Dover weather in October

In October, Dover sees average daytime highs of 59°F and overnight lows near 45°F, with 4.2 in of precipitation across 9.5 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 64°F in the first days to 54°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Dover's 3rd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dover's year-round climate.

Daytime high
59°
6th warmest
Overnight low
45°
7th coldest
Precipitation
4.2 in
9.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:05 AM – 4:52 PM
Cloud cover
56%
3rd clearest
Wind
8 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
2.9 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Dover is county seat city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States.

Density
411/km²
people per km²
Founded
1623

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 54°F by the end.

A typical October day in Dover reaches about 59°F in the afternoon and slips back to 45°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 51°F and 69°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 11°F cooler than September and about 12°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16550
26549
36449
46449
56448
66348
76347
86247
96247
106246
116146
126146
136046
146045
156045
165945
175944
185844
195844
205843
215743
225743
235742
245642
255642
265542
275541
285541
295441
305440
315440

How October really feels in Dover

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.

Dover weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 19°3.49.36.89.20.0
Feb34° / 20°3.296.110.20.0
Mar42° / 28°4.210.95.411.60.4
Apr54° / 38°4.010.51.413.13.1
May64° / 48°3.010.3014.45.5
Jun74° / 58°3.610.8015.16.5
Jul79° / 64°3.210.7014.96.5
Aug78° / 62°3.39.2013.86.9
Sep71° / 55°3.48.3012.36.9
Oct59° / 45°4.29.50.210.84.8
Nov48° / 35°3.69.21.29.51.8
Dec38° / 26°4.410.45.28.90.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 48%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25347
35347
45347
55347
65446
75446
85446
95446
105446
115446
125347
135347
145347
155347
165347
175347
185248
195248
205248
215248
225149
235050
245050
254951
264951
274852
284852
294852
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Dover gets around 4.2 in of rain and snow over 9.5 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 30% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1290
2290
3290
4290
5290
6290
7290
8290
9290
10290
11290
12290
13290
14290
15290
16300
17300
18300
19301
20311
21311
22311
23321
24321
25321
26321
27332
28332
29322
30322
31322

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 (%)
1741673
2761662
3781552
4791452
5811342
6821242
7851131
8861031
9871021
1088921
1189821
1289821
1391711
1491711
1592611
1693610
1793610
1893610
1994510
2094510
2194510
2294510
2394510
2494510
2594510
2694510
2795410
2895410
2995410
3095410
3195410

Wind in October

Winds average 8 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37light breeze
47light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light 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 h 06 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 5:46 AM to 6:24 AM, and sunset from 5:18 PM to 4:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:465:18
211.55:485:17
311.45:495:15
411.45:505:13
511.35:515:11
611.35:525:09
711.25:545:08
811.25:555:06
911.15:565:04
1011.15:575:02
1111.05:595:01
1211.06:004:59
1310.96:014:57
1410.96:024:56
1510.86:034:54
1610.86:054:52
1710.76:064:51
1810.76:074:49
1910.76:084:48
2010.66:104:46
2110.66:114:44
2210.56:124:43
2310.56:144:41
2410.46:154:40
2510.46:164:38
2610.36:174:37
2710.36:194:36
2810.26:204:34
2910.26:214:33
3010.16:234:31
3110.16:244:30

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.9 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.54 kWh/m² to a high of 6.07 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 2.9 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.5Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.8Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Dover

In seasonPeak

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

Dover 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 Dover?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.7
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Dover for sightseeing.

What to pack for Dover in October

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

In October, Dover sees daytime highs around 59°F and nights near 45°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Dover in October

The nearest coast averages about 55°F in October — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 14 mi away) is warmest in August at about 65°F and coldest in March near 38°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan42Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar38Bracing
Apr42Bracing
May49Bracing
Jun57Bracing
Jul63Cool
Aug65Cool
Sep62Cool
Oct55Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec45Bracing

UV index in Dover 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 Dover peaks around July 10 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighModerateModerateLowJul 10UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Dover?

Dover sits at 43.2°N, 70.9°W, 62 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Rochester, 8.7 mi away.

Topography around Dover

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Dover has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 315 ft around an average of 121 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 696 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,943 ft.

The land around Dover is covered by trees (62%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, trees (75%) within 10 miles, and trees (67%) and water (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
315 ft
10 miles
696 ft
50 miles
2,943 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
October weather nearby: Rochester 8.7 mi · Portsmouth 9.9 mi · Sanford 17 mi · Amesbury 24 mi · Newburyport 27 mi · Biddeford 29 mi · Saco 30 mi · Derry Village 30 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 Dover (43.1979°, -70.8737°, elevation 62 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). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).