Lincoln weather in October

In October, Lincoln sees average daytime highs of 65°F and overnight lows near 43°F, with 2.5 in of precipitation across 7.3 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 71°F in the first days to 58°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% 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 Lincoln's 4th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lincoln's year-round climate.

Daytime high
65°
6th warmest
Overnight low
43°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.5 in
7.3 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:45 AM – 5:38 PM
Cloud cover
45%
4th clearest
Wind
10 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
3.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Lincoln is capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and seat of Lancaster County.

Density
1,149/km²
people per km²
Founded
1856

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 71°F in the first days to 58°F by the end.

A typical October day in Lincoln reaches about 65°F in the afternoon and slips back to 43°F overnight — a 22°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 50°F and 79°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)
17250
27249
37149
47148
57148
67047
76947
86947
96946
106846
116846
126745
136745
146644
156644
166544
176543
186443
196442
206342
216342
226241
236241
246140
256140
266039
276039
285938
295838
305837
315737

How October really feels in Lincoln

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 5 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
5
wind chill below the day's low

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

Lincoln 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
Jan35° / 17°1.04.849.40.0
Feb39° / 20°1.25.13.410.40.1
Mar52° / 31°2.17.42.211.72.8
Apr63° / 41°3.610.21.113.15.4
May73° / 53°5.1120.114.26.4
Jun83° / 64°4.211014.95.7
Jul87° / 68°3.59.5014.64.8
Aug85° / 65°3.19.1013.65.6
Sep78° / 56°2.87.9012.37.2
Oct65° / 43°2.57.30.510.96.4
Nov51° / 31°1.65.11.59.72.8
Dec38° / 21°1.34.73.59.10.1

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 38%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16634
26634
36733
46634
56634
66535
76436
86436
96436
106337
116337
126337
136337
146337
156337
166337
176238
186238
196238
206238
216040
226040
236040
245941
255941
265842
275842
285842
295842
305842
315842

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Lincoln gets around 2.5 in of rain and snow over 7.3 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 23% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1250
2250
3250
4250
5260
6260
7261
8261
9261
10261
11261
12251
13251
14241
15241
16241
17232
18232
19222
20222
21212
22212
23202
24203
25203
26193
27193
28193
29183
30173
31173

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 (%)
1811162
2811162
3831052
4831052
586941
686941
786941
888831
988831
1088831
1190730
1290730
1392620
1492620
1592620
1692620
1793610
1894510
1994510
2094510
2194510
2294510
2394510
2494510
2595410
2695410
2795410
2896400
2997300
3097300
3197300

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 6:29 AM to 7:02 AM, and sunset from 6:03 PM to 5:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:296:03
211.56:306:01
311.56:315:59
411.46:325:58
511.46:335:56
611.36:345:54
711.36:355:53
811.36:365:51
911.26:375:49
1011.26:385:48
1111.16:395:46
1211.16:405:45
1311.06:425:43
1411.06:435:42
1510.96:445:40
1610.96:455:38
1710.86:465:37
1810.86:475:35
1910.86:485:34
2010.76:505:33
2110.76:515:31
2210.66:525:30
2310.66:535:28
2410.56:545:27
2510.56:555:26
2610.56:565:24
2710.46:585:23
2810.46:595:22
2910.37:005:20
3010.37:015:19
3110.37:025:18

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.48 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.02 kWh/m² to a high of 6.7 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.48 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.2Bright
34.1Bright
44.0Bright
54.0Bright
64.0Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.7Moderate
123.7Moderate
133.6Moderate
143.6Moderate
153.5Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.4Moderate
193.4Moderate
203.3Moderate
213.3Moderate
223.2Moderate
233.2Moderate
243.2Moderate
253.1Moderate
263.1Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Lincoln

In seasonPeak

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

Lincoln's rainy season runs April–October, 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 Lincoln?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
2.6
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Lincoln for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lincoln in October

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

In October, Lincoln sees daytime highs around 65°F and nights near 43°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Lincoln 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 Lincoln peaks around June 22 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 highHighModerateJun 22UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Lincoln?

Lincoln sits at 40.8°N, 96.7°W, 1,204 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Papillion, 41 mi away.

Topography around Lincoln

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lincoln has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 ft around an average of 1,234 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 387 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 810 ft.

The land around Lincoln is covered by trees (56%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 2 miles, cropland (41%) and grassland (27%) within 10 miles, and cropland (74%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
190 ft
10 miles
387 ft
50 miles
810 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Papillion 41 mi · La Vista 42 mi · Fremont 45 mi · Bellevue 47 mi · Omaha 49 mi · Council Bluffs 53 mi · Columbus 57 mi · Grand Island 88 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 Lincoln (40.8°, -96.667°, elevation 1,204 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).