Dickinson weather in October

In October, Dickinson sees average daytime highs of 55°F and overnight lows near 34°F, with 1.5 in of precipitation across 5.9 wet days and about 10.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 61°F in the first days to 47°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% 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 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Dickinson's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dickinson's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 55°; 6th warmest
Overnight low: 34°; 7th coldest
Precipitation: 1.5 in; 5.9 wet days
Daylight: 10 h 36 min; 6:17 AM – 4:55 PM
Cloud cover: 54%; 4th clearest
Wind: 11 mph; 4th windiest
Solar energy: 2.87 kWh/m²
Travel score: 3.9; out of 10

Dickinson is seat of Stark County, North Dakota, United States.

Density: 915/km²; people per km²
Founded: 1882

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

← September Dickinson year-round climate November →Best places to visit in October

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

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 61°F in the first days to 47°F by the end.

A typical October day in Dickinson reaches about 55°F in the afternoon and slips back to 34°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 38°F and 71°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 15°F cooler than September and about 16°F warmer than November.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°F)	63	62	62	61	60	60	59	59	58	58	57	57	56	56	55	55	54	54	53	53	52	52	51	51	50	49	49	48	47	47	46
Avg low (°F)	40	40	39	39	38	38	38	37	37	37	36	36	35	35	35	34	34	33	33	33	32	32	31	31	31	30	29	29	29	28	28

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	63	40
2	62	40
3	62	39
4	61	39
5	60	38
6	60	38
7	59	38
8	59	37
9	58	37
10	58	37
11	57	36
12	57	36
13	56	35
14	56	35
15	55	35
16	55	34
17	54	34
18	54	33
19	53	33
20	53	33
21	52	32
22	52	32
23	51	31
24	51	31
25	50	31
26	49	30
27	49	29
28	48	29
29	47	29
30	47	28
31	46	28

How October really feels in Dickinson

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 28 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 32°F

wind chill below the day's low

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

Dickinson 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.

Month	High / Low (°F)	Rainfall (inches)	Wet days	Snow days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	25° / 8°	0.6	4.3	4.5	8.8	0.0
Feb	28° / 11°	0.6	4	4.2	10	0.0
Mar	40° / 20°	1.0	5.9	4.4	11.6	0.4
Apr	52° / 31°	2.0	8.4	3.4	13.3	2.9
May	64° / 43°	2.9	10.8	0.8	14.8	5.6
Jun	74° / 53°	3.2	11.1	0	15.6	6.6
Jul	81° / 58°	2.7	8.9	0	15.3	6.9
Aug	81° / 56°	2.2	7.5	0	14	7.2
Sep	70° / 46°	2.0	6.2	0.1	12.4	7.2
Oct	55° / 34°	1.5	5.9	1.7	10.6	3.9
Nov	39° / 21°	0.8	3.7	3.1	9.2	0.2
Dec	28° / 12°	0.6	4.1	4.3	8.4	0.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 46%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	61	61	60	60	58	58	57	56	56	55	54	54	54	54	53	53	53	53	52	52	51	51	51	51	51	51	51	50	50	49	49
Cloudier (%)	39	39	40	40	42	42	43	44	44	45	46	46	46	46	47	47	47	47	48	48	49	49	49	49	49	49	49	50	50	51	51

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	61	39
2	61	39
3	60	40
4	60	40
5	58	42
6	58	42
7	57	43
8	56	44
9	56	44
10	55	45
11	54	46
12	54	46
13	54	46
14	54	46
15	53	47
16	53	47
17	53	47
18	53	47
19	52	48
20	52	48
21	51	49
22	51	49
23	51	49
24	51	49
25	51	49
26	51	49
27	51	49
28	50	50
29	50	50
30	49	51
31	49	51

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Dickinson gets around 1.5 in of rain and snow over 5.9 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 19% and peaks near 19% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	18	18	18	18	17	17
Snow chance (%)	2	2	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	6	6	6	6	6	7	7	7	8	8	9	9	9	10

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	18	2
2	18	2
3	18	3
4	18	3
5	18	3
6	18	4
7	18	4
8	19	4
9	19	4
10	19	4
11	19	5
12	19	5
13	19	5
14	19	5
15	19	5
16	19	5
17	19	5
18	19	6
19	19	6
20	19	6
21	19	6
22	19	6
23	19	7
24	19	7
25	19	7
26	18	8
27	18	8
28	18	9
29	18	9
30	17	9
31	17	10

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

Wind in October

Winds average 11 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 11 mph on the calmest days to 11 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (mph)	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11
Feels	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze

	Wind speed (mph)	Feels
1	11	light breeze
2	11	light breeze
3	11	light breeze
4	11	light breeze
5	11	light breeze
6	11	light breeze
7	11	light breeze
8	11	light breeze
9	11	light breeze
10	11	light breeze
11	11	light breeze
12	11	light breeze
13	11	light breeze
14	11	light breeze
15	11	light breeze
16	11	light breeze
17	11	light breeze
18	11	light breeze
19	11	light breeze
20	11	light breeze
21	11	light breeze
22	11	light breeze
23	11	light breeze
24	11	light breeze
25	11	light breeze
26	11	light breeze
27	11	light breeze
28	11	light breeze
29	11	light breeze
30	11	light breeze
31	11	light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 9 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 102 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:56 AM to 6:40 AM, and sunset from 5:24 PM to 4:30 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	11.5	11.4	11.4	11.3	11.2	11.2	11.1	11.1	11.0	11.0	10.9	10.8	10.8	10.7	10.7	10.6	10.6	10.5	10.5	10.4	10.4	10.3	10.2	10.2	10.1	10.1	10.0	10.0	9.9	9.9	9.8
Sunrise (AM)	5:56	5:57	5:59	6:00	6:02	6:03	6:04	6:06	6:07	6:09	6:10	6:12	6:13	6:14	6:16	6:17	6:19	6:20	6:22	6:23	6:25	6:26	6:28	6:29	6:31	6:32	6:34	6:35	6:37	6:38	6:40
Sunset (PM)	5:24	5:22	5:20	5:18	5:16	5:14	5:12	5:10	5:08	5:06	5:04	5:02	5:01	4:59	4:57	4:55	4:53	4:51	4:50	4:48	4:46	4:44	4:43	4:41	4:39	4:38	4:36	4:34	4:33	4:31	4:30

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	11.5	5:56	5:24
2	11.4	5:57	5:22
3	11.4	5:59	5:20
4	11.3	6:00	5:18
5	11.2	6:02	5:16
6	11.2	6:03	5:14
7	11.1	6:04	5:12
8	11.1	6:06	5:10
9	11.0	6:07	5:08
10	11.0	6:09	5:06
11	10.9	6:10	5:04
12	10.8	6:12	5:02
13	10.8	6:13	5:01
14	10.7	6:14	4:59
15	10.7	6:16	4:57
16	10.6	6:17	4:55
17	10.6	6:19	4:53
18	10.5	6:20	4:51
19	10.5	6:22	4:50
20	10.4	6:23	4:48
21	10.4	6:25	4:46
22	10.3	6:26	4:44
23	10.2	6:28	4:43
24	10.2	6:29	4:41
25	10.1	6:31	4:39
26	10.1	6:32	4:38
27	10.0	6:34	4:36
28	10.0	6:35	4:34
29	9.9	6:37	4:33
30	9.9	6:38	4:31
31	9.8	6:40	4:30

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.45 kWh/m² to a high of 6.85 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 2.87 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	3.6	3.6	3.5	3.5	3.4	3.3	3.3	3.2	3.2	3.1	3.1	3.1	3.0	3.0	2.9	2.9	2.9	2.8	2.8	2.7	2.7	2.6	2.6	2.6	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.3
Level	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	3.6	Moderate
2	3.6	Moderate
3	3.5	Moderate
4	3.5	Moderate
5	3.4	Moderate
6	3.3	Moderate
7	3.3	Moderate
8	3.2	Moderate
9	3.2	Moderate
10	3.1	Moderate
11	3.1	Moderate
12	3.1	Moderate
13	3.0	Moderate
14	3.0	Moderate
15	2.9	Moderate
16	2.9	Moderate
17	2.9	Moderate
18	2.8	Moderate
19	2.8	Moderate
20	2.7	Moderate
21	2.7	Moderate
22	2.6	Moderate
23	2.6	Moderate
24	2.6	Moderate
25	2.5	Moderate
26	2.5	Moderate
27	2.5	Moderate
28	2.4	Moderate
29	2.4	Moderate
30	2.4	Moderate
31	2.3	Moderate

Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Dickinson?

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

3.9

Sightseeing

6th-best month of the year

0.3

Beach & pool

6th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dickinson.

What to pack for Dickinson in October

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

In October, Dickinson sees daytime highs around 55°F and nights near 34°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Dickinson in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dickinson peaks around June 21 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	1	2	3	5	6	8	8	7	5	4	2	1
Level	Low	Low	Moderate	Moderate	High	Very high	Very high	High	High	Moderate	Low	Low

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	1	Low
Feb	2	Low
Mar	3	Moderate
Apr	5	Moderate
May	6	High
Jun	8	Very high
Jul	8	Very high
Aug	7	High
Sep	5	High
Oct	4	Moderate
Nov	2	Low
Dec	1	Low

Location & terrain

Where is Dickinson?

Dickinson sits at 46.9°N, 102.8°W, 2,411 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Mandan, 90 mi away.

Topography around Dickinson

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Dickinson has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 243 ft around an average of 2,441 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 479 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,650 ft.

The land around Dickinson is covered by grassland (39%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 2 miles, grassland (54%) and cropland (42%) within 10 miles, and grassland (64%) and cropland (34%) within 50 miles.

2 miles

243 ft

grassland 39%

10 miles

479 ft

grassland 54%

50 miles

1,650 ft

grassland 64%

treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater

← September Dickinson year-round climate November →Best places to visit in October

October weather nearby: Mandan 90 mi · Bismarck 95 mi · Williston 96 mi · Minot 117 mi · Jamestown 193 mi · Rapid City 194 mi · Gillette 222 mi · Aberdeen 228 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

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 Dickinson (46.8792°, -102.7896°, elevation 2,411 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).

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	63	40
2	62	40
3	62	39
4	61	39
5	60	38
6	60	38
7	59	38
8	59	37
9	58	37
10	58	37
11	57	36
12	57	36
13	56	35
14	56	35
15	55	35
16	55	34
17	54	34
18	54	33
19	53	33
20	53	33
21	52	32
22	52	32
23	51	31
24	51	31
25	50	31
26	49	30
27	49	29
28	48	29
29	47	29
30	47	28
31	46	28

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	61	39
2	61	39
3	60	40
4	60	40
5	58	42
6	58	42
7	57	43
8	56	44
9	56	44
10	55	45
11	54	46
12	54	46
13	54	46
14	54	46
15	53	47
16	53	47
17	53	47
18	53	47
19	52	48
20	52	48
21	51	49
22	51	49
23	51	49
24	51	49
25	51	49
26	51	49
27	51	49
28	50	50
29	50	50
30	49	51
31	49	51

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	18	2
2	18	2
3	18	3
4	18	3
5	18	3
6	18	4
7	18	4
8	19	4
9	19	4
10	19	4
11	19	5
12	19	5
13	19	5
14	19	5
15	19	5
16	19	5
17	19	5
18	19	6
19	19	6
20	19	6
21	19	6
22	19	6
23	19	7
24	19	7
25	19	7
26	18	8
27	18	8
28	18	9
29	18	9
30	17	9
31	17	10

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	63	40
2	62	40
3	62	39
4	61	39
5	60	38
6	60	38
7	59	38
8	59	37
9	58	37
10	58	37
11	57	36
12	57	36
13	56	35
14	56	35
15	55	35
16	55	34
17	54	34
18	54	33
19	53	33
20	53	33
21	52	32
22	52	32
23	51	31
24	51	31
25	50	31
26	49	30
27	49	29
28	48	29
29	47	29
30	47	28
31	46	28

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	61	39
2	61	39
3	60	40
4	60	40
5	58	42
6	58	42
7	57	43
8	56	44
9	56	44
10	55	45
11	54	46
12	54	46
13	54	46
14	54	46
15	53	47
16	53	47
17	53	47
18	53	47
19	52	48
20	52	48
21	51	49
22	51	49
23	51	49
24	51	49
25	51	49
26	51	49
27	51	49
28	50	50
29	50	50
30	49	51
31	49	51

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	18	2
2	18	2
3	18	3
4	18	3
5	18	3
6	18	4
7	18	4
8	19	4
9	19	4
10	19	4
11	19	5
12	19	5
13	19	5
14	19	5
15	19	5
16	19	5
17	19	5
18	19	6
19	19	6
20	19	6
21	19	6
22	19	6
23	19	7
24	19	7
25	19	7
26	18	8
27	18	8
28	18	9
29	18	9
30	17	9
31	17	10

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	63	40
2	62	40
3	62	39
4	61	39
5	60	38
6	60	38
7	59	38
8	59	37
9	58	37
10	58	37
11	57	36
12	57	36
13	56	35
14	56	35
15	55	35
16	55	34
17	54	34
18	54	33
19	53	33
20	53	33
21	52	32
22	52	32
23	51	31
24	51	31
25	50	31
26	49	30
27	49	29
28	48	29
29	47	29
30	47	28
31	46	28

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	61	39
2	61	39
3	60	40
4	60	40
5	58	42
6	58	42
7	57	43
8	56	44
9	56	44
10	55	45
11	54	46
12	54	46
13	54	46
14	54	46
15	53	47
16	53	47
17	53	47
18	53	47
19	52	48
20	52	48
21	51	49
22	51	49
23	51	49
24	51	49
25	51	49
26	51	49
27	51	49
28	50	50
29	50	50
30	49	51
31	49	51

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	18	2
2	18	2
3	18	3
4	18	3
5	18	3
6	18	4
7	18	4
8	19	4
9	19	4
10	19	4
11	19	5
12	19	5
13	19	5
14	19	5
15	19	5
16	19	5
17	19	5
18	19	6
19	19	6
20	19	6
21	19	6
22	19	6
23	19	7
24	19	7
25	19	7
26	18	8
27	18	8
28	18	9
29	18	9
30	17	9
31	17	10

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100