Palmer weather in October

In October, Palmer sees average daytime highs of 59°F and overnight lows near 45°F, with 4.0 in of precipitation across 9.7 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 64°F in the first days to 54°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 Palmer's 2nd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palmer's year-round climate.

Daytime high
59°
6th warmest
Overnight low
45°
7th coldest
Precipitation
4.0 in
9.7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:09 AM – 4:59 PM
Cloud cover
56%
2nd clearest
Wind
7 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.7
out of 10

Palmer is census-designated place in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States.

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 64°F in the first days to 54°F by the end.

A typical October day in Palmer reaches about 59°F in the afternoon and slips back to 45°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 50°F and 69°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 12°F cooler than September and about 11°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16550
26550
36450
46449
56449
66349
76348
86248
96247
106247
116147
126146
136046
146046
156045
165945
175945
185844
195844
205844
215743
225743
235643
245642
255642
265542
275541
285541
295441
305440
315440

How October really feels in Palmer

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.

Palmer weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 19°3.39.86.39.30.0
Feb35° / 20°3.08.75.710.30.0
Mar43° / 28°4.010.5511.60.6
Apr55° / 39°3.5111.613.13.3
May65° / 49°3.2110.114.45.6
Jun74° / 59°3.611.10156.5
Jul80° / 65°3.49.9014.86.6
Aug78° / 63°3.49.3013.76.9
Sep71° / 56°3.68.4012.36.9
Oct59° / 45°4.09.70.410.84.7
Nov48° / 35°3.391.49.61.8
Dec38° / 26°4.110.35.290.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 50%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25347
35347
45347
55347
65248
75347
85347
95248
105248
115248
125149
135149
145149
155050
165050
174951
185050
195050
204951
214852
224852
234852
244852
254852
264852
274753
284852
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Palmer gets around 4.0 in of rain and snow over 9.7 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 31% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1320
2320
3320
4320
5320
6320
7320
8320
9320
10320
11321
12321
13321
14321
15321
16321
17311
18311
19311
20311
21312
22312
23312
24312
25302
26302
27302
28302
29302
30302
31292

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 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1741583
2761473
3761473
4791362
5811252
6821152
7831142
8841042
986932
1088831
1188831
1289731
1389731
1491621
1591621
1691621
1792521
1893520
1993520
2093520
2193520
2293520
2393520
2493520
2593520
2694510
2794510
2895410
2995410
3095410
3195410

Wind in October

Winds average 7 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257light breeze
267light breeze
277light breeze
287light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light 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 5:52 AM to 6:28 AM, and sunset from 5:25 PM to 4:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.65:525:25
211.55:535:23
311.55:545:21
411.45:555:20
511.45:565:18
611.35:575:16
711.35:595:14
811.26:005:13
911.26:015:11
1011.16:025:09
1111.16:035:08
1211.06:045:06
1311.06:065:04
1410.96:075:03
1510.96:085:01
1610.86:094:59
1710.86:104:58
1810.76:124:56
1910.76:134:55
2010.76:144:53
2110.66:154:52
2210.66:164:50
2310.56:184:49
2410.56:194:47
2510.46:204:46
2610.46:214:45
2710.36:234:43
2810.36:244:42
2910.36:254:41
3010.26:264:39
3110.26:284:38

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.91 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.62 kWh/m² to a high of 5.88 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 2.91 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.5Moderate
23.4Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Palmer?

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

4.7
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.7
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Palmer for sightseeing.

What to pack for Palmer in October

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

In October, Palmer sees daytime highs around 59°F and nights near 45°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Palmer in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Palmer peaks around July 11 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 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 highHighModerateLowJul 11UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Palmer?

Palmer sits at 42.2°N, 72.3°W, 344 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ludlow, 7.5 mi away.

Topography around Palmer

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Palmer has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 719 ft around an average of 538 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,155 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,097 ft.

The land around Palmer is covered by trees (85%) within 2 miles, trees (87%) within 10 miles, and trees (91%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
719 ft
10 miles
1,155 ft
50 miles
3,097 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Ludlow 7.5 mi · East Longmeadow 11 mi · Springfield 14 mi · North Chicopee 14 mi · Chicopee 14 mi · South Hadley 14 mi · Longmeadow 15 mi · Holyoke 15 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 Palmer (42.1584°, -72.3287°, elevation 344 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).