Norfolk weather in October

In October, Norfolk sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 2.5 in of precipitation across 7.4 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 69°F in the first days to 55°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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Norfolk's 4th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Norfolk's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
6th warmest
Overnight low
40°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.5 in
7.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:49 AM – 5:40 PM
Cloud cover
47%
4th clearest
Wind
10 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
3.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

Norfolk is city in Madison County, Nebraska, United States.

Density
786/km²
people per km²
Founded
1866

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 69°F in the first days to 55°F by the end.

A typical October day in Norfolk reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 22°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 47°F and 76°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 14°F cooler than September and about 15°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17046
26946
36946
46845
56845
66744
76744
86643
96643
106543
116542
126442
136441
146341
156340
166240
176240
186139
196139
206038
216038
225937
235937
245837
255836
265736
275635
285635
295534
305534
315433

How October really feels in Norfolk

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 12 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
12
wind chill below the day's low

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

Norfolk 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
Jan32° / 14°0.84.23.79.30.0
Feb36° / 17°0.954.310.30.0
Mar48° / 27°2.07.33.611.71.8
Apr60° / 38°3.610.31.913.14.6
May70° / 50°5.012.40.114.36.2
Jun81° / 61°4.411.30156.2
Jul85° / 65°2.88.6014.75.6
Aug83° / 62°3.29013.76.3
Sep76° / 53°2.67.2012.37.4
Oct62° / 40°2.57.40.810.95.8
Nov47° / 27°1.44.62.49.61.8
Dec35° / 17°1.14.53.990.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% 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 37%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26634
36634
46634
56535
66436
76436
86337
96436
106436
116436
126436
136436
146436
156436
166436
176436
186337
196337
206238
216238
226139
236139
246040
256040
265941
275941
285842
295842
305842
315743

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Norfolk gets around 2.5 in of rain and snow over 7.4 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 22% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1250
2260
3261
4261
5261
6271
7271
8261
9261
10251
11252
12242
13232
14232
15222
16222
17213
18213
19213
20203
21203
22203
23204
24204
25194
26194
27194
28194
29185
30185
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 94% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1851041
2851041
3861031
488930
589920
689920
790820
890820
990820
1091720
1192710
1293610
1394510
1494510
1595410
1695410
1795410
1895410
1996310
2096310
2196310
2296310
2397300
2497300
2598200
2698200
2798200
2898200
2998200
3099100
3199100

Wind in October

Winds average 10 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 11 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
611light breeze
711light breeze
811light breeze
911light breeze
1011light breeze
1111light 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 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 12 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 6:32 AM to 7:08 AM, and sunset from 6:05 PM to 5:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:326:05
211.56:336:03
311.56:346:02
411.46:356:00
511.46:375:58
611.36:385:57
711.36:395:55
811.26:405:53
911.26:415:51
1011.16:425:50
1111.16:445:48
1211.06:455:46
1311.06:465:45
1410.96:475:43
1510.96:485:42
1610.86:495:40
1710.86:515:38
1810.86:525:37
1910.76:535:35
2010.76:545:34
2110.66:555:32
2210.66:575:31
2310.56:585:29
2410.56:595:28
2510.47:005:27
2610.47:025:25
2710.47:035:24
2810.37:045:23
2910.37:055:21
3010.27:075:20
3110.27:085:19

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.35 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.93 kWh/m² to a high of 6.73 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 3.35 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Bright
24.0Bright
34.0Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.7Moderate
93.7Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.5Moderate
133.5Moderate
143.5Moderate
153.4Moderate
163.4Moderate
173.3Moderate
183.3Moderate
193.3Moderate
203.2Moderate
213.2Moderate
223.1Moderate
233.1Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.0Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Norfolk

In seasonPeak

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

Norfolk'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 Norfolk?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.6
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Norfolk for sightseeing.

What to pack for Norfolk in October

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

In October, Norfolk sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 40°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Norfolk 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 Norfolk peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Norfolk?

Norfolk sits at 42.0°N, 97.4°W, 1,522 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Columbus, 42 mi away.

Topography around Norfolk

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Norfolk has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 ft around an average of 1,535 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 404 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,053 ft.

The land around Norfolk is covered by artificial surfaces (36%) and grassland (33%) within 2 miles, cropland (57%) and grassland (31%) within 10 miles, and cropland (79%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
190 ft
10 miles
404 ft
50 miles
1,053 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Columbus 42 mi · Sioux City 62 mi · Fremont 63 mi · Grand Island 90 mi · La Vista 93 mi · Omaha 93 mi · Papillion 93 mi · Lincoln 93 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 Norfolk (42.0283°, -97.417°, elevation 1,522 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).