Freeport weather in October

In October, Freeport sees average daytime highs of 60°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 2.9 in of precipitation across 8.8 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 66°F in the first days to 54°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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Freeport's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Freeport's year-round climate.

Daytime high
60°
6th warmest
Overnight low
42°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.9 in
8.8 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:19 AM – 5:08 PM
Cloud cover
58%
4th clearest
Wind
8 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
3.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Freeport is city and county seat and largest city of Stephenson County, Illinois, United States.

Density
802/km²
people per km²
Founded
1827

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 66°F in the first days to 54°F by the end.

A typical October day in Freeport reaches about 60°F in the afternoon and slips back to 42°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 48°F and 73°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)
16747
26747
36647
46646
56546
66546
76545
86445
96445
106344
116344
126243
136243
146243
156142
166042
176042
185941
195941
205841
215840
225740
235740
245640
255639
265539
275538
285438
295438
305337
315337

How October really feels in Freeport

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 4 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
4
wind chill below the day's low

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

Freeport 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
Jan29° / 15°1.87.55.89.30.0
Feb33° / 18°1.86.65.110.30.0
Mar46° / 29°2.69.52.911.61.2
Apr58° / 39°4.311.91.113.14.0
May69° / 50°4.413.1014.45.9
Jun79° / 60°4.3120156.3
Jul82° / 64°3.610.4014.86.4
Aug80° / 62°3.79.9013.76.7
Sep73° / 54°3.68.8012.37.0
Oct60° / 42°2.98.80.210.85.0
Nov46° / 31°2.47.81.79.61.3
Dec34° / 21°2.17.64.690.0

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 13% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35347
45347
55347
65248
75248
85248
95149
105149
115149
125149
135050
145050
154951
164951
174852
184753
194654
204555
214456
224456
234258
244258
254258
264258
274060
284060
294060
303961
313961

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Freeport gets around 2.9 in of rain and snow over 8.8 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 28% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1270
2270
3260
4260
5260
6260
7260
8260
9270
10270
11270
12270
13270
14280
15280
16280
17290
18290
19290
20290
21291
22291
23291
24291
25291
26292
27292
28292
29292
30282
31282

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 91% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1791173
2821062
3821062
484952
584952
685852
785852
887742
988741
1088741
1190631
1290631
1390631
1491531
1592521
1693520
1793520
1893520
1993520
2094420
2195410
2295410
2395410
2495410
2595410
2695410
2795410
2896310
2996310
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 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
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light 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 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 6:01 AM to 6:37 AM, and sunset from 5:34 PM to 4:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:015:34
211.56:025:32
311.56:035:30
411.46:045:29
511.46:065:27
611.36:075:25
711.36:085:23
811.26:095:22
911.26:105:20
1011.16:115:18
1111.16:135:17
1211.06:145:15
1311.06:155:13
1410.96:165:12
1510.96:175:10
1610.86:195:08
1710.86:205:07
1810.76:215:05
1910.76:225:04
2010.66:235:02
2110.66:255:01
2210.66:264:59
2310.56:274:58
2410.56:284:56
2510.46:304:55
2610.46:314:54
2710.36:324:52
2810.36:334:51
2910.26:354:50
3010.26:364:48
3110.26:374:47

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.05 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.66 kWh/m² to a high of 6.32 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.05 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.8Moderate
23.7Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.6Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.5Moderate
73.5Moderate
83.5Moderate
93.4Moderate
103.4Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.3Moderate
133.2Moderate
143.2Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.0Moderate
183.0Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Freeport?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.1
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Freeport for sightseeing.

What to pack for Freeport in October

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

In October, Freeport sees daytime highs around 60°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 Freeport 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 Freeport 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 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 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Freeport 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 Freeport is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1915 µg/m³Oct 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Freeport?

Freeport sits at 42.3°N, 89.6°W, 778 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Rockford, 27 mi away.

Topography around Freeport

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Freeport has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 177 ft around an average of 797 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 472 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 853 ft.

The land around Freeport is covered by trees (33%), grassland (24%) and cropland (21%) within 2 miles, cropland (75%) within 10 miles, and cropland (67%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
177 ft
10 miles
472 ft
50 miles
853 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Rockford 27 mi · Loves Park 29 mi · Machesney Park 30 mi · Dixon 32 mi · Beloit 34 mi · Sterling 35 mi · Belvidere 40 mi · Janesville 40 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 Freeport (42.2967°, -89.6212°, elevation 778 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).