Great Bend weather in October

In October, Great Bend sees average daytime highs of 69°F and overnight lows near 46°F, with 2.3 in of precipitation across 6 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 74°F in the first days to 63°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Great Bend's 2nd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Great Bend's year-round climate.

Daytime high
69°
6th warmest
Overnight low
46°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.3 in
6 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:51 AM – 5:50 PM
Cloud cover
39%
2nd clearest
Wind
10 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.84 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Great Bend is city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States.

Density
566/km²
people per km²
Founded
1871

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 74°F in the first days to 63°F by the end.

A typical October day in Great Bend reaches about 69°F in the afternoon and slips back to 46°F overnight — a 23°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 55°F and 82°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)
17552
27552
37451
47451
57450
67350
77349
87249
97249
107148
117148
127147
137047
147047
156946
166946
176946
186845
196845
206744
216744
226644
236643
246543
256542
266442
276441
286341
296340
306240
316240

How October really feels in Great Bend

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.

Great Bend 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
Jan43° / 22°0.83.62.69.60.5
Feb47° / 26°1.14.62.510.51.7
Mar57° / 34°2.06.21.511.74.4
Apr66° / 44°2.78.80.6136.4
May76° / 54°4.510.9014.16.7
Jun86° / 65°3.59.3014.65.2
Jul91° / 69°2.88.7014.43.9
Aug89° / 67°3.18.5013.54.6
Sep81° / 59°2.16.5012.37.0
Oct69° / 46°2.360.3117.3
Nov55° / 34°1.34.419.94.3
Dec44° / 25°1.34.42.79.40.9

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27228
37228
47129
57129
67129
77129
87030
97030
107030
117129
127129
137030
147030
157030
167030
176931
186931
196931
206733
216733
226634
236634
246634
256535
266535
276535
286436
296535
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Great Bend gets around 2.3 in of rain and snow over 6 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 18% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1210
2210
3210
4210
5210
6210
7210
8210
9210
10211
11201
12201
13191
14181
15181
16171
17171
18161
19161
20161
21161
22161
23161
24161
25162
26162
27162
28162
29162
30162
31162

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 88% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1751483
2781372
3781372
4801262
5801262
6811252
7831151
8831151
9841141
10851041
11861031
12861031
1387931
1489920
1589920
1690820
1790820
1891810
1991810
2092710
2192710
2293610
2393610
2494510
2594510
2694510
2795410
2895410
2996310
3096310
3196310

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 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 72 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:36 AM to 7:06 AM, and sunset from 6:12 PM to 5:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:366:12
211.66:376:11
311.56:386:09
411.56:396:08
511.46:406:06
611.46:416:04
711.46:426:03
811.36:436:01
911.36:446:00
1011.26:455:58
1111.26:465:57
1211.16:475:55
1311.16:485:54
1411.16:495:52
1511.06:505:51
1611.06:515:50
1710.96:525:48
1810.96:535:47
1910.96:545:46
2010.86:555:44
2110.86:565:43
2210.76:575:42
2310.76:585:40
2410.76:595:39
2510.67:005:38
2610.67:015:37
2710.67:025:35
2810.57:035:34
2910.57:045:33
3010.47:055:32
3110.47:065:31

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.84 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.4 kWh/m² to a high of 6.93 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 3.84 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.4Bright
44.4Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.2Bright
84.2Bright
94.1Bright
104.1Bright
114.1Bright
124.0Bright
134.0Moderate
144.0Moderate
153.9Moderate
163.9Moderate
173.8Moderate
183.8Moderate
193.8Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.6Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.4Moderate
283.4Moderate
293.4Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Great Bend

In seasonPeak

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

Great Bend'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 Great Bend?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is one of the better times to visit Great Bend for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Great Bend in October

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

In October, Great Bend sees daytime highs around 69°F and nights near 46°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Great Bend in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Great Bend peaks around July 14 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highHighModerateJul 14UV 10Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr8Very high
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Great Bend?

Great Bend sits at 38.4°N, 98.8°W, 1,850 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Hays, 47 mi away.

Topography around Great Bend

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Great Bend has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 52 ft around an average of 1,850 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 217 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 978 ft.

The land around Great Bend is covered by cropland (33%), artificial surfaces (27%) and grassland (23%) within 2 miles, cropland (67%) and grassland (23%) within 10 miles, and cropland (58%) and grassland (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
52 ft
10 miles
217 ft
50 miles
978 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Hays 47 mi · Hutchinson 50 mi · Salina 70 mi · Newton 80 mi · Dodge City 80 mi · Wichita 91 mi · Derby 99 mi · Junction City 114 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 Great Bend (38.3645°, -98.7648°, elevation 1,850 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).