Manhattan weather in October

In October, Manhattan sees average daytime highs of 68°F and overnight lows near 46°F, with 2.5 in of precipitation across 7.3 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 73°F in the first days to 61°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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Manhattan's 2nd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Manhattan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
68°
6th warmest
Overnight low
46°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.5 in
7.3 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:43 AM – 5:40 PM
Cloud cover
43%
2nd clearest
Wind
9 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
3.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Manhattan is city in Riley and Pottawatomie counties in Kansas, United States, county seat of Riley County.

Density
1,124/km²
people per km²
Founded
1855

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 73°F in the first days to 61°F by the end.

A typical October day in Manhattan reaches about 68°F in the afternoon and slips back to 46°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 81°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 12°F cooler than September and about 14°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17452
27452
37351
47351
57351
67250
77250
87149
97149
107049
117048
126948
136947
146947
156847
166846
176746
186746
196645
206645
216544
226544
236544
246443
256443
266342
276242
286241
296241
306141
316040

How October really feels in Manhattan

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.

Manhattan 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
Jan39° / 21°0.94.52.89.60.0
Feb44° / 24°1.45.32.810.50.8
Mar55° / 34°2.48.11.711.73.8
Apr66° / 44°3.69.80.5136.0
May75° / 55°5.212014.16.5
Jun85° / 66°4.110.2014.75.3
Jul90° / 70°3.79.5014.54.2
Aug87° / 67°3.79.2013.54.9
Sep80° / 59°3.17.3012.37.0
Oct68° / 46°2.57.30.2116.9
Nov54° / 34°1.85.319.93.7
Dec42° / 24°1.44.72.19.30.5

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 11% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 36%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27129
37129
47030
56931
66931
76832
86832
96733
106733
116634
126634
136634
146535
156535
166436
176436
186436
196337
206238
216238
226139
236139
246040
256040
266040
275941
285941
295941
305941
316040

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Manhattan 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 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1240
2240
3240
4250
5250
6250
7250
8260
9260
10250
11250
12250
13240
14240
15230
16230
17230
18221
19221
20221
21211
22211
23211
24211
25201
26201
27201
28201
29191
30192
31192

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 85% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
17114951
27413841
37413841
47712731
57712731
67812730
78011720
88011720
98210620
108210620
11849610
12859510
13859510
14868510
15878410
16888400
17888400
18888400
19888400
20898300
21898300
22898300
23898300
24898300
25898300
26917200
27917200
28917200
29926200
30926200
31935200

Wind in October

Winds average 9 mph in October.

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

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light 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 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 72 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:27 AM to 6:59 AM, and sunset from 6:03 PM to 5:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:276:03
211.66:286:02
311.56:296:00
411.56:305:58
511.46:315:57
611.46:325:55
711.36:335:54
811.36:345:52
911.26:355:50
1011.26:365:49
1111.26:375:47
1211.16:395:46
1311.16:405:44
1411.06:415:43
1511.06:425:41
1611.06:435:40
1710.96:445:39
1810.96:455:37
1910.86:465:36
2010.86:475:34
2110.76:485:33
2210.76:495:32
2310.76:505:30
2410.66:515:29
2510.66:525:28
2610.56:545:27
2710.56:555:25
2810.56:565:24
2910.46:575:23
3010.46:585:22
3110.46:595:21

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.61 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.15 kWh/m² to a high of 6.7 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 3.61 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.1Bright
64.1Bright
74.0Bright
84.0Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.8Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.4Moderate
223.4Moderate
233.3Moderate
243.3Moderate
253.3Moderate
263.2Moderate
273.2Moderate
283.1Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Manhattan?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
3.5
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Manhattan for sightseeing.

What to pack for Manhattan in October

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

In October, Manhattan sees daytime highs around 68°F and nights near 46°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Manhattan 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 Manhattan peaks around June 22 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May7Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Manhattan 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 Manhattan is worst in April — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 5.1× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodApr 1530 µg/m³Oct 236 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar16Moderate
Apr32Moderate
May11Good
Jun11Good
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Manhattan?

Manhattan sits at 39.2°N, 96.6°W, 1,020 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Junction City, 17 mi away.

Topography around Manhattan

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Manhattan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 266 ft around an average of 1,053 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 512 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 751 ft.

The land around Manhattan is covered by trees (35%) and artificial surfaces (33%) within 2 miles, grassland (54%) and trees (23%) within 10 miles, and grassland (54%) and cropland (34%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
266 ft
10 miles
512 ft
50 miles
751 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Junction City 17 mi · Topeka 49 mi · Emporia 58 mi · Salina 61 mi · Lawrence 73 mi · Leavenworth 89 mi · Newton 89 mi · Gardner 92 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 Manhattan (39.1836°, -96.5717°, elevation 1,020 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).