Payson weather in October

In October, Payson sees average daytime highs of 70°F and overnight lows near 46°F, with 1.4 in of precipitation across 4.2 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 76°F in the first days to 65°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of October to 10 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Payson's 2nd-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Payson's year-round climate.

Daytime high
70°
6th warmest
Overnight low
46°
7th coldest
Precipitation
1.4 in
4.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:36 AM – 5:44 PM
Cloud cover
26%
2nd clearest
Wind
5 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.92 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.1
out of 10

Payson is town in Gila County, Arizona, United States.

Density
306/km²
people per km²
Founded
1973

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 76°F in the first days to 65°F by the end.

A typical October day in Payson reaches about 70°F in the afternoon and slips back to 46°F overnight — a 25°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 59°F and 80°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 10°F cooler than September and about 11°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17651
27651
37650
47550
57549
67449
77449
87448
97348
107347
117347
127247
137247
147146
157146
167146
177045
187045
196945
206944
216944
226844
236843
246743
256743
266642
276642
286542
296541
306541
316440

How October really feels in Payson

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.

Payson weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan50° / 29°2.66.13.8102.7
Feb53° / 31°2.86.54.210.73.2
Mar58° / 34°2.26.32.811.75.0
Apr65° / 40°1.03.91.412.87.2
May74° / 48°0.63.50.113.88.4
Jun85° / 56°0.31.9014.27.0
Jul87° / 62°2.311.5014.14.8
Aug85° / 62°1.911.3013.35.3
Sep80° / 56°1.36012.27.6
Oct70° / 46°1.44.20.311.18.1
Nov59° / 36°1.64.11.310.25.5
Dec50° / 29°2.46.13.79.82.6

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 16%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18614
28614
38614
48614
58614
68614
78614
88614
98614
108614
118614
128614
138614
148416
158416
168416
178416
188317
198317
208218
218218
228119
238119
248119
258119
268119
278020
288020
298020
308020
318020

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Payson gets around 1.4 in of rain and snow over 4.2 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 13% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1130
2130
3130
4130
5130
6130
7120
8120
9120
10121
11121
12111
13111
14111
15111
16121
17121
18121
19131
20131
21141
22141
23141
24152
25152
26152
27152
28152
29152
30153
31153

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in October

Winds average 5 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 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 66 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:24 AM to 6:50 AM, and sunset from 6:04 PM to 5:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:246:04
211.66:256:03
311.66:266:01
411.66:276:00
511.56:285:59
611.56:285:57
711.46:295:56
811.46:305:54
911.46:315:53
1011.36:325:52
1111.36:325:51
1211.36:335:49
1311.26:345:48
1411.26:355:47
1511.26:365:45
1611.16:365:44
1711.16:375:43
1811.16:385:42
1911.06:395:41
2011.06:405:39
2111.06:415:38
2210.96:425:37
2310.96:435:36
2410.96:435:35
2510.86:445:34
2610.86:455:33
2710.86:465:32
2810.76:475:31
2910.76:485:30
3010.76:495:29
3110.66:505:28

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.92 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.07 kWh/m² to a high of 8.41 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 4.92 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
174.9Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.6Bright
244.6Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Payson?

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

8.1
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Payson in October

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

In October, Payson sees daytime highs around 70°F and nights near 46°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

UV index in Payson in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Payson peaks around June 22 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 12Dec 18UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar6High
Apr6High
May9Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Payson 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 Payson is worst in June — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJun 1724 µg/m³Jan 147 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb7Good
Mar7Good
Apr13Moderate
May11Good
Jun26Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug9Good
Sep12Good
Oct14Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Payson?

Payson sits at 34.2°N, 111.3°W, 4,921 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Fountain Hills, 48 mi away.

Topography around Payson

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Payson has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 623 ft around an average of 4,997 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,052 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,136 ft.

The land around Payson is covered by trees (47%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, trees (52%) and shrubs (37%) within 10 miles, and trees (40%), shrubs (35%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
623 ft
10 miles
4,052 ft
50 miles
7,136 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Fountain Hills 48 mi · Sedona 50 mi · Anthem 53 mi · Apache Junction 58 mi · Scottsdale 60 mi · Deer Valley 60 mi · Prescott Valley 62 mi · Mesa 63 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 Payson (34.2309°, -111.3251°, elevation 4,921 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).