Ithaca weather in October

In October, Ithaca sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 43°F, with 4.1 in of precipitation across 13.1 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 64°F in the first days to 53°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Ithaca's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ithaca's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
6th warmest
Overnight low
43°
7th coldest
Precipitation
4.1 in
13.1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:26 AM – 5:16 PM
Cloud cover
64%
5th clearest
Wind
7 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.7 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Ithaca is city in Tompkins County, New York, USA, enclosed by the town of the same name.

Density
1,958/km²
people per km²
Founded
1888

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 64°F in the first days to 53°F by the end.

A typical October day in Ithaca reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 43°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 47°F and 70°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 12°F cooler than September and about 12°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16448
26448
36447
46347
56347
66246
76246
86246
96145
106145
116044
126044
135944
145944
155843
165843
175842
185742
195742
205642
215641
225541
235541
245540
255440
265440
275339
285339
295339
305238
315238

How October really feels in Ithaca

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.

Ithaca weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 18°2.81210.89.20.0
Feb33° / 19°2.510.48.410.30.0
Mar42° / 26°3.512.37.111.60.4
Apr55° / 37°3.913.32.613.13.2
May66° / 48°3.613.20.114.45.6
Jun75° / 57°3.911.70156.5
Jul79° / 62°3.812.4014.86.3
Aug77° / 60°3.411.3013.76.7
Sep70° / 53°3.810.4012.36.4
Oct58° / 43°4.113.10.510.84.0
Nov46° / 33°3.312.24.19.61.2
Dec36° / 25°3.412.59.18.90.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34654
44654
54654
64654
74555
84555
94357
104258
114258
124159
134060
144060
153961
163961
173862
183763
193763
203664
213664
223565
233565
243565
253466
263466
273466
283466
293466
303565
313466

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Ithaca gets around 4.1 in of rain and snow over 13.1 wet days in October, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 42% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1410
2410
3410
4400
5400
6400
7400
8400
9401
10401
11411
12411
13411
14421
15421
16431
17431
18441
19442
20452
21452
22452
23452
24453
25443
26443
27433
28434
29424
30414
31415

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 91% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1771481
2771481
3791371
4801271
5811261
6831160
7841150
8851050
987940
1087940
1188840
1290730
1391630
1491630
1593520
1693520
1794420
1895410
1995410
2095410
2195410
2296310
2396310
2497300
2597300
2697300
2797300
2897300
2998200
3098200
3198200

Wind in October

Winds average 7 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237light breeze
247light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 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 78 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:09 AM to 6:45 AM, and sunset from 5:41 PM to 4:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:095:41
211.56:105:40
311.46:115:38
411.46:125:36
511.46:135:34
611.36:145:33
711.36:165:31
811.26:175:29
911.26:185:27
1011.16:195:26
1111.16:205:24
1211.06:215:22
1311.06:235:21
1410.96:245:19
1510.96:255:17
1610.86:265:16
1710.86:275:14
1810.76:295:13
1910.76:305:11
2010.66:315:10
2110.66:325:08
2210.56:345:07
2310.56:355:05
2410.56:365:04
2510.46:375:02
2610.46:395:01
2710.36:404:59
2810.36:414:58
2910.26:424:57
3010.26:444:55
3110.26:454:54

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.7 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.31 kWh/m² to a high of 5.99 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 2.7 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.2Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.1Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.0Moderate
112.9Moderate
122.9Moderate
132.8Moderate
142.8Moderate
152.7Moderate
162.7Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Ithaca?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.5
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Ithaca for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ithaca in October

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

In October, Ithaca sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 43°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Ithaca 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 Ithaca peaks around July 11 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 11UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Ithaca?

Ithaca sits at 42.4°N, 76.5°W, 410 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Cortland, 19 mi away.

Topography around Ithaca

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Ithaca has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 919 ft around an average of 686 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,772 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,060 ft.

The land around Ithaca is covered by trees (59%) within 2 miles, trees (65%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (66%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
919 ft
10 miles
1,772 ft
50 miles
2,060 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Cortland 19 mi · Elmira 29 mi · Vestal 34 mi · Auburn 34 mi · Binghamton 38 mi · Syracuse 45 mi · Clay 54 mi · Cicero 54 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 Ithaca (42.4406°, -76.4966°, elevation 410 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).