Grand Canyon weather in October

In October, Grand Canyon sees average daytime highs of 69°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 0.8 in of precipitation across 3.5 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 75°F in the first days to 64°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Grand Canyon's 3rd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Grand Canyon's year-round climate.

Daytime high
69°
6th warmest
Overnight low
44°
7th coldest
Precipitation
0.8 in
3.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:42 AM – 5:46 PM
Cloud cover
28%
3rd clearest
Wind
5 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.82 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.0
out of 10

Grand Canyon is human settlement in Coconino County, Arizona, United States of America.

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 75°F in the first days to 64°F by the end.

A typical October day in Grand Canyon reaches about 69°F in the afternoon and slips back to 44°F overnight — a 25°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 58°F and 79°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 12°F cooler than September and about 13°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17650
27549
37549
47449
57448
67448
77347
87347
97247
107246
117146
127145
137145
147045
157044
166944
176944
186943
196843
206842
216742
226742
236641
246641
256541
266540
276540
286440
296439
306339
316338

How October really feels in Grand Canyon

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

October sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Grand Canyon weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan46° / 25°1.45.33.49.81.3
Feb50° / 29°1.56.53.810.62.5
Mar58° / 34°1.15.21.911.75.0
Apr65° / 40°0.84.11.212.97.1
May76° / 49°0.42.20.113.98.5
Jun87° / 58°0.10.9014.46.2
Jul90° / 65°0.85.5014.24.4
Aug88° / 63°0.85.1013.45.2
Sep81° / 56°0.83.9012.27.7
Oct69° / 44°0.83.50.311.18.0
Nov57° / 33°0.83.61.210.14.9
Dec46° / 26°1.25.33.69.61.4

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% 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 18%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18713
28713
38713
48713
58515
68515
78515
88515
98515
108515
118515
128515
138515
148515
158416
168317
178317
188218
198119
208020
217921
227921
237822
247723
257723
267723
277723
287723
297723
307723
317723

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Grand Canyon gets around 0.8 in of rain and snow over 3.5 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 11% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14101
15101
16101
17101
18101
19111
20111
21111
22111
23121
24121
25121
26121
27121
28122
29112
30112
31112

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

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 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 66 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:28 AM to 6:56 AM, and sunset from 6:07 PM to 5:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:286:07
211.66:296:05
311.66:306:04
411.56:316:02
511.56:326:01
611.46:335:59
711.46:345:58
811.46:345:57
911.36:355:55
1011.36:365:54
1111.36:375:52
1211.26:385:51
1311.26:395:50
1411.16:405:48
1511.16:415:47
1611.16:425:46
1711.06:435:44
1811.06:435:43
1911.06:445:42
2010.96:455:41
2110.96:465:39
2210.86:475:38
2310.86:485:37
2410.86:495:36
2510.76:505:35
2610.76:515:33
2710.76:525:32
2810.66:535:31
2910.66:545:30
3010.66:555:29
3110.56:565:28

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.82 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.96 kWh/m² to a high of 8.54 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 4.82 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
154.9Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.7Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.2Bright
304.2Bright
314.1Bright
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Grand Canyon?

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

8.0
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is one of the better times to visit Grand Canyon for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Grand Canyon in October

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

In October, Grand Canyon sees daytime highs around 69°F and nights near 44°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

UV index in Grand Canyon in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Grand Canyon peaks around July 17 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJul 17UV 12Dec 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr6High
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Grand Canyon?

Grand Canyon sits at 36.1°N, 112.1°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Flagstaff, 65 mi away.

Topography around Grand Canyon

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Grand Canyon has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,527 ft around an average of 6,434 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,873 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,550 ft.

The land around Grand Canyon is covered by trees (71%) within 2 miles, trees (45%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and grassland (42%), trees (23%) and bare terrain (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
3,527 ft
10 miles
5,873 ft
50 miles
8,550 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Flagstaff 65 mi · Sedona 85 mi · Prescott Valley 100 mi · Hurricane 100 mi · Prescott 106 mi · Washington 106 mi · Saint George 108 mi · Mesquite 119 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 Grand Canyon (36.0544°, -112.1393°, elevation 0 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).