Indianola weather in October

In October, Indianola sees average daytime highs of 63°F and overnight lows near 43°F, with 2.8 in of precipitation across 7.8 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 69°F in the first days to 56°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Indianola's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Indianola's year-round climate.

Daytime high
63°
6th warmest
Overnight low
43°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.8 in
7.8 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:33 AM – 5:25 PM
Cloud cover
51%
4th clearest
Wind
10 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
3.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

Indianola is city in Warren County, Iowa, United States.

Density
531/km²
people per km²
Founded
1849

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 69°F in the first days to 56°F by the end.

A typical October day in Indianola reaches about 63°F in the afternoon and slips back to 43°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 49°F and 77°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)
17049
27049
36948
46948
56848
66847
76747
86746
96646
106646
116545
126545
136444
146444
156444
166343
176243
186243
196242
206142
216141
226041
236041
245940
255940
265839
275839
285738
295638
305638
315537

How October really feels in Indianola

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.

Indianola 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
Jan31° / 15°1.26.14.49.40.0
Feb35° / 19°1.66.64.610.30.0
Mar49° / 30°2.792.511.72.0
Apr61° / 41°4.311.2113.14.9
May71° / 53°5.313.20.114.36.1
Jun81° / 63°4.911.6014.96.1
Jul84° / 67°3.89.8014.75.6
Aug83° / 64°3.59.4013.76.4
Sep76° / 55°3.68.3012.37.2
Oct63° / 43°2.87.80.310.95.8
Nov48° / 31°2.16.81.49.72.0
Dec36° / 20°1.663.79.10.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 45%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26337
36337
46337
56238
66139
76040
86040
95941
105842
115842
125743
135644
145644
155545
165545
175446
185347
195347
205248
215248
225149
235149
245050
255050
265050
275050
285050
295050
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Indianola gets around 2.8 in of rain and snow over 7.8 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 25% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1250
2250
3250
4250
5250
6250
7250
8250
9260
10260
11250
12250
13250
14250
15250
16251
17251
18251
19251
20251
21251
22251
23252
24252
25252
26242
27242
28243
29243
30243
31233

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 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1761464
2771364
3791353
4801253
5811153
6821143
7831043
8831043
985942
1087832
1187832
1288732
1389731
1490631
1590631
1690631
1791531
1892530
1992530
2092530
2192530
2292530
2393430
2494420
2594420
2694420
2794420
2894420
2994420
3096310
3196310

Wind in October

Winds average 10 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light 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 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 84 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:16 AM to 6:51 AM, and sunset from 5:50 PM to 5:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:165:50
211.56:175:48
311.56:195:47
411.46:205:45
511.46:215:43
611.36:225:42
711.36:235:40
811.26:245:38
911.26:255:37
1011.16:265:35
1111.16:275:33
1211.16:295:32
1311.06:305:30
1411.06:315:28
1510.96:325:27
1610.96:335:25
1710.86:345:24
1810.86:355:22
1910.76:375:21
2010.76:385:19
2110.66:395:18
2210.66:405:16
2310.66:415:15
2410.56:435:14
2510.56:445:12
2610.46:455:11
2710.46:465:10
2810.36:475:08
2910.36:495:07
3010.36:505:06
3110.26:515:05

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.26 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.84 kWh/m² to a high of 6.47 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 3.26 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.7Moderate
83.7Moderate
93.6Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.5Moderate
123.5Moderate
133.4Moderate
143.4Moderate
153.3Moderate
163.3Moderate
173.2Moderate
183.2Moderate
193.1Moderate
203.1Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Indianola?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.8
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Indianola for sightseeing.

What to pack for Indianola in October

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

In October, Indianola sees daytime highs around 63°F and nights near 43°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Indianola 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 Indianola peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 20UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

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

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1915 µg/m³Oct 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr10Good
May11Good
Jun12Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Indianola?

Indianola sits at 41.4°N, 93.6°W, 968 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Des Moines, 17 mi away.

Topography around Indianola

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Indianola has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 ft around an average of 912 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 305 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 741 ft.

The land around Indianola is covered by grassland (34%), trees (25%) and cropland (24%) within 2 miles, cropland (43%), grassland (30%) and trees (25%) within 10 miles, and cropland (53%) and grassland (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
190 ft
10 miles
305 ft
50 miles
741 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Des Moines 17 mi · West Des Moines 17 mi · Clive 19 mi · Urbandale 21 mi · Altoona 21 mi · Johnston 23 mi · Waukee 24 mi · Ankeny 26 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 Indianola (41.358°, -93.5574°, elevation 968 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).