Fort Dodge weather in October

In October, Fort Dodge sees average daytime highs of 61°F and overnight lows near 41°F, with 2.6 in of precipitation across 7.8 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 67°F in the first days to 54°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Fort Dodge's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fort Dodge's year-round climate.

Daytime high
61°
6th warmest
Overnight low
41°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.6 in
7.8 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:37 AM – 5:26 PM
Cloud cover
52%
4th clearest
Wind
10 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
3.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Fort Dodge is city and the county seat of, Webster County, Iowa, United States.

Density
584/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 67°F in the first days to 54°F by the end.

A typical October day in Fort Dodge reaches about 61°F in the afternoon and slips back to 41°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 47°F and 75°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)
16847
26847
36746
46746
56646
66645
76545
86544
96544
106444
116443
126343
136342
146242
156242
166141
176141
186040
196040
205940
215839
225839
235738
245738
255637
265637
275537
285536
295436
305435
315335

How October really feels in Fort Dodge

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 10 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
10
wind chill below the day's low

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

Fort Dodge 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
Jan27° / 11°1.15.75.39.20.0
Feb32° / 15°1.36.1510.30.0
Mar46° / 27°2.48.23.411.61.3
Apr59° / 39°4.411.31.513.14.4
May70° / 51°5.413.30.114.46.0
Jun79° / 61°5.512.6015.16.2
Jul82° / 65°3.710.1014.86.2
Aug80° / 62°4.29.6013.76.8
Sep74° / 53°3.48.3012.37.2
Oct61° / 41°2.67.80.510.85.4
Nov46° / 28°1.96.32.69.61.3
Dec32° / 17°1.564.78.90.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 46%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26337
36337
46238
56238
66238
76139
86040
96040
105842
115842
125842
135644
145644
155545
165446
175347
185248
195149
205149
215050
225050
234852
244852
254852
264852
274852
284852
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Fort Dodge gets around 2.6 in of rain and snow over 7.8 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 24% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1260
2260
3260
4260
5250
6260
7260
8261
9251
10251
11251
12251
13241
14241
15241
16242
17242
18242
19242
20242
21242
22243
23243
24243
25243
26243
27243
28244
29234
30234
31224

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 (%)
1831052
2841042
385942
487841
587841
689731
790631
890631
991531
1091531
1192431
1292431
1393430
1495320
1595320
1695320
1795320
1895320
1995320
2095320
2195320
2296310
2396310
2496310
2596310
2696310
2796310
2897300
2997300
3098200
3198200

Wind in October

Winds average 10 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 10 h 12 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 6:19 AM to 6:56 AM, and sunset from 5:52 PM to 5:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:195:52
211.56:205:50
311.46:225:48
411.46:235:47
511.36:245:45
611.36:255:43
711.36:265:41
811.26:275:40
911.26:295:38
1011.16:305:36
1111.16:315:35
1211.06:325:33
1311.06:335:31
1410.96:355:30
1510.96:365:28
1610.86:375:26
1710.86:385:25
1810.76:395:23
1910.76:415:22
2010.66:425:20
2110.66:435:19
2210.56:445:17
2310.56:465:16
2410.56:475:14
2510.46:485:13
2610.46:495:11
2710.36:515:10
2810.36:525:09
2910.26:535:07
3010.26:545:06
3110.26:565:05

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.15 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.74 kWh/m² to a high of 6.46 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 3.15 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.7Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.5Moderate
103.5Moderate
113.4Moderate
123.4Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.1Moderate
183.1Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Fort Dodge

In seasonPeak

In October, Fort Dodge sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Fort Dodge's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is October a good time to visit Fort Dodge?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Fort Dodge for sightseeing.

What to pack for Fort Dodge in October

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

In October, Fort Dodge sees daytime highs around 61°F and nights near 41°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Fort Dodge in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Fort Dodge peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (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 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Fort Dodge?

Fort Dodge sits at 42.5°N, 94.2°W, 1,115 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ames, 42 mi away.

Topography around Fort Dodge

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Fort Dodge has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 226 ft around an average of 1,099 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 617 ft.

The land around Fort Dodge is covered by trees (37%), artificial surfaces (28%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, cropland (77%) within 10 miles, and cropland (90%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
226 ft
10 miles
272 ft
50 miles
617 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Ames 42 mi · Ankeny 60 mi · Johnston 62 mi · Waukee 63 mi · Urbandale 65 mi · Clive 66 mi · Mason City 66 mi · West Des Moines 68 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 Fort Dodge (42.4975°, -94.168°, elevation 1,115 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).