Rochester weather in October

In October, Rochester sees average daytime highs of 59°F and overnight lows near 43°F, with 4.2 in of precipitation across 9.5 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 2nd-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 30 min at the start of October to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Rochester's 3rd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rochester's year-round climate.

Daytime high
59°
6th warmest
Overnight low
43°
7th coldest
Precipitation
4.2 in
9.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:05 AM – 4:53 PM
Cloud cover
57%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.7
out of 10

Rochester is city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States.

Density
253/km²
people per km²
Founded
1749

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 Rochester reaches about 59°F in the afternoon and slips back to 43°F overnight — a 16°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 12°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16548
26448
36448
46447
56347
66347
76246
86246
96246
106145
116145
126144
136044
146044
155944
165943
175943
185843
195842
205742
215742
225641
235641
245641
255540
265540
275540
285440
295439
305339
315338

How October really feels in Rochester

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.

Rochester weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 17°3.39.56.99.20.0
Feb34° / 18°3.296.810.20.0
Mar42° / 26°4.210.85.811.60.4
Apr54° / 38°4.110.91.913.23.2
May65° / 47°3.110.70.114.55.6
Jun74° / 57°3.811.8015.16.4
Jul80° / 63°3.511.1014.96.4
Aug78° / 61°3.49.5013.86.8
Sep71° / 54°3.48.6012.36.8
Oct59° / 43°4.29.50.310.84.7
Nov47° / 33°3.69.21.59.51.6
Dec37° / 24°4.310.25.68.80.0

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 15% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35347
45347
55248
65347
75347
85347
95347
105347
115248
125248
135248
145248
155248
165149
175149
185149
195050
205050
215050
224951
234951
244951
254951
264951
274852
284753
294852
304852
314753

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Rochester gets around 4.2 in of rain and snow over 9.5 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 30% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1290
2290
3300
4300
5300
6300
7300
8300
9300
10300
11290
12290
13290
14290
15300
16301
17301
18301
19301
20311
21311
22312
23322
24322
25322
26322
27322
28322
29322
30322
31322

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 91% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1781462
2791362
3811252
4831142
5841141
6861031
787931
888921
989821
1089821
1190721
1292611
1392611
1493511
1594510
1694510
1795410
1895410
1995410
2095410
2195410
2295410
2396310
2496310
2596310
2696310
2796310
2896310
2996310
3096310
3196310

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
167light 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 06 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 5:47 AM to 6:25 AM, and sunset from 5:19 PM to 4:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:475:19
211.55:485:17
311.45:495:15
411.45:515:13
511.35:525:12
611.35:535:10
711.25:545:08
811.25:555:06
911.15:575:04
1011.15:585:03
1111.05:595:01
1211.06:004:59
1310.96:014:58
1410.96:034:56
1510.86:044:54
1610.86:054:53
1710.76:074:51
1810.76:084:49
1910.66:094:48
2010.66:104:46
2110.66:124:45
2210.56:134:43
2310.56:144:42
2410.46:154:40
2510.46:174:39
2610.36:184:37
2710.36:194:36
2810.26:214:34
2910.26:224:33
3010.16:234:32
3110.16:254:30

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.54 kWh/m² to a high of 5.99 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 2.87 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.5Moderate
23.4Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.1Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.8Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Rochester

In seasonPeak

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

Rochester sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is October a good time to visit Rochester?

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
0.6
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Rochester for sightseeing.

What to pack for Rochester in October

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

In October, Rochester sees daytime highs around 59°F and nights near 43°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Rochester in October

The nearest coast averages about 55°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 22 mi away) is warmest in August at about 65°F and coldest in March near 38°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan42Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar38Bracing
Apr42Bracing
May49Bracing
Jun57Bracing
Jul63Cool
Aug65Cool
Sep62Cool
Oct55Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec45Bracing

UV index in Rochester 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 Rochester peaks around July 10 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighModerateModerateLowJul 10UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Rochester?

Rochester sits at 43.3°N, 71.0°W, 230 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Dover, 8.7 mi away.

Topography around Rochester

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Rochester has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 318 ft around an average of 292 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,414 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,019 ft.

The land around Rochester is covered by trees (71%) within 2 miles, trees (85%) within 10 miles, and trees (72%) and water (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
318 ft
10 miles
1,414 ft
50 miles
4,019 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
October weather nearby: Dover 8.7 mi · Sanford 14 mi · Portsmouth 19 mi · East Concord 29 mi · Concord 29 mi · Laconia 29 mi · Biddeford 29 mi · Saco 30 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 Rochester (43.3045°, -70.9756°, elevation 230 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).