Mitchell weather in October

In October, Mitchell sees average daytime highs of 60°F and overnight lows near 39°F, with 2.1 in of precipitation across 6.5 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 67°F in the first days to 53°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 Mitchell's 4th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mitchell's year-round climate.

Daytime high
60°
6th warmest
Overnight low
39°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.1 in
6.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:54 AM – 5:40 PM
Cloud cover
50%
4th clearest
Wind
10 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
3.14 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Mitchell is city in and county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, United States.

Density
493/km²
people per km²
Founded
1883

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 67°F in the first days to 53°F by the end.

A typical October day in Mitchell reaches about 60°F in the afternoon and slips back to 39°F overnight — a 22°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 45°F and 75°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 14°F cooler than September and about 16°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16845
26845
36744
46744
56644
66643
76543
86542
96442
106442
116341
126341
136240
146240
156139
166139
176039
186038
195938
205837
215837
225736
235736
245635
255635
265535
275534
285433
295333
305333
315232

How October really feels in Mitchell

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 14 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
14
wind chill below the day's low

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

Mitchell 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
Jan28° / 10°0.74.34.39.10.0
Feb32° / 14°0.84.44.110.20.0
Mar44° / 24°1.66.23.811.61.1
Apr58° / 36°3.59.5213.24.2
May69° / 49°4.011.7014.56.2
Jun80° / 60°4.211.6015.26.3
Jul85° / 64°3.08.3014.95.7
Aug83° / 62°2.88.4013.86.5
Sep75° / 52°2.86.9012.37.4
Oct60° / 39°2.16.50.710.85.4
Nov44° / 25°1.24.62.89.51.2
Dec31° / 14°0.94.34.28.80.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16238
26238
36238
46238
56139
66139
76139
86040
96040
106040
116040
126040
136040
145941
155941
165941
175842
185842
195743
205743
215644
225545
235545
245545
255545
265446
275545
285545
295446
305446
315446

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Mitchell gets around 2.1 in of rain and snow over 6.5 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 19% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1230
2220
3221
4221
5221
6221
7221
8221
9221
10211
11211
12201
13191
14192
15182
16182
17182
18182
19183
20183
21183
22183
23183
24184
25184
26184
27184
28185
29185
30175
31175

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
18983
29073
39172
49262
59262
69352
79451
89451
99541
109541
119541
129631
139730
149730
159820
169820
179820
189820
199820
209820
219910
229910
239910
249910
259910
269910
279910
289910
299910
309910
319910

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 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 6:35 AM to 7:14 AM, and sunset from 6:07 PM to 5:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:356:07
211.56:376:05
311.46:386:03
411.46:396:01
511.36:406:00
611.36:415:58
711.26:435:56
811.26:445:54
911.16:455:52
1011.16:465:51
1111.06:485:49
1211.06:495:47
1310.96:505:45
1410.96:515:44
1510.86:535:42
1610.86:545:40
1710.76:555:39
1810.76:575:37
1910.66:585:35
2010.66:595:34
2110.57:005:32
2210.57:025:31
2310.47:035:29
2410.47:045:28
2510.37:065:26
2610.37:075:25
2710.27:085:23
2810.27:105:22
2910.27:115:20
3010.17:125:19
3110.17:145:18

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.14 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.74 kWh/m² to a high of 6.76 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 3.14 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.8Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.5Moderate
93.5Moderate
103.4Moderate
113.4Moderate
123.3Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.1Moderate
183.1Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Mitchell

In seasonPeak

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

Mitchell'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 Mitchell?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.2
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Mitchell for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mitchell in October

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

In October, Mitchell sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 39°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Mitchell in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mitchell peaks around June 15 at about 8 (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 15UV 8Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Mitchell?

Mitchell sits at 43.7°N, 98.0°W, 1,312 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sioux Falls, 66 mi away.

Topography around Mitchell

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Mitchell has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 154 ft around an average of 1,312 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 279 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 869 ft.

The land around Mitchell is covered by grassland (34%), artificial surfaces (26%) and trees (20%) within 2 miles, cropland (57%) and grassland (36%) within 10 miles, and cropland (62%) and grassland (36%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
154 ft
10 miles
279 ft
50 miles
869 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Sioux Falls 66 mi · Brookings 74 mi · Watertown 94 mi · Sioux City 117 mi · Norfolk 120 mi · Aberdeen 124 mi · Columbus 161 mi · Fremont 175 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 Mitchell (43.7094°, -98.0298°, elevation 1,312 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).