Knoxville weather in October

In October, Knoxville sees average daytime highs of 70°F and overnight lows near 50°F, with 2.9 in of rain across 7.8 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 75°F in the first days to 65°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Knoxville's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Knoxville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
70°
6th warmest
Overnight low
50°
7th coldest
Rainfall
2.9 in
7.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:49 AM – 5:53 PM
Cloud cover
48%
1st clearest
Wind
5 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.0
out of 10

Knoxville is city and county seat of Knox County, State of Tennessee, United States.

Density
707/km²
people per km²
Founded
1786

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 75°F in the first days to 65°F by the end.

A typical October day in Knoxville reaches about 70°F in the afternoon and slips back to 50°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 80°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 11°F cooler than September and about 11°F warmer than November.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17656
27555
37555
47555
57454
67454
77453
87353
97353
107352
117252
127251
137151
147151
157150
167050
177049
186949
196949
206948
216848
226847
236847
246747
256747
266746
276646
286646
296545
306545
316544

How October really feels in Knoxville

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.

Knoxville weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan47° / 31°4.410.71.89.81.6
Feb52° / 34°4.310.91.710.62.6
Mar60° / 41°4.912.20.711.74.6
Apr69° / 49°4.310.9012.96.2
May77° / 58°3.711.7013.96.5
Jun84° / 66°3.713.2014.45.2
Jul86° / 70°4.714.8014.24.4
Aug86° / 68°3.411.4013.44.9
Sep81° / 62°3.58.3012.26.7
Oct70° / 50°2.97.8011.17.0
Nov59° / 40°3.88.90.210.14.7
Dec50° / 35°4.610.619.62.3

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in October, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26436
36436
46436
56436
66436
76436
86337
96337
106238
116238
126139
136139
146139
156139
166040
176040
186040
196040
206040
216040
226040
235941
245941
255842
265842
275743
285743
295644
305644
315545

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Knoxville gets around 2.9 in of rain over 7.8 wet days in October, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 26% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
225
325
425
525
625
725
826
926
1026
1126
1226
1326
1426
1526
1626
1726
1826
1926
2026
2126
2226
2326
2426
2526
2627
2727
2828
2928
3029
3129

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 66% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1432423101
245242291
346242081
448241981
550241871
650251771
752251661
854251551
956241451
1058241341
1159241241
1261231231
1362231131
1465221021
156622921
166821920
176921820
187220710
197320610
207419610
217618510
227618510
237717510
247717510
257816510
267915510
278014510
288014510
298113510
308212510
318311510

Wind in October

Winds average 5 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
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 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 66 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:35 AM to 7:03 AM, and sunset from 6:14 PM to 5:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:356:14
211.66:366:12
311.66:376:11
411.56:386:09
511.56:396:08
611.46:406:07
711.46:416:05
811.46:416:04
911.36:426:02
1011.36:436:01
1111.36:446:00
1211.26:455:58
1311.26:465:57
1411.16:475:55
1511.16:485:54
1611.16:495:53
1711.06:505:52
1811.06:505:50
1911.06:515:49
2010.96:525:48
2110.96:535:47
2210.96:545:45
2310.86:555:44
2410.86:565:43
2510.76:575:42
2610.76:585:41
2710.76:595:40
2810.67:005:39
2910.67:015:38
3010.67:025:36
3110.57:035:35

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.68 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.07 kWh/m² to a high of 6.07 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.68 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.1Bright
34.1Bright
44.1Bright
54.1Bright
64.0Bright
74.0Moderate
84.0Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.8Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.7Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.6Moderate
193.6Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.4Moderate
243.4Moderate
253.3Moderate
263.3Moderate
273.3Moderate
283.2Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Knoxville?

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

7.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is one of the better times to visit Knoxville for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Knoxville in October

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

In October, Knoxville sees daytime highs around 70°F and nights near 50°F. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 8 days see rain.

UV index in Knoxville 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 Knoxville peaks around July 12 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Knoxville 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 Knoxville is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1518 µg/m³Dec 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Knoxville?

Knoxville sits at 36.0°N, 83.9°W, 906 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Farragut, 14 mi away.

Topography around Knoxville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Knoxville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 390 ft around an average of 919 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 879 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,974 ft.

The land around Knoxville is covered by artificial surfaces (45%) and trees (39%) within 2 miles, trees (65%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and trees (79%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
390 ft
10 miles
879 ft
50 miles
5,974 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Farragut 14 mi · Maryville 14 mi · Oak Ridge 20 mi · Sevierville 21 mi · Gatlinburg 29 mi · Morristown 39 mi · Greeneville 63 mi · Cleveland 77 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 Knoxville (35.9606°, -83.9207°, elevation 906 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).