Fairbanks weather in October

In October, Fairbanks sees average daytime highs of 33°F and overnight lows near 22°F, with 0.8 in of precipitation across 5.4 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 43°F in the first days to 24°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of October to 7 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Fairbanks's 8th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fairbanks's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
7th warmest
Overnight low
22°
6th coldest
Precipitation
0.8 in
5.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:59 AM – 5:12 PM
Cloud cover
66%
8th clearest
Wind
5 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
1.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10

Fairbanks is city in Alaska, USA.

Density
384/km²
people per km²
Founded
1901

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 43°F in the first days to 24°F by the end.

A typical October day in Fairbanks reaches about 33°F in the afternoon and slips back to 22°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°F and 45°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 21°F cooler than September and about 20°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14532
24431
34431
44330
54230
64129
74028
84028
93927
103826
113726
123625
133624
143523
153423
163322
173221
183220
193120
203019
212918
222918
232817
242717
252716
262615
272515
282514
292413
302313
312312

How October really feels in Fairbanks

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 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
31
14 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Fairbanks weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 7th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -9°0.43.54.64.60.0
Feb12° / -3°0.43.13.97.80.0
Mar25° / 0.32.43.111.20.0
Apr44° / 24°0.42.82.214.71.3
May60° / 41°0.85.30.518.15.3
Jun70° / 53°2.010.2020.66.3
Jul71° / 55°2.411019.66.3
Aug65° / 50°2.410.9016.25.6
Sep54° / 39°1.67.9112.73.4
Oct33° / 22°0.85.44.29.20.1
Nov14° / 0.64.45.55.80.0
Dec / -6°0.43.74.73.30.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33466
43367
53367
63466
73466
83565
93565
103565
113664
123664
133862
143862
153862
164060
174060
183961
193961
203961
213961
223961
233862
243862
253763
263763
273664
283565
293664
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Fairbanks gets around 0.8 in of rain and snow over 5.4 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 17% and peaks near 20% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1209
22010
32010
42011
52011
62011
71912
81912
91912
101912
111813
121813
131813
141813
151714
161714
171714
181714
191714
201615
211615
221615
231615
241615
251515
261515
271516
281516
291516
301516
311516

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.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in October

Winds average 5 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of October to 7 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 204 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 7:12 AM to 8:50 AM, and sunset from 6:08 PM to 4:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.97:126:08
210.87:156:04
310.77:186:01
410.67:215:57
510.57:245:53
610.47:275:49
710.37:305:46
810.17:345:42
910.07:375:38
109.97:405:34
119.87:435:31
129.77:465:27
139.67:505:23
149.47:535:20
159.37:565:16
169.27:595:12
179.18:035:09
189.08:065:05
198.98:095:02
208.88:134:58
218.68:164:54
228.58:194:51
238.48:234:47
248.38:264:44
258.28:294:40
268.18:334:37
277.98:364:33
287.88:394:29
297.78:434:26
307.68:464:23
317.58:504:19

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 1.06 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.05 kWh/m² to a high of 5.88 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 1.06 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.5Dim
51.5Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.3Dim
101.3Dim
111.2Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.1Dim
151.1Dim
161.1Dim
171.0Dim
181.0Dim
191.0Dim
200.9Dim
210.9Dim
220.8Dim
230.8Dim
240.8Dim
250.8Dim
260.7Dim
270.7Dim
280.7Dim
290.6Dim
300.6Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Fairbanks?

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

0.1
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Fairbanks.

What to pack for Fairbanks in October

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

In October, Fairbanks sees daytime highs around 33°F and nights near 22°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Fairbanks in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Fairbanks peaks around June 20 at about 4 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJun 20UV 4Dec 17UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low

Air quality in Fairbanks 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 Fairbanks is worst in June — around 34 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 33.8× the cleanest month (December, 1 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2133 µg/m³Dec 191 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan1Good
Feb3Good
Mar5Good
Apr8Good
May10Good
Jun34Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep3Good
Oct2Good
Nov1Good
Dec1Good
Location & terrain

Where is Fairbanks?

Fairbanks sits at 64.8°N, 147.7°W, 446 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Badger, 6.2 mi away.

Dawson CityWhitehorseJuneauTerraceAnadyr

Topography around Fairbanks

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Fairbanks has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 102 ft around an average of 443 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,801 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,350 ft.

The land around Fairbanks is covered by trees (34%), artificial surfaces (31%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, trees (69%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (66%) and grassland (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
102 ft
10 miles
1,801 ft
50 miles
4,350 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmoss and lichen
October weather nearby: Badger 6.2 mi · Eagle River 250 mi · Dawson City 252 mi · Anchorage 259 mi · Whitehorse 490 mi · Juneau 626 mi · Terrace 969 mi · Anadyr 1,010 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 Fairbanks (64.8378°, -147.7164°, elevation 446 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).