Santa Fe weather in October

In October, Santa Fe sees average daytime highs of 64°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 1.2 in of precipitation across 4.6 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 69°F in the first days to 58°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Santa Fe's 1st-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Fe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
64°
6th warmest
Overnight low
40°
7th coldest
Precipitation
1.2 in
4.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:16 AM – 5:21 PM
Cloud cover
30%
1st clearest
Wind
6 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Santa Fe is capital city of the U.S. state of New Mexico and seat of Santa Fe County.

Density
645/km²
people per km²
Founded
1610

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 69°F in the first days to 58°F by the end.

A typical October day in Santa Fe reaches about 64°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 24°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 53°F and 73°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 11°F cooler than September and about 13°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17046
27046
36945
46945
56844
66844
76744
86743
96743
106642
116642
126541
136541
146441
156440
166440
176339
186339
196239
206238
216138
226138
236037
246037
255936
265936
275836
285835
295835
305735
315734

How October really feels in Santa Fe

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 7 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
7
wind chill below the day's low

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

Santa Fe weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan41° / 19°0.94.449.90.1
Feb45° / 24°0.854.210.61.2
Mar54° / 30°1.05.42.811.73.7
Apr62° / 37°0.94.51.412.96.1
May71° / 46°0.84.80.113.97.8
Jun81° / 55°0.63.7014.47.6
Jul83° / 59°1.48014.26.3
Aug80° / 57°1.38013.37.1
Sep74° / 51°1.04.7012.28.2
Oct64° / 40°1.24.60.711.16.7
Nov51° / 29°0.84.1210.13.0
Dec41° / 20°1.04.54.19.60.2

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% of the time in October, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 19%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18515
28515
38515
48416
58416
68416
78416
88416
98416
108416
118416
128416
138317
148218
158218
168218
178119
188119
198020
207921
217822
227822
237822
247624
257624
267624
277624
287624
297624
307624
317624

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Santa Fe gets around 1.2 in of rain and snow over 4.6 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 14% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1140
2140
3140
4150
5150
6150
7151
8151
9151
10151
11151
12152
13142
14142
15142
16142
17142
18142
19143
20143
21143
22143
23143
24143
25144
26144
27144
28144
29144
30144
31144

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 (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in October

Winds average 6 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
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 36 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 60 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:03 AM to 6:31 AM, and sunset from 5:42 PM to 5:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:035:42
211.66:045:41
311.66:055:39
411.56:065:38
511.56:075:36
611.56:085:35
711.46:085:33
811.46:095:32
911.36:105:31
1011.36:115:29
1111.36:125:28
1211.26:135:26
1311.26:145:25
1411.26:155:24
1511.16:165:22
1611.16:165:21
1711.06:175:20
1811.06:185:19
1911.06:195:17
2010.96:205:16
2110.96:215:15
2210.96:225:14
2310.86:235:13
2410.86:245:11
2510.86:255:10
2610.76:265:09
2710.76:275:08
2810.76:285:07
2910.66:295:06
3010.66:305:05
3110.66:315:04

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.07 kWh/m² to a high of 8.17 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 4.75 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.6Bright
204.6Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.1Bright
314.1Bright
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Santa Fe?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.2
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Santa Fe for sightseeing.

What to pack for Santa Fe in October

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

In October, Santa Fe sees daytime highs around 64°F and nights near 40°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

UV index in Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe peaks around June 23 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 — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 12Dec 18UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar7Very high
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe is worst in May — around 41 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 6.7× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodMay 1838 µg/m³Nov 206 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb8Good
Mar8Good
Apr11Good
May41Poor
Jun19Moderate
Jul9Good
Aug9Good
Sep8Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Fe?

Santa Fe sits at 35.7°N, 105.9°W, 6,995 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Enchanted Hills, 44 mi away.

Topography around Santa Fe

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Santa Fe has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 820 ft around an average of 7,103 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,387 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,969 ft.

The land around Santa Fe is covered by artificial surfaces (45%) and trees (43%) within 2 miles, trees (51%) and grassland (34%) within 10 miles, and trees (47%) and grassland (41%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
820 ft
10 miles
5,387 ft
50 miles
7,969 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrain
October weather nearby: Enchanted Hills 44 mi · Rio Rancho 52 mi · Albuquerque 58 mi · South Valley 63 mi · Los Lunas 76 mi · Farmington 146 mi · Durango 154 mi · Gallup 158 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 Santa Fe (35.687°, -105.9378°, elevation 6,995 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).