Forest Hills weather in October

In October, Forest Hills sees average daytime highs of 59°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 3.3 in of precipitation across 10.9 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 65°F in the first days to 53°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 Forest Hills's 6th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Forest Hills's year-round climate.

Daytime high
59°
6th warmest
Overnight low
42°
7th coldest
Precipitation
3.3 in
10.9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
7:03 AM – 5:51 PM
Cloud cover
64%
6th clearest
Wind
8 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.79 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Forest Hills is unincorporated community in Kent County, Michigan, United States.

Density
197/km²
people per km²

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 53°F by the end.

A typical October day in Forest Hills 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 14°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16647
26547
36546
46546
56446
66446
76345
86345
96344
106244
116244
126144
136143
146043
156043
165942
175942
185842
195841
205741
215741
225640
235640
245540
255540
265439
275439
285339
295338
305338
315238

How October really feels in Forest Hills

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.

Forest Hills 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
Jan30° / 18°2.410.19.59.20.0
Feb33° / 18°2.07.86.410.20.0
Mar44° / 27°2.59.34.111.60.9
Apr57° / 38°4.0121.913.13.8
May68° / 49°4.211.9014.46.0
Jun78° / 59°3.911.5015.16.5
Jul81° / 63°3.611.1014.86.4
Aug79° / 61°3.610.6013.86.7
Sep72° / 53°3.19.5012.36.8
Oct59° / 42°3.310.90.310.84.5
Nov46° / 33°2.69.72.59.51.2
Dec35° / 24°2.310.27.88.90.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 60%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
44951
54951
64951
74852
84852
94753
104753
114555
124456
134456
144357
154258
164060
173961
183961
193862
203664
213565
223565
233466
243466
253367
263268
273367
283268
293268
303268
313169

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Forest Hills gets around 3.3 in of rain and snow over 10.9 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 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1370
2370
3360
4360
5350
6350
7340
8340
9330
10330
11330
12320
13320
14320
15321
16331
17331
18341
19341
20351
21351
22361
23361
24362
25362
26372
27372
28372
29362
30362
31352

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 92% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1821152
2821152
3841042
485942
585942
687841
787841
888741
988741
1090631
1190631
1290631
1392521
1493520
1593520
1693520
1794510
1894510
1994510
2094510
2194510
2295410
2395410
2495410
2595410
2695410
2795410
2896310
2997300
3097300
3197300

Wind in October

Winds average 8 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 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
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 6:45 AM to 7:22 AM, and sunset from 6:17 PM to 5:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:456:17
211.56:466:15
311.46:476:13
411.46:486:12
511.36:506:10
611.36:516:08
711.26:526:06
811.26:536:05
911.16:546:03
1011.16:566:01
1111.06:575:59
1211.06:585:58
1310.96:595:56
1410.97:005:54
1510.97:025:53
1610.87:035:51
1710.87:045:50
1810.77:055:48
1910.77:075:46
2010.67:085:45
2110.67:095:43
2210.57:105:42
2310.57:125:40
2410.47:135:39
2510.47:145:37
2610.37:155:36
2710.37:175:34
2810.37:185:33
2910.27:195:32
3010.27:215:30
3110.17:225:29

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.79 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.31 kWh/m² to a high of 6.35 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 2.79 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.5Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.0Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Forest Hills?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.7
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Forest Hills for sightseeing.

What to pack for Forest Hills in October

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

In October, Forest Hills sees daytime highs around 59°F and nights near 42°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Forest Hills 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 Forest Hills peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 20UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Forest Hills?

Forest Hills sits at 43.0°N, 85.5°W, 630 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Grand Rapids, 9.3 mi away.

Topography around Forest Hills

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Forest Hills has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 279 ft around an average of 725 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 433 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 810 ft.

The land around Forest Hills is covered by trees (75%) within 2 miles, trees (58%) within 10 miles, and trees (48%) and cropland (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
279 ft
10 miles
433 ft
50 miles
810 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Grand Rapids 9.3 mi · Kentwood 9.9 mi · Wyoming 11 mi · Grandville 14 mi · Walker 14 mi · Jenison 16 mi · Allendale 24 mi · Holland 34 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 Forest Hills (42.9595°, -85.4898°, elevation 630 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).