Hillsborough weather in October

In October, Hillsborough sees average daytime highs of 65°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 3.7 in of precipitation across 8.6 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 70°F in the first days to 59°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% 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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Hillsborough's 1st-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hillsborough's year-round climate.

Daytime high
65°
6th warmest
Overnight low
47°
7th coldest
Precipitation
3.7 in
8.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:16 AM – 5:11 PM
Cloud cover
54%
1st clearest
Wind
7 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
3.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

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 59°F by the end.

A typical October day in Hillsborough reaches about 65°F in the afternoon and slips back to 47°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 75°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 12°F cooler than September and about 12°F warmer than November.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17153
27053
37052
46952
56952
66951
76851
86851
96750
106750
116749
126649
136649
146548
156548
166547
176447
186447
196346
206346
216246
226245
236245
246145
256144
266044
276044
286043
295943
305943
315942

How October really feels in Hillsborough

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.

Hillsborough 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
Jan39° / 25°3.39.14.39.40.0
Feb42° / 26°3.093.710.40.3
Mar50° / 33°4.210.63.311.72.2
Apr62° / 43°3.710.70.4135.0
May71° / 53°3.611.7014.26.3
Jun81° / 62°4.311.5014.86.0
Jul85° / 68°4.211.3014.65.0
Aug83° / 66°4.010.4013.65.8
Sep76° / 59°4.19.2012.36.9
Oct65° / 47°3.78.60.110.96.0
Nov53° / 38°3.07.90.59.73.2
Dec44° / 30°4.09.62.69.20.6

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in October, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35347
45446
55446
65545
75545
85545
95545
105545
115545
125545
135545
145545
155545
165446
175446
185347
195347
205248
215248
225149
235149
245149
255149
265149
275149
285149
295050
305050
315149

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Hillsborough gets around 3.7 in of rain and snow over 8.6 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 28% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
230
330
429
529
629
729
829
929
1029
1129
1229
1329
1429
1529
1629
1729
1829
1929
2028
2128
2228
2328
2427
2527
2627
2726
2826
2926
3025
3125

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 81% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
163151381
264151281
365151271
466151171
569141061
670141051
77114951
87214941
97413841
107513831
117613731
127812721
137912621
147912621
158211520
168311510
178510410
188510410
19869410
20869410
21878410
22878410
23888310
24897310
25897310
26897310
27897310
28907210
29907210
30907210
31907210

Wind in October

Winds average 7 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 18 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 6:00 AM to 6:34 AM, and sunset from 5:35 PM to 4:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:005:35
211.56:015:33
311.56:025:31
411.46:035:30
511.46:045:28
611.36:055:26
711.36:075:25
811.36:085:23
911.26:095:22
1011.26:105:20
1111.16:115:18
1211.16:125:17
1311.06:135:15
1411.06:145:14
1510.96:155:12
1610.96:165:11
1710.96:185:09
1810.86:195:08
1910.86:205:06
2010.76:215:05
2110.76:225:03
2210.66:235:02
2310.66:245:01
2410.66:254:59
2510.56:274:58
2610.56:284:57
2710.46:294:55
2810.46:304:54
2910.46:314:53
3010.36:324:52
3110.36:344:50

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.13 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.77 kWh/m² to a high of 5.99 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.13 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.5Moderate
63.5Moderate
73.4Moderate
83.4Moderate
93.4Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.3Moderate
133.2Moderate
143.2Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.1Moderate
183.1Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Hillsborough

In seasonPeak

In October, Hillsborough sits inside its atlantic hurricane season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Hillsborough sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is October a good time to visit Hillsborough?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
2.2
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Hillsborough for sightseeing.

What to pack for Hillsborough in October

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

In October, Hillsborough sees daytime highs around 65°F and nights near 47°F. Worth packing: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near Hillsborough in October

The nearest coast averages about 64°F in October — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 40 mi away) is warmest in August at about 74°F and coldest in February near 40°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 30 to Sep 27 — about 3 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan43Bracing
Feb40Bracing
Mar41Bracing
Apr46Bracing
May55Bracing
Jun65Cool
Jul72Refreshing
Aug74Refreshing
Sep71Refreshing
Oct64Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec49Bracing

UV index in Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough peaks around July 11 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 11UV 8Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (November, 9 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1518 µg/m³Nov 149 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Hillsborough?

Hillsborough sits at 40.5°N, 74.6°W, 85 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Somerset, 7.5 mi away.

Topography around Hillsborough

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Hillsborough has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 161 ft around an average of 105 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 673 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,962 ft.

The land around Hillsborough is covered by trees (56%) and grassland (29%) within 2 miles, trees (64%) and grassland (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (61%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
161 ft
10 miles
673 ft
50 miles
1,962 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Somerset 7.5 mi · North Brunswick 8.1 mi · Bridgewater 8.7 mi · Princeton 9.3 mi · New Brunswick 9.3 mi · Warren Township 11 mi · East Brunswick 12 mi · Edison 12 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 Hillsborough (40.4776°, -74.6268°, elevation 85 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).