Morganton weather in October

In October, Morganton sees average daytime highs of 69°F and overnight lows near 49°F, with 3.7 in of rain across 7.7 wet days and about 11.1 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 65°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Morganton's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Morganton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
69°
6th warmest
Overnight low
49°
7th coldest
Rainfall
3.7 in
7.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:39 AM – 5:44 PM
Cloud cover
46%
1st clearest
Wind
4 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.0
out of 10

Morganton is city in Burke County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
336/km²
people per km²
Founded
1777

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 65°F by the end.

A typical October day in Morganton reaches about 69°F in the afternoon and slips back to 49°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 59°F and 79°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 9°F cooler than September and about 10°F warmer than November.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17455
27454
37354
47354
57353
67253
77252
87252
97151
107151
117151
127150
137050
147049
156949
166948
176948
186947
196847
206847
216846
226746
236746
246745
256645
266645
276644
286544
296544
306543
316443

How October really feels in Morganton

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.

Morganton 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
Jan49° / 31°4.39.91.79.92.0
Feb52° / 33°3.58.91.810.62.9
Mar60° / 39°4.610.80.711.74.9
Apr69° / 47°4.29.4012.96.5
May76° / 56°3.510.2013.96.8
Jun82° / 64°3.411.8014.45.7
Jul86° / 67°3.412.9014.24.8
Aug84° / 66°3.511.4013.45.3
Sep79° / 60°4.09.1012.26.9
Oct69° / 49°3.77.7011.17.0
Nov59° / 39°3.78.20.110.14.9
Dec51° / 33°4.19.10.99.62.6

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in October, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25941
35941
45941
55941
65941
76040
86040
96040
106040
116139
126139
136139
146238
156238
166238
176337
186337
196337
206337
216337
226337
236238
246139
256139
266139
276040
286040
296040
305941
315941

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Morganton gets around 3.7 in of rain over 7.7 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 26% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
327
427
527
626
726
826
926
1026
1126
1225
1325
1425
1524
1624
1724
1824
1923
2024
2124
2224
2324
2425
2525
2626
2726
2827
2927
3027
3127

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 71% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1472418101
2492417101
350241691
453231581
555231471
656231371
757231361
860221251
961221241
1063211141
1165201131
1266201031
1368191021
147018921
157118821
167417711
177616710
187716610
197915510
207915510
218114410
228214310
238214310
248214310
258313310
268413210
278413210
288512210
298512210
308512210
318611210

Wind in October

Winds average 4 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 60 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:26 AM to 6:54 AM, and sunset from 6:05 PM to 5:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:266:05
211.66:276:04
311.66:286:02
411.56:296:01
511.56:305:59
611.56:315:58
711.46:325:56
811.46:325:55
911.36:335:53
1011.36:345:52
1111.36:355:51
1211.26:365:49
1311.26:375:48
1411.26:385:47
1511.16:395:45
1611.16:395:44
1711.06:405:43
1811.06:415:42
1911.06:425:40
2010.96:435:39
2110.96:445:38
2210.96:455:37
2310.86:465:35
2410.86:475:34
2510.86:485:33
2610.76:495:32
2710.76:505:31
2810.76:515:30
2910.66:525:29
3010.66:535:28
3110.66:545:27

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.72 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.28 kWh/m² to a high of 6.1 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.72 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.0Bright
34.0Bright
44.0Bright
54.0Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.8Moderate
143.8Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.7Moderate
173.7Moderate
183.7Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.6Moderate
213.6Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.4Moderate
273.4Moderate
283.4Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Morganton?

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

7.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is one of the better times to visit Morganton for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Morganton in October

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

In October, Morganton sees daytime highs around 69°F and nights near 49°F. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 8 days see rain.

UV index in Morganton 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 Morganton peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Morganton 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 Morganton is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1617 µg/m³Dec 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Morganton?

Morganton sits at 35.7°N, 81.7°W, 1,155 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lenoir, 14 mi away.

Topography around Morganton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Morganton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft around an average of 1,122 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,034 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,145 ft.

The land around Morganton is covered by trees (64%) within 2 miles, trees (83%) within 10 miles, and trees (84%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
272 ft
10 miles
2,034 ft
50 miles
6,145 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Lenoir 14 mi · Hickory 19 mi · Shelby 32 mi · Boone 32 mi · Gastonia 43 mi · Statesville 45 mi · Cornelius 50 mi · Asheville 50 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 Morganton (35.7454°, -81.6848°, elevation 1,155 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).