Rock Island weather in October

In October, Rock Island sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 2.7 in of precipitation across 8.5 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 56°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 Rock Island's 4th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rock Island's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
6th warmest
Overnight low
44°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.7 in
8.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:21 AM – 5:13 PM
Cloud cover
55%
4th clearest
Wind
9 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
3.16 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Rock Island is city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States.

Density
874/km²
people per km²
Founded
1841

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 68°F in the first days to 56°F by the end.

A typical October day in Rock Island reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 44°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 49°F and 75°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 13°F cooler than September and about 14°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16949
26949
36849
46848
56748
66747
76747
86647
96646
106546
116546
126445
136445
146344
156344
166244
176243
186143
196143
206042
216042
225942
235941
245841
255841
265740
275740
285640
295639
305539
315538

How October really feels in Rock Island

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 1 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
1
wind chill below the day's low

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

Rock Island 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
Jan30° / 16°1.87.65.39.30.0
Feb35° / 20°1.96.64.210.30.0
Mar48° / 31°2.89.52.411.71.7
Apr60° / 42°4.2120.813.14.6
May71° / 53°4.712.9014.36.1
Jun80° / 63°4.711.9014.96.2
Jul83° / 66°3.610.2014.75.8
Aug81° / 64°3.59.2013.76.6
Sep75° / 56°3.48.3012.37.2
Oct62° / 44°2.78.50.210.95.5
Nov48° / 32°2.47.81.29.71.7
Dec35° / 22°2.17.249.10.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25743
35743
45743
55644
65644
75545
85545
95446
105446
115446
125347
135347
145248
155248
165248
175149
185050
195050
204951
214852
224753
234654
244555
254555
264555
274456
284456
294456
304456
314357

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Rock Island gets around 2.7 in of rain and snow over 8.5 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 27% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1260
2250
3250
4250
5250
6250
7250
8260
9260
10260
11260
12260
13260
14270
15270
16270
17280
18280
19290
20291
21291
22291
23291
24291
25291
26291
27282
28282
29282
30272
31272

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 88% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1761473
2771463
3781363
4781363
5801253
6811252
7821152
8831142
9841042
10841042
1186932
1287832
1388831
1489731
1590721
1691621
1791621
1892521
1992521
2092521
2194420
2294420
2394420
2494420
2594420
2694420
2794420
2895410
2995410
3095410
3196310

Wind in October

Winds average 9 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light 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 6:04 AM to 6:39 AM, and sunset from 5:38 PM to 4:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:045:38
211.56:065:36
311.56:075:35
411.46:085:33
511.46:095:31
611.36:105:30
711.36:115:28
811.26:125:26
911.26:135:24
1011.16:155:23
1111.16:165:21
1211.06:175:20
1311.06:185:18
1411.06:195:16
1510.96:205:15
1610.96:215:13
1710.86:235:12
1810.86:245:10
1910.76:255:09
2010.76:265:07
2110.66:275:06
2210.66:295:04
2310.66:305:03
2410.56:315:01
2510.56:325:00
2610.46:334:59
2710.46:354:57
2810.36:364:56
2910.36:374:55
3010.36:384:54
3110.26:394:52

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.16 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.7 kWh/m² to a high of 6.38 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.16 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.7Moderate
63.7Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.5Moderate
103.5Moderate
113.4Moderate
123.4Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.1Moderate
183.1Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.6Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Rock Island?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.6
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Rock Island for sightseeing.

What to pack for Rock Island in October

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

In October, Rock Island sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 44°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Rock Island 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 Rock Island peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Rock Island 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 Rock Island is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1916 µg/m³Oct 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Rock Island?

Rock Island sits at 41.5°N, 90.6°W, 561 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Davenport, 1.2 mi away.

Topography around Rock Island

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Rock Island has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 203 ft around an average of 610 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 367 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 584 ft.

The land around Rock Island is covered by artificial surfaces (45%) and trees (27%) within 2 miles, cropland (35%) and trees (29%) within 10 miles, and cropland (74%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
203 ft
10 miles
367 ft
50 miles
584 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Davenport 1.2 mi · Moline 3.1 mi · Bettendorf 3.7 mi · East Moline 6.8 mi · Muscatine 25 mi · Clinton 30 mi · Galesburg 40 mi · Sterling 50 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 Rock Island (41.5095°, -90.5787°, elevation 561 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).