Harrisonburg weather in October

In October, Harrisonburg sees average daytime highs of 65°F and overnight lows near 45°F, with 2.8 in of precipitation across 6.9 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 70°F in the first days to 60°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% 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 Harrisonburg's 1st-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Harrisonburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
65°
6th warmest
Overnight low
45°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.8 in
6.9 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:31 AM – 5:30 PM
Cloud cover
51%
1st clearest
Wind
5 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
3.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Harrisonburg is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
1,161/km²
people per km²
Founded
1779

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 70°F in the first days to 60°F by the end.

A typical October day in Harrisonburg reaches about 65°F in the afternoon and slips back to 45°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 53°F and 76°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 11°F cooler than September and about 11°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17151
27050
37050
46950
56949
66949
76848
86848
96847
106747
116747
126746
136646
146645
156545
166544
176544
186444
196443
206443
216343
226342
236242
246242
256241
266141
276140
286140
296040
306039
316039

How October really feels in Harrisonburg

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.

Harrisonburg weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan42° / 25°2.77.83.29.60.2
Feb45° / 26°2.47.8310.51.0
Mar53° / 33°3.310.12.411.73.1
Apr64° / 43°3.1100.4135.6
May72° / 52°3.512.1014.16.3
Jun80° / 61°2.810.9014.66.3
Jul84° / 65°3.111014.45.5
Aug82° / 64°2.39.5013.56.1
Sep76° / 57°3.68.4012.37.1
Oct65° / 45°2.86.90.2116.3
Nov54° / 35°2.67.20.59.93.5
Dec45° / 29°2.98.22.19.41.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in October, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25545
35545
45644
55644
65644
75743
85743
95743
105743
115743
125743
135743
145743
155743
165644
175644
185644
195644
205644
215644
225545
235545
245545
255545
265545
275545
285545
295545
305644
315644

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Harrisonburg gets around 2.8 in of rain and snow over 6.9 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 23% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
125
225
324
423
523
623
722
822
922
1022
1123
1223
1323
1423
1524
1624
1724
1824
1924
2024
2124
2224
2324
2423
2523
2623
2723
2823
2923
3023
3123

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 83% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
16321124
26421114
36620104
4681994
5691984
6711874
7731764
8741763
9761653
10771553
11791443
12801442
13821332
14831232
15841132
16871021
17871021
1888921
1989821
2090820
2191720
2292710
2393610
2493610
2594510
2694510
2794510
2895410
2995410
3095410
3195410

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 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 6:16 AM to 6:47 AM, and sunset from 5:53 PM to 5:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:165:53
211.66:175:51
311.56:185:49
411.56:195:48
511.46:205:46
611.46:215:45
711.46:225:43
811.36:235:42
911.36:245:40
1011.26:255:39
1111.26:265:37
1211.16:275:36
1311.16:285:34
1411.16:295:33
1511.06:305:31
1611.06:315:30
1710.96:325:29
1810.96:335:27
1910.96:345:26
2010.86:355:24
2110.86:365:23
2210.76:375:22
2310.76:385:21
2410.76:395:19
2510.66:405:18
2610.66:425:17
2710.66:435:16
2810.56:445:14
2910.56:455:13
3010.46:465:12
3110.46:475:11

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.06 kWh/m² to a high of 6.15 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.46 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.7Moderate
83.7Moderate
93.7Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.6Moderate
133.5Moderate
143.5Moderate
153.5Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.4Moderate
183.4Moderate
193.4Moderate
203.3Moderate
213.3Moderate
223.3Moderate
233.2Moderate
243.2Moderate
253.1Moderate
263.1Moderate
273.1Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Harrisonburg?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
2.4
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Harrisonburg for sightseeing.

What to pack for Harrisonburg in October

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

In October, Harrisonburg sees daytime highs around 65°F and nights near 45°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Harrisonburg 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 Harrisonburg peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Harrisonburg 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 Harrisonburg is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 187 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr14Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Harrisonburg?

Harrisonburg sits at 38.4°N, 78.9°W, 1,325 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Staunton, 24 mi away.

Topography around Harrisonburg

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Harrisonburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 453 ft around an average of 1,388 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,241 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,701 ft.

The land around Harrisonburg is covered by artificial surfaces (36%), trees (32%) and grassland (24%) within 2 miles, trees (38%) and grassland (38%) within 10 miles, and trees (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
453 ft
10 miles
2,241 ft
50 miles
4,701 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
October weather nearby: Staunton 24 mi · Waynesboro 26 mi · Charlottesville 36 mi · Culpeper 47 mi · Front Royal 48 mi · Winchester 63 mi · Linton Hall 73 mi · Lynchburg 73 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 Harrisonburg (38.4496°, -78.8689°, elevation 1,325 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).