Sanford weather in October

In October, Sanford sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 43°F, with 4.3 in of precipitation across 9.5 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 64°F in the first days to 53°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 Sanford's 4th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sanford's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
6th warmest
Overnight low
43°
7th coldest
Precipitation
4.3 in
9.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:05 AM – 4:52 PM
Cloud cover
56%
4th clearest
Wind
7 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
2.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Sanford is city in York County, Maine, United States.

Density
165/km²
people per km²
Founded
1739

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 53°F by the end.

A typical October day in Sanford reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 43°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 49°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)
16448
26448
36447
46347
56347
66246
76246
86246
96145
106145
116045
126044
136044
145944
155943
165843
175843
185842
195742
205742
215642
225641
235641
245540
255540
265540
275440
285439
295339
305339
315338

How October really feels in Sanford

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.

Sanford weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 16°3.39.37.19.10.0
Feb33° / 17°3.28.76.710.20.0
Mar41° / 26°4.110.96.211.60.3
Apr53° / 37°4.110.52.313.23.1
May64° / 47°3.210.50.114.55.5
Jun74° / 56°4.011.7015.26.4
Jul79° / 63°3.711.4014.96.4
Aug78° / 61°3.59.5013.86.9
Sep70° / 54°3.58.7012.36.8
Oct58° / 43°4.39.50.310.84.6
Nov47° / 33°3.69.11.79.51.5
Dec36° / 24°4.310.46.18.80.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 49%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35347
45248
55347
65347
75347
85446
95446
105347
115347
125347
135347
145347
155347
165149
175149
185149
195149
205050
215050
225050
235050
244951
254951
264951
274852
284753
294753
304753
314654

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Sanford gets around 4.3 in of rain and snow over 9.5 wet days in October, the wettest month. 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 34% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1290
2290
3290
4290
5290
6290
7280
8280
9280
10280
11280
12290
13290
14290
15290
16301
17301
18311
19311
20321
21321
22332
23332
24332
25342
26342
27342
28342
29342
30332
31332

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 92% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1781462
2801352
3821341
4831241
5851131
6861031
788921
889821
989821
1091720
1192710
1293610
1394510
1494510
1594510
1695410
1795410
1895410
1995410
2095410
2195410
2295410
2396310
2496310
2596310
2696310
2796310
2896310
2996310
3096310
3197210

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
177light breeze
187light 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 5:46 AM to 6:24 AM, and sunset from 5:18 PM to 4:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:465:18
211.55:475:16
311.45:495:14
411.45:505:12
511.35:515:11
611.35:525:09
711.25:535:07
811.25:555:05
911.15:565:04
1011.15:575:02
1111.05:585:00
1211.06:004:58
1310.96:014:57
1410.96:024:55
1510.86:034:53
1610.86:054:52
1710.76:064:50
1810.76:074:48
1910.66:084:47
2010.66:104:45
2110.56:114:44
2210.56:124:42
2310.56:144:41
2410.46:154:39
2510.46:164:38
2610.36:174:36
2710.36:194:35
2810.26:204:33
2910.26:214:32
3010.16:234:31
3110.16:244:29

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 1.52 kWh/m² to a high of 6.05 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
43.4Moderate
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
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Sanford

In seasonPeak

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

Sanford 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 Sanford?

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

October is a reasonable time to visit Sanford for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sanford in October

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

In October, Sanford sees daytime highs around 58°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 Sanford 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 21 mi away) is warmest in August at about 64°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
May48Bracing
Jun56Bracing
Jul62Cool
Aug64Cool
Sep61Cool
Oct55Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec45Bracing

UV index in Sanford in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sanford peaks around July 12 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateModerateLowJul 12UV 7Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sanford?

Sanford sits at 43.4°N, 70.8°W, 302 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Rochester, 14 mi away.

Topography around Sanford

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sanford has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 492 ft around an average of 374 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,066 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,101 ft.

The land around Sanford is covered by trees (77%) within 2 miles, trees (87%) within 10 miles, and trees (68%) and water (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
492 ft
10 miles
1,066 ft
50 miles
4,101 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
October weather nearby: Rochester 14 mi · Biddeford 17 mi · Saco 17 mi · Dover 17 mi · West Scarborough 21 mi · Portsmouth 25 mi · Westbrook 26 mi · South Portland Gardens 27 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 Sanford (43.4393°, -70.7742°, elevation 302 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).