Shelby weather in October

In October, Shelby sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 3.3 in of rain across 6.9 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 75°F in the first days to 67°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% 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 Shelby's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shelby's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
6th warmest
Overnight low
51°
7th coldest
Rainfall
3.3 in
6.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:38 AM – 5:44 PM
Cloud cover
46%
1st clearest
Wind
5 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.74 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Shelby is city in and the county seat of Cleveland County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
369/km²
people per km²

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 75°F in the first days to 67°F by the end.

A typical October day in Shelby reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 61°F and 80°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 10°F cooler than September and about 10°F warmer than November.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17658
27657
37557
47557
57556
67456
77455
87455
97355
107354
117354
127253
137253
147252
157152
167151
177151
187150
197050
207049
217049
226949
236948
246948
256848
266847
276847
286747
296746
306746
316646

How October really feels in Shelby

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.

Shelby weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan51° / 33°4.09.61.39.92.5
Feb55° / 36°3.58.91.110.73.4
Mar62° / 42°4.510.10.411.75.4
Apr71° / 51°3.89012.96.8
May78° / 59°3.010013.86.7
Jun85° / 67°3.713014.34.8
Jul89° / 71°3.814.4014.13.9
Aug86° / 69°3.812.7013.34.6
Sep81° / 63°3.69.2012.26.4
Oct71° / 51°3.36.9011.17.3
Nov61° / 41°3.67.7010.15.4
Dec53° / 35°4.090.69.73.1

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in October, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 38%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35842
45743
55842
65842
75941
85941
95941
105941
115941
125941
136040
146139
156238
166238
176337
186436
196535
206535
216535
226634
236535
246535
256535
266436
276436
286337
296238
306238
316238

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Shelby gets around 3.3 in of rain over 6.9 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 24% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
226
326
426
525
625
725
824
924
1024
1124
1224
1323
1423
1523
1622
1722
1822
1922
2022
2122
2222
2322
2422
2523
2623
2723
2824
2924
3024
3125

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 61% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 7% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1382122153
2402122143
3422121133
4432120123
5452119113
6462219113
7482218103
849221793
951221782
1053221672
1155211572
1256211562
1358211452
1459201452
1562201341
1664191241
1765191231
1867181131
1968181130
2071171020
2171171020
227217920
237316920
247316920
257316920
267615810
277515820
287515820
297515820
307714720
317714720

Wind in October

Winds average 5 mph in October.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
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 6:26 AM to 6:52 AM, and sunset from 6:05 PM to 5:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:266:05
211.66:266:03
311.66:276:02
411.56:286:00
511.56:295:59
611.56:305:57
711.46:315:56
811.46:315:55
911.36:325:53
1011.36:335:52
1111.36:345:51
1211.26:355:49
1311.26:365:48
1411.26:375:47
1511.16:385:45
1611.16:385:44
1711.16:395:43
1811.06:405:41
1911.06:415:40
2011.06:425:39
2110.96:435:38
2210.96:445:37
2310.86:455:35
2410.86:465:34
2510.86:475:33
2610.76:485:32
2710.76:495:31
2810.76:495:30
2910.66:505:29
3010.66:515:28
3110.66:525:27

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.74 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.29 kWh/m² to a high of 6.21 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.74 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.0Bright
34.0Bright
44.0Moderate
54.0Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.8Moderate
143.8Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.7Moderate
173.7Moderate
183.7Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.6Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.4Moderate
283.4Moderate
293.4Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Shelby?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is one of the better times to visit Shelby for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Shelby in October

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

In October, Shelby sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 51°F. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 7 days see rain.

UV index in Shelby in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Shelby peaks around July 12 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Shelby 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 Shelby is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1719 µg/m³Dec 239 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Shelby?

Shelby sits at 35.3°N, 81.5°W, 860 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Gastonia, 20 mi away.

Topography around Shelby

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Shelby has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 ft around an average of 853 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 518 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,705 ft.

The land around Shelby is covered by trees (69%) within 2 miles, trees (60%) and grassland (30%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
282 ft
10 miles
518 ft
50 miles
4,705 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Gastonia 20 mi · Hickory 32 mi · Morganton 32 mi · Spartanburg 32 mi · Rock Hill 39 mi · Charlotte 39 mi · Huntersville 40 mi · Cornelius 40 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 Shelby (35.2923°, -81.5357°, elevation 860 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).