Mackinac Island weather in October

In October, Mackinac Island sees average daytime highs of 54°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 3.7 in of precipitation across 13.5 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 60°F in the first days to 48°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% 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 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Mackinac Island's 8th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mackinac Island's year-round climate.

Daytime high
54°
6th warmest
Overnight low
44°
8th coldest
Precipitation
3.7 in
13.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
7:03 AM – 5:44 PM
Cloud cover
69%
8th clearest
Wind
11 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.0
out of 10

Mackinac Island is city located on Mackinac Island in Michigan.

Founded
1671

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 60°F in the first days to 48°F by the end.

A typical October day in Mackinac Island reaches about 54°F in the afternoon and slips back to 44°F overnight — a 10°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 44°F and 64°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 12°F cooler than September and about 12°F warmer than November.

30°40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16050
26049
36049
45949
55948
65848
75848
85847
95747
105747
115646
125646
135546
145545
155445
165444
175344
185344
195243
205243
215143
225142
235142
245042
255041
264941
274941
284940
294840
304840
314839

How October really feels in Mackinac Island

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.

Mackinac Island 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
Jan24° / 14°1.99.910.98.90.0
Feb24° / 13°1.67.47.310.10.0
Mar33° / 21°2.08.46.111.60.0
Apr44° / 32°2.99.73.213.30.9
May56° / 43°2.910.20.314.73.7
Jun68° / 55°3.010015.56.3
Jul74° / 62°3.310.9015.26.9
Aug73° / 62°3.410013.96.9
Sep66° / 55°3.511.4012.35.9
Oct54° / 44°3.713.50.210.73.0
Nov42° / 34°2.611.65.79.30.5
Dec32° / 24°2.311.311.38.50.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 65%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24456
34357
44456
54357
64357
74258
84357
94159
104159
113961
123961
133862
143664
153565
163565
173367
183367
193169
203169
213070
222971
232971
242971
252872
262971
272971
282971
292872
302872
312872

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Mackinac Island gets around 3.7 in of rain and snow over 13.5 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 44% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1400
2400
3400
4400
5400
6400
7400
8410
9420
10420
11430
12430
13440
14440
15450
16450
17460
18460
19470
20470
21471
22471
23471
24461
25461
26452
27452
28443
29443
30434
31424

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 (%)Muggy (%)
1821332
2841222
3851122
4861022
588921
690811
791711
892611
992611
1093511
1193511
1294411
1394411
1495311
1597300
1697300
1798200
1898200
1998200
2098200
2198200
2298200
2398200
2499100
2599100
2699100
2799100
2899100
2999100
30100000
31100000

Wind in October

Winds average 11 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 11 mph on the calmest days to 12 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
111light breeze
211light breeze
311light breeze
411light breeze
511light breeze
611light breeze
711light breeze
811light breeze
911light breeze
1011light breeze
1111light breeze
1211light breeze
1311light breeze
1411light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 96 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:43 AM to 7:25 AM, and sunset from 6:12 PM to 5:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:436:12
211.46:446:10
311.46:456:08
411.36:476:06
511.36:486:04
611.26:506:02
711.26:516:00
811.16:525:59
911.16:545:57
1011.06:555:55
1110.96:565:53
1210.96:585:51
1310.86:595:49
1410.87:005:47
1510.77:025:46
1610.77:035:44
1710.67:055:42
1810.67:065:40
1910.57:075:39
2010.57:095:37
2110.47:105:35
2210.47:125:33
2310.37:135:32
2410.37:155:30
2510.27:165:29
2610.27:175:27
2710.17:195:25
2810.17:205:24
2910.07:225:22
3010.07:235:21
319.97:255:19

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.56 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.15 kWh/m² to a high of 6.61 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 2.56 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.2Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.1Moderate
63.0Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
92.9Moderate
102.9Moderate
112.8Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.7Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.0Moderate
302.0Moderate
312.0Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Mackinac Island?

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

3.0
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mackinac Island.

What to pack for Mackinac Island in October

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

In October, Mackinac Island sees daytime highs around 54°F and nights near 44°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Mackinac Island in October

The nearest coast averages about 53°F in October — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 66°F and coldest in February near 34°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

30°40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan35Bracing
Feb34Bracing
Mar34Bracing
Apr36Bracing
May41Bracing
Jun52Bracing
Jul62Cool
Aug66Cool
Sep61Cool
Oct53Bracing
Nov44Bracing
Dec38Bracing

UV index in Mackinac Island in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mackinac Island peaks around June 19 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 19UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Mackinac Island?

Mackinac Island sits at 45.8°N, 84.6°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sault Ste. Marie, 47 mi away.

Topography around Mackinac Island

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Mackinac Island has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 351 ft around an average of 614 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 351 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,037 ft.

The land around Mackinac Island is covered by water (72%) and trees (24%) within 2 miles, water (75%) and trees (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (48%) and water (44%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
351 ft
10 miles
351 ft
50 miles
1,037 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Sault Ste. Marie 47 mi · Sault Ste. Marie 48 mi · Traverse City 89 mi · Marquette 141 mi · Midland 155 mi · Mount Pleasant 156 mi · Bay City 160 mi · Saginaw Township North 168 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 Mackinac Island (45.8492°, -84.6189°, elevation 0 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).