Portage weather in October

In October, Portage sees average daytime highs of 60°F and overnight lows near 43°F, with 3.4 in of precipitation across 11 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 66°F in the first days to 54°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% 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 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Portage's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Portage's year-round climate.

Daytime high
60°
6th warmest
Overnight low
43°
7th coldest
Precipitation
3.4 in
11 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
7:02 AM – 5:52 PM
Cloud cover
62%
5th clearest
Wind
8 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Portage is city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States of America.

Density
529/km²
people per km²
Founded
1830

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 66°F in the first days to 54°F by the end.

A typical October day in Portage reaches about 60°F in the afternoon and slips back to 43°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 48°F and 72°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 13°F cooler than September and about 13°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16648
26647
36647
46547
56546
66446
76446
86445
96345
106345
116244
126244
136144
146143
156043
166043
175942
185942
195842
205842
215741
225741
235641
245640
255640
265540
275540
285439
295439
305339
315338

How October really feels in Portage

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.

Portage 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
Jan31° / 19°2.811.310.49.30.0
Feb34° / 20°2.28.36.610.30.0
Mar45° / 28°2.710.24.411.61.0
Apr57° / 39°3.912.71.413.13.8
May68° / 49°4.413.1014.45.8
Jun78° / 59°4.311.70156.4
Jul81° / 63°4.011.4014.86.3
Aug79° / 61°3.811.1013.76.6
Sep73° / 54°3.19.7012.36.8
Oct60° / 43°3.4110.210.84.6
Nov46° / 33°2.810.139.61.3
Dec36° / 25°2.5117.990.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% 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 57%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35248
45248
55248
65248
75149
85050
95050
104951
114852
124654
134555
144456
154456
164258
174159
184159
193961
203961
213763
223763
233664
243664
253664
263565
273466
283466
293367
303367
313466

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Portage gets around 3.4 in of rain and snow over 11 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 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1370
2370
3370
4360
5360
6350
7350
8340
9340
10330
11330
12320
13320
14320
15320
16331
17331
18341
19341
20351
21361
22361
23361
24371
25371
26372
27372
28372
29372
30363
31363

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 (%)
1791353
2791353
3801253
4811252
5831142
6831142
7841042
8841042
9841042
1087931
1187931
1288831
1389821
1490721
1591720
1691720
1793610
1893610
1993610
2093610
2194510
2294510
2394510
2494510
2594510
2694510
2794510
2894510
2995410
3095410
3195410

Wind in October

Winds average 8 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.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 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 78 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:45 AM to 7:21 AM, and sunset from 6:18 PM to 5:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:456:18
211.56:466:16
311.56:476:14
411.46:486:13
511.46:496:11
611.36:516:09
711.36:526:07
811.26:536:06
911.26:546:04
1011.16:556:02
1111.16:566:01
1211.06:585:59
1311.06:595:57
1410.97:005:56
1510.97:015:54
1610.87:025:52
1710.87:035:51
1810.77:055:49
1910.77:065:48
2010.77:075:46
2110.67:085:45
2210.67:105:43
2310.57:115:42
2410.57:125:40
2510.47:135:39
2610.47:155:38
2710.37:165:36
2810.37:175:35
2910.37:185:34
3010.27:195:32
3110.27:215:31

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.88 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.4 kWh/m² to a high of 6.36 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 2.88 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.4Moderate
73.4Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.8Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Portage?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.9
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Portage for sightseeing.

What to pack for Portage in October

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

In October, Portage sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 43°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Portage in October

The nearest coast averages about 59°F in October — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 42 mi away) is warmest in August at about 72°F and coldest in March near 36°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 14 to Sep 13 — about 2 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan39Bracing
Feb37Bracing
Mar36Bracing
Apr39Bracing
May45Bracing
Jun58Bracing
Jul69Refreshing
Aug72Refreshing
Sep68Cool
Oct59Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec43Bracing

UV index in Portage 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 Portage peaks around June 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 22UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Portage 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 Portage is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1515 µg/m³Oct 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Portage?

Portage sits at 42.2°N, 85.6°W, 879 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kalamazoo, 6.2 mi away.

Topography around Portage

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Portage has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 141 ft around an average of 876 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 358 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 679 ft.

The land around Portage is covered by trees (50%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, trees (48%) and cropland (24%) within 10 miles, and trees (42%) and cropland (37%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
141 ft
10 miles
358 ft
50 miles
679 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
October weather nearby: Kalamazoo 6.2 mi · Battle Creek 22 mi · Granger 41 mi · Elkhart 41 mi · Goshen 45 mi · Kentwood 47 mi · Mishawaka 48 mi · Holland 48 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 Portage (42.2011°, -85.58°, elevation 879 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).