Jun86° / 69°4.312.6014.34.8
Jul88° / 72°4.213.1014.14.2
Aug88° / 71°3.111.5013.34.4
Sep83° / 65°3.57.7012.26.3
Oct73° / 53°3.47.4011.17.3
Nov61° / 43°4.08.50.110.25.4
Dec53° / 37°5.210.70.39.73.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in October, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16634
26634
36634
46535
56535
66535
76436
86436
96337
106337
116238
126238
136139
146139
156139
166040
176040
186040
196040
206040
216040
226040
235941
245941
255842
265842
275743
285644
295644
305545
315545

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Decatur gets around 3.4 in of rain over 7.4 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
221
321
421
522
622
723
823
924
1024
1124
1225
1325
1425
1524
1624
1724
1824
1924
2024
2124
2224
2324
2425
2525
2625
2726
2826
2927
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 57% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 10% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1362121184
2382121173
3392120173
4402220162
5422219152
6432219152
7442218142
8452218131
9472118121
10492118121
11512017111
12522017101
1354191791
1457181681
1558181671
1659181571
1762171560
1863171550
1964171450
2065171440
2166171340
2267171240
2368161240
2468161240
2569161140
2669161140
2770161040
2870161040
2970151050
307115950
317214950

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
611.55:515:20
711.45:525:18
811.45:535:17
911.45:545:16
1011.35:545:14
1111.35:555:13
1211.35:565:12
1311.25:575:10
1411.25:585:09
1511.25:595:08
1611.15:595:06
1711.16:005:05
1811.06:015:04
1911.06:025:03
2011.06:035:02
2110.96:045:00
2210.96:054:59
2310.96:064:58
2410.86:074:57
2510.86:084:56
2610.86:084:55
2710.76:094:54
2810.76:104:53
2910.76:114:52
3010.66:124:51
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 3.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.2 kWh/m² to a high of 6.2 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.86 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.3Bright
64.2Bright
74.2Bright
84.1Bright
94.1Bright
104.1Bright
114.0Bright
124.0Moderate
134.0Moderate
143.9Moderate
153.9Moderate
163.9Moderate
173.8Moderate
183.8Moderate
193.8Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.6Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.4Moderate
283.4Moderate
293.4Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Decatur

In seasonPeak

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

Decatur 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 Decatur?

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
5.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Decatur in October

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

In October, Decatur sees daytime highs around 73°F and nights near 53°F. Worth packing: light clothes. About 7 days see rain.

light clothes

UV index in Decatur 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 Decatur 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 Decatur 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 Decatur 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 Decatur?

Decatur sits at 34.6°N, 87.0°W, 561 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Athens, 14 mi away.

Topography around Decatur

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Decatur has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 138 ft around an average of 571 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 505 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,621 ft.

The land around Decatur is covered by trees (31%), water (30%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (43%) and cropland (23%) within 10 miles, and trees (62%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
138 ft
10 miles
505 ft
50 miles
1,621 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Athens 14 mi · Madison 15 mi · Huntsville 24 mi · Cullman 31 mi · East Florence 40 mi · Florence 42 mi · Albertville 50 mi · Dixiana 63 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 Decatur (34.6059°, -86.9833°, elevation 561 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). 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).