Lansing weather in October

In October, Lansing sees average daytime highs of 60°F and overnight lows near 43°F, with 3.0 in of precipitation across 10 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 65°F in the first days to 53°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Lansing's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lansing's year-round climate.

Daytime high
60°
6th warmest
Overnight low
43°
7th coldest
Precipitation
3.0 in
10 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:59 AM – 5:48 PM
Cloud cover
63%
5th clearest
Wind
8 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.83 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.7
out of 10

Lansing is capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan, located in Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton counties.

Density
1,094/km²
people per km²
Founded
1835

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 65°F in the first days to 53°F by the end.

A typical October day in Lansing reaches about 60°F in the afternoon and slips back to 43°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 48°F and 72°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)
16648
26647
36547
46547
56546
66446
76446
86445
96345
106345
116244
126244
136144
146143
156043
166043
175942
185942
195842
205842
215741
225741
235641
245640
255540
265540
275439
285439
295339
305338
315338

How October really feels in Lansing

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 1 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
1
wind chill below the day's low

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

Lansing 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
Jan31° / 18°2.4107.99.20.0
Feb34° / 19°2.07.76.210.30.0
Mar44° / 28°2.49.73.811.61.0
Apr57° / 39°3.711.71.713.13.8
May68° / 49°4.012.2014.46.0
Jun78° / 59°3.711.1015.16.5
Jul81° / 63°3.110.6014.86.4
Aug79° / 61°3.310.2013.76.7
Sep72° / 54°2.89.1012.36.8
Oct60° / 43°3.0100.210.84.7
Nov46° / 33°2.69.22.19.61.3
Dec35° / 24°2.29.36.28.90.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 60%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34852
44951
54951
64852
74852
84852
94753
104753
114753
124654
134555
144357
154258
164159
174060
183961
193862
203763
213565
223466
233367
243367
253367
263169
273268
283169
293268
303169
313169

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Lansing gets around 3.0 in of rain and snow over 10 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 32% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1340
2340
3340
4330
5330
6320
7320
8320
9310
10310
11310
12310
13300
14300
15310
16311
17311
18321
19321
20331
21331
22331
23331
24331
25331
26331
27331
28331
29322
30322
31312

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 (%)
1821152
2831052
3831052
484952
585951
687841
787841
888741
988741
1088741
1190631
1290631
1391531
1492521
1592521
1693520
1793520
1894420
1995410
2095410
2195410
2295410
2395410
2495410
2595410
2695410
2795410
2896310
2996310
3096310
3196310

Wind in October

Winds average 8 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 10 h 06 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 6:41 AM to 7:18 AM, and sunset from 6:13 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:416:13
211.56:426:12
311.46:436:10
411.46:446:08
511.36:466:06
611.36:476:05
711.26:486:03
811.26:496:01
911.16:505:59
1011.16:525:58
1111.16:535:56
1211.06:545:54
1311.06:555:53
1410.96:565:51
1510.96:585:49
1610.86:595:48
1710.87:005:46
1810.77:015:44
1910.77:035:43
2010.67:045:41
2110.67:055:40
2210.57:065:38
2310.57:085:37
2410.47:095:35
2510.47:105:34
2610.47:115:33
2710.37:135:31
2810.37:145:30
2910.27:155:28
3010.27:165:27
3110.17:185:26

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.83 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.37 kWh/m² to a high of 6.31 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 2.83 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Lansing?

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

4.7
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.8
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Lansing for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lansing in October

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

In October, Lansing sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 43°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Lansing 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 Lansing 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 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Lansing?

Lansing sits at 42.7°N, 84.6°W, 853 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Waverly, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Lansing

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lansing has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 148 ft around an average of 860 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 266 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 702 ft.

The land around Lansing is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and trees (37%) within 2 miles, trees (45%), cropland (21%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (43%) and cropland (41%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
148 ft
10 miles
266 ft
50 miles
702 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Waverly 3.1 mi · East Lansing 3.7 mi · Okemos 6.8 mi · Holt 6.8 mi · Haslett 8.1 mi · Jackson 35 mi · Battle Creek 43 mi · Flint 48 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 Lansing (42.7325°, -84.5555°, elevation 853 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).