Moorhead weather in October

In October, Moorhead sees average daytime highs of 55°F and overnight lows near 36°F, with 2.4 in of precipitation across 7.9 wet days and about 10.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 62°F in the first days to 47°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Moorhead's 5th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Moorhead's year-round climate.

Daytime high
55°
6th warmest
Overnight low
36°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.4 in
7.9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 36 min
6:53 AM – 5:31 PM
Cloud cover
61%
5th clearest
Wind
9 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Moorhead is city in Clay County, Minnesota, USA.

Density
728/km²
people per km²
Founded
1871

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 62°F in the first days to 47°F by the end.

A typical October day in Moorhead reaches about 55°F in the afternoon and slips back to 36°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 40°F and 70°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 15°F cooler than September and about 17°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16342
26242
36242
46241
56141
66040
76040
85940
95939
105839
115838
125738
135738
145637
155537
165537
175436
185436
195335
205335
215235
225234
235134
245033
255033
264932
274932
284831
294731
304731
314630

How October really feels in Moorhead

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 20 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
20
wind chill below the day's low

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

Moorhead 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
Jan19° / 0.84.84.98.80.0
Feb23° / 0.74.64.4100.0
Mar37° / 20°1.46.2411.60.2
Apr53° / 33°2.17.92.213.33.2
May67° / 46°3.511.40.114.85.9
Jun76° / 57°4.312.2015.66.4
Jul81° / 61°3.710.1015.36.7
Aug79° / 58°3.28.90147.1
Sep70° / 49°2.98.2012.46.9
Oct55° / 36°2.47.9110.63.7
Nov38° / 22°1.15.43.49.20.2
Dec24° / 0.95.55.88.40.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 55%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25248
35149
45149
55050
64951
74852
84753
94753
104654
114654
124654
134654
144654
154555
164654
174555
184555
194456
204357
214357
224258
234258
244159
254159
264159
274159
284060
293961
303961
313961

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Moorhead gets around 2.4 in of rain and snow over 7.9 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 25% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1260
2251
3251
4261
5261
6261
7261
8272
9272
10272
11272
12272
13273
14273
15273
16273
17263
18263
19264
20254
21254
22254
23245
24245
25236
26236
27227
28227
29227
30228
31228

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19451
29451
39541
49541
59541
69631
79631
89631
99631
109631
119631
129721
139721
149820
159820
169910
179910
189910
199910
209910
219910
2210000
2310000
2410000
2510000
2610000
2710000
2810000
2910000
3010000
3110000

Wind in October

Winds average 9 mph in October, the windiest month of the year.

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 30 min at the start of October to 9 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 102 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:32 AM to 7:15 AM, and sunset from 6:00 PM to 5:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:326:00
211.46:335:58
311.46:355:56
411.36:365:54
511.26:385:52
611.26:395:50
711.16:405:48
811.16:425:46
911.06:435:44
1011.06:455:42
1110.96:465:40
1210.86:485:38
1310.86:495:37
1410.76:505:35
1510.76:525:33
1610.66:535:31
1710.66:555:29
1810.56:565:27
1910.56:585:26
2010.46:595:24
2110.47:015:22
2210.37:025:20
2310.27:045:19
2410.27:055:17
2510.17:075:15
2610.17:085:14
2710.07:105:12
2810.07:115:10
299.97:135:09
309.97:145:07
319.87:155:06

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.62 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.31 kWh/m² to a high of 6.38 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 2.62 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.2Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.1Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
102.9Moderate
112.9Moderate
122.8Moderate
132.8Moderate
142.7Moderate
152.7Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.4Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Moorhead

In seasonPeak

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

Moorhead'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 Moorhead?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Moorhead.

What to pack for Moorhead in October

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

In October, Moorhead sees daytime highs around 55°F and nights near 36°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Moorhead 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 Moorhead peaks around June 18 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 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 18UV 8Jan 11UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Moorhead 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 Moorhead is worst in August — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodAug 1215 µg/m³Oct 206 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr12Good
May11Good
Jun10Good
Jul14Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Moorhead?

Moorhead sits at 46.9°N, 96.8°W, 906 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Fargo, 1.2 mi away.

Topography around Moorhead

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Moorhead has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 72 ft around an average of 906 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 837 ft.

The land around Moorhead is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and trees (34%) within 2 miles, cropland (65%) within 10 miles, and cropland (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
72 ft
10 miles
121 ft
50 miles
837 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Fargo 1.2 mi · West Fargo 6.2 mi · Grand Forks 74 mi · Jamestown 91 mi · Aberdeen 127 mi · Watertown 137 mi · Willmar 147 mi · Sartell 150 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 Moorhead (46.8739°, -96.7695°, elevation 906 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).