Dixon weather in October

In October, Dixon sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 43°F, with 3.0 in of precipitation across 8.7 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 55°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Dixon's 4th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dixon's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
6th warmest
Overnight low
43°
7th coldest
Precipitation
3.0 in
8.7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:17 AM – 5:08 PM
Cloud cover
57%
4th clearest
Wind
9 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
3.12 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Dixon is city and county seat of Lee County, Illinois, United States.

Density
752/km²
people per km²
Founded
1828

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 68°F in the first days to 55°F by the end.

A typical October day in Dixon reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 43°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 49°F and 75°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 13°F cooler than September and about 15°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16949
26848
36848
46847
56747
66747
76646
86646
96546
106545
116545
126444
136444
146344
156343
166243
176243
186142
196042
206042
216042
225941
235841
245840
255740
265740
275639
285639
295539
305538
315538

How October really feels in Dixon

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 2 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
2
wind chill below the day's low

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

Dixon 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
Jan30° / 16°2.07.75.39.30.0
Feb34° / 19°1.96.64.410.30.0
Mar47° / 30°2.79.42.511.71.6
Apr60° / 41°4.511.60.913.14.5
May71° / 51°4.813.2014.36.0
Jun80° / 61°4.411.90156.3
Jul82° / 65°3.710.2014.76.2
Aug81° / 63°3.39.3013.76.7
Sep75° / 55°3.48.6012.37.1
Oct62° / 43°3.08.70.210.95.4
Nov47° / 32°2.67.81.49.61.6
Dec35° / 22°2.27.54.190.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 52%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35446
45446
55446
65446
75347
85347
95248
105248
115248
125149
135149
145149
155149
165050
174951
184852
194753
204654
214555
224456
234456
244456
254159
264159
274159
284159
294159
304060
314060

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Dixon gets around 3.0 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 27% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1270
2260
3260
4260
5260
6260
7260
8260
9260
10270
11270
12270
13270
14270
15270
16270
17280
18280
19280
20291
21291
22291
23291
24291
25281
26281
27281
28282
29282
30282
31272

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 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1771373
2791263
3801262
4811162
5821152
6831052
7831052
885951
986941
1087841
1187841
1288741
1389731
1489731
1591630
1692620
1792620
1892620
1993520
2093520
2193520
2293520
2394420
2495410
2595410
2695410
2795410
2895410
2996310
3096310
3197300

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
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
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 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 84 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:00 AM to 6:36 AM, and sunset from 5:34 PM to 4:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:005:34
211.56:015:32
311.56:025:30
411.46:045:28
511.46:055:27
611.36:065:25
711.36:075:23
811.26:085:21
911.26:095:20
1011.16:105:18
1111.16:125:16
1211.06:135:15
1311.06:145:13
1410.96:155:12
1510.96:165:10
1610.96:175:08
1710.86:195:07
1810.86:205:05
1910.76:215:04
2010.76:225:02
2110.66:235:01
2210.66:254:59
2310.56:264:58
2410.56:274:57
2510.46:284:55
2610.46:294:54
2710.46:314:52
2810.36:324:51
2910.36:334:50
3010.26:344:49
3110.26:364:47

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.12 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.71 kWh/m² to a high of 6.34 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.12 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.8Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.5Moderate
93.5Moderate
103.4Moderate
113.4Moderate
123.3Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.2Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.1Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.6Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Dixon?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Dixon for sightseeing.

What to pack for Dixon in October

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

In October, Dixon sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 43°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Dixon 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 Dixon peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 highHighModerateLowJun 19UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Dixon 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 Dixon is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1915 µg/m³Oct 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Dixon?

Dixon sits at 41.8°N, 89.5°W, 682 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sterling, 12 mi away.

Topography around Dixon

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Dixon has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 203 ft around an average of 735 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 299 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 886 ft.

The land around Dixon is covered by trees (30%), cropland (24%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, cropland (74%) within 10 miles, and cropland (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
203 ft
10 miles
299 ft
50 miles
886 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Sterling 12 mi · Freeport 32 mi · Rockford 36 mi · Clinton 37 mi · DeKalb 38 mi · Loves Park 40 mi · Machesney Park 42 mi · Sycamore 42 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 Dixon (41.8389°, -89.4796°, elevation 682 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).