Fitchburg weather in October

In October, Fitchburg sees average daytime highs of 59°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 2.8 in of precipitation across 8.7 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 65°F in the first days to 52°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% 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 Fitchburg's 4th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fitchburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
59°
6th warmest
Overnight low
42°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.8 in
8.7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:19 AM – 5:07 PM
Cloud cover
60%
4th clearest
Wind
8 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Fitchburg is city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States.

Density
307/km²
people per km²
Founded
1847

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 65°F in the first days to 52°F by the end.

A typical October day in Fitchburg reaches about 59°F in the afternoon and slips back to 42°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 47°F and 72°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)
16647
26547
36546
46446
56446
66445
76345
86344
96244
106244
116143
126143
136043
146042
155942
165942
175841
185841
195740
205740
215640
225640
235539
245539
255438
265438
275338
285337
295237
305237
315136

How October really feels in Fitchburg

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 5 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
5
wind chill below the day's low

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

Fitchburg 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
Jan28° / 13°1.67.66.49.20.0
Feb32° / 16°1.66.65.310.20.0
Mar44° / 27°2.49.23.911.60.9
Apr57° / 38°4.012.31.913.13.7
May68° / 49°4.012.50.114.45.8
Jun78° / 60°4.411.8015.16.4
Jul81° / 64°3.210.2014.86.5
Aug79° / 61°3.79.9013.86.7
Sep72° / 53°3.39.1012.36.9
Oct59° / 42°2.88.70.410.84.6
Nov44° / 30°2.282.29.50.9
Dec32° / 19°1.97.55.28.90.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35248
45347
55248
65248
75149
85149
95149
105050
115050
124951
134852
144753
154654
164456
174456
184357
194258
204258
214060
224060
234060
243961
253862
263862
273862
283862
293862
303862
313961

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Fitchburg gets around 2.8 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 28% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1300
2300
3300
4290
5290
6290
7290
8280
9280
10280
11280
12270
13271
14271
15271
16271
17281
18281
19282
20282
21282
22282
23282
24282
25272
26272
27272
28272
29273
30273
31273

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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
184862
285852
386752
486752
588642
688642
789641
890631
990631
1091531
1192521
1292521
1392521
1494411
1594411
1695410
1795410
1895410
1995410
2095410
2195410
2295410
2396310
2496310
2596310
2696310
2796310
2897210
2997210
3097210
3198200

Wind in October

Winds average 8 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
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light 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
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light 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 6:01 AM to 6:38 AM, and sunset from 5:33 PM to 4:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:015:33
211.56:025:31
311.46:035:29
411.46:045:28
511.36:055:26
611.36:075:24
711.26:085:22
811.26:095:21
911.16:105:19
1011.16:115:17
1111.06:135:15
1211.06:145:14
1310.96:155:12
1410.96:165:10
1510.96:185:09
1610.86:195:07
1710.86:205:05
1810.76:215:04
1910.76:235:02
2010.66:245:01
2110.66:254:59
2210.56:264:58
2310.56:284:56
2410.46:294:55
2510.46:304:53
2610.36:314:52
2710.36:334:50
2810.36:344:49
2910.26:354:48
3010.26:374:46
3110.16:384:45

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.94 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.56 kWh/m² to a high of 6.29 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 2.94 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.6Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.5Moderate
63.5Moderate
73.4Moderate
83.4Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.0Moderate
163.0Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Fitchburg?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.7
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Fitchburg for sightseeing.

What to pack for Fitchburg in October

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

In October, Fitchburg sees daytime highs around 59°F and nights near 42°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Fitchburg 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 Fitchburg peaks around June 19 at about 9 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 19UV 9Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Fitchburg 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 Fitchburg is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1715 µg/m³Oct 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Fitchburg?

Fitchburg sits at 43.0°N, 89.5°W, 1,017 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Madison, 8.7 mi away.

Topography around Fitchburg

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Fitchburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 ft around an average of 1,040 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 420 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,060 ft.

The land around Fitchburg is covered by cropland (59%) and trees (24%) within 2 miles, cropland (36%), trees (29%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and cropland (53%) and trees (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
282 ft
10 miles
420 ft
50 miles
1,060 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Madison 8.7 mi · Middleton 9.3 mi · Sun Prairie 20 mi · Janesville 30 mi · Beloit 39 mi · Watertown 41 mi · Freeport 47 mi · Beaver Dam 47 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 Fitchburg (42.9608°, -89.4698°, elevation 1,017 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).