Dover weather in October

In October, Dover sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 45°F, with 4.1 in of precipitation across 8.9 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 57°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Dover's 1st-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dover's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
6th warmest
Overnight low
45°
7th coldest
Precipitation
4.1 in
8.9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:17 AM – 5:10 PM
Cloud cover
55%
1st clearest
Wind
7 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
3.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Dover is town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States.

Density
2,595/km²
people per km²
Founded
1869

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 57°F by the end.

A typical October day in Dover reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 45°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 52°F and 73°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 12°F cooler than September and about 12°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16851
26850
36750
46750
56749
66649
76649
86648
96548
106547
116447
126447
136446
146346
156346
166245
176245
186244
196144
206144
216044
226043
235943
245942
255942
265842
275842
285741
295741
305740
315640

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 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan36° / 22°3.59.35.59.40.0
Feb39° / 23°3.08.74.510.40.0
Mar47° / 31°4.310.94.111.71.5
Apr59° / 41°3.8110.813.14.4
May69° / 51°3.911.9014.36.1
Jun78° / 60°4.211.4014.96.4
Jul83° / 65°4.210.8014.65.6
Aug81° / 64°4.010.4013.66.3
Sep74° / 56°4.59.5012.36.9
Oct62° / 45°4.18.90.210.95.5
Nov51° / 35°3.38.30.99.72.5
Dec41° / 28°4.19.73.99.10.2

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in October, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25149
35248
45248
55248
65347
75347
85347
95347
105347
115347
125347
135248
145248
155248
165248
175149
185050
195050
205050
214951
224951
234951
244852
254852
264852
274753
284753
294753
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Dover gets around 4.1 in of rain and snow over 8.9 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 29% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
332
432
531
631
731
830
930
1030
1130
1229
1329
1429
1529
1629
1729
1829
1929
2029
2129
2229
2328
2428
2528
2628
2727
2827
2927
3026
3126

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 85% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
17112134
27311124
37411123
47511113
57611103
6771193
7791182
8801172
9811072
10821062
11821062
12831052
13841042
1486941
1587931
1688831
1788831
1888831
1989731
2090721
2191720
2292620
2392620
2492620
2592620
2692620
2792620
2893520
2993520
3093520
3193520

Wind in October

Winds average 7 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 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
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 78 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:00 AM to 6:34 AM, and sunset from 5:34 PM to 4:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:005:34
211.56:015:33
311.56:025:31
411.46:035:29
511.46:045:28
611.36:065:26
711.36:075:24
811.26:085:23
911.26:095:21
1011.26:105:19
1111.16:115:18
1211.16:125:16
1311.06:135:15
1411.06:145:13
1510.96:155:11
1610.96:175:10
1710.86:185:08
1810.86:195:07
1910.86:205:05
2010.76:215:04
2110.76:225:03
2210.66:245:01
2310.66:255:00
2410.56:264:58
2510.56:274:57
2610.56:284:56
2710.46:294:54
2810.46:314:53
2910.36:324:52
3010.36:334:51
3110.36:344:49

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.06 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.72 kWh/m² to a high of 5.95 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.06 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.4Moderate
73.4Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.2Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.0Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.6Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
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).

5.5
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.4
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 62°F and nights near 45°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Dover in October

The nearest coast averages about 63°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 40 mi away) is warmest in August at about 74°F and coldest in February near 40°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 30 to Sep 26 — about 2.9 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan43Bracing
Feb40Bracing
Mar41Bracing
Apr46Bracing
May55Bracing
Jun65Cool
Jul72Refreshing
Aug74Refreshing
Sep71Refreshing
Oct63Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec48Bracing

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 11 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 11UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Dover 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 Dover is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (November, 9 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1317 µg/m³Nov 159 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Dover?

Dover sits at 40.9°N, 74.6°W, 577 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Randolph, 2.5 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 525 ft around an average of 738 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,266 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,467 ft.

The land around Dover is covered by trees (68%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 2 miles, trees (82%) within 10 miles, and trees (70%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
525 ft
10 miles
1,266 ft
50 miles
2,467 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Randolph 2.5 mi · Denville 4.3 mi · Hopatcong Hills 6.8 mi · Parsippany 7.5 mi · Morristown 7.5 mi · Sparta 11 mi · Madison 11 mi · Basking Ridge 12 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 (40.884°, -74.5621°, elevation 577 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. 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).