Kearney weather in October

In October, Kearney sees average daytime highs of 64°F and overnight lows near 41°F, with 2.4 in of precipitation across 6.7 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 70°F in the first days to 57°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% 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 Kearney's 3rd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kearney's year-round climate.

Daytime high
64°
6th warmest
Overnight low
41°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.4 in
6.7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:54 AM – 5:48 PM
Cloud cover
42%
3rd clearest
Wind
10 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
3.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Kearney is city in and county seat of Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States.

Density
896/km²
people per km²

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 57°F by the end.

A typical October day in Kearney reaches about 64°F in the afternoon and slips back to 41°F overnight — a 23°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 48°F and 78°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 13°F cooler than September and about 14°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17147
27147
37046
47046
56946
66945
76945
86844
96744
106743
116743
126642
136642
146542
156541
166441
176440
186340
196340
206239
216239
226138
236138
246037
256037
265937
275836
285836
295735
305735
315634

How October really feels in Kearney

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 10 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
10
wind chill below the day's low

The story in October is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Kearney 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
Jan36° / 17°0.73.83.69.40.0
Feb40° / 20°0.84.43.710.40.2
Mar51° / 29°1.96.92.711.72.8
Apr61° / 38°3.39.51.413.15.2
May71° / 50°4.712.30.114.26.3
Jun82° / 61°3.510.1014.96.2
Jul87° / 65°2.79014.65.2
Aug84° / 63°3.29.3013.65.8
Sep77° / 54°2.16.2012.37.6
Oct64° / 41°2.46.70.910.96.3
Nov50° / 29°1.24.229.72.7
Dec38° / 19°1.03.93.49.10.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27030
36931
46931
56931
66832
76832
86832
96832
106832
116931
126931
136931
146931
156931
166931
176931
186931
196832
206832
216733
226733
236634
246535
256436
266436
276337
286436
296337
306337
316337

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Kearney gets around 2.4 in of rain and snow over 6.7 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 21% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1230
2231
3231
4231
5241
6241
7241
8241
9241
10241
11231
12231
13232
14222
15222
16212
17212
18202
19203
20193
21193
22193
23194
24194
25185
26185
27185
28185
29176
30176
31166

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
18794
28893
38983
49082
59082
69172
79271
89271
99271
109361
119361
129451
139451
149550
159640
169640
179640
189730
199730
209730
219730
229730
239820
249820
259820
269820
279820
289820
299820
309910
319910

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 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 6:38 AM to 7:12 AM, and sunset from 6:12 PM to 5:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:386:12
211.56:396:11
311.56:406:09
411.46:416:07
511.46:426:06
611.36:436:04
711.36:456:02
811.36:466:01
911.26:475:59
1011.26:485:58
1111.16:495:56
1211.16:505:54
1311.06:515:53
1411.06:525:51
1510.96:535:50
1610.96:545:48
1710.96:565:47
1810.86:575:45
1910.86:585:44
2010.76:595:42
2110.77:005:41
2210.67:015:40
2310.67:025:38
2410.67:045:37
2510.57:055:35
2610.57:065:34
2710.47:075:33
2810.47:085:32
2910.37:105:30
3010.37:115:29
3110.37:125:28

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.56 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.14 kWh/m² to a high of 6.84 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.56 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.2Bright
34.2Bright
44.1Bright
54.1Bright
64.0Bright
74.0Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.7Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.6Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.4Moderate
213.4Moderate
223.4Moderate
233.3Moderate
243.3Moderate
253.2Moderate
263.2Moderate
273.1Moderate
283.1Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Kearney

In seasonPeak

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

Kearney's rainy season runs April–August, 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 Kearney?

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
2.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Kearney for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kearney in October

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

In October, Kearney sees daytime highs around 64°F and nights near 41°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Kearney 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 Kearney peaks around July 16 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 highHighModerateJul 16UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Kearney?

Kearney sits at 40.7°N, 99.1°W, 2,152 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Hastings, 37 mi away.

Topography around Kearney

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Kearney has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 151 ft around an average of 2,172 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 312 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,171 ft.

The land around Kearney is covered by artificial surfaces (38%) and cropland (22%) within 2 miles, cropland (61%) and grassland (29%) within 10 miles, and cropland (59%) and grassland (38%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
151 ft
10 miles
312 ft
50 miles
1,171 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Hastings 37 mi · Grand Island 42 mi · North Platte 93 mi · Columbus 103 mi · Norfolk 126 mi · Hays 126 mi · Lincoln 127 mi · Fremont 144 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 Kearney (40.6995°, -99.0815°, elevation 2,152 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).