Sioux City weather in October

In October, Sioux City sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 41°F, with 2.4 in of precipitation across 7.4 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 55°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% 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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Sioux City's 4th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sioux City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
6th warmest
Overnight low
41°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.4 in
7.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:46 AM – 5:35 PM
Cloud cover
49%
4th clearest
Wind
10 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
3.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Sioux City is city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in Iowa, United States.

Density
547/km²
people per km²
Founded
1854

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 55°F by the end.

A typical October day in Sioux City reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 41°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 47°F and 76°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 14°F cooler than September and about 15°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16947
26947
36846
46846
56746
66745
76645
86644
96544
106544
116443
126443
136342
146342
156242
166241
176141
186140
196040
206039
215939
225938
235838
245838
255737
265737
275636
285636
295535
305535
315434

How October really feels in Sioux City

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 10 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
10
wind chill below the day's low

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

Sioux City weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 13°0.94.74.39.20.0
Feb34° / 16°1.154.410.30.0
Mar47° / 27°2.273.211.61.6
Apr60° / 39°4.010.61.813.14.6
May71° / 51°4.912.60.114.46.2
Jun80° / 61°4.911.8015.16.3
Jul84° / 65°3.08.8014.85.8
Aug82° / 63°3.99.4013.76.6
Sep75° / 54°3.07.7012.37.4
Oct62° / 41°2.47.40.510.85.6
Nov46° / 28°1.65.42.59.61.5
Dec33° / 17°1.25.24.28.90.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% 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 42%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16634
26634
36535
46436
56436
66337
76238
86139
96139
106139
116139
125941
135941
145941
155842
165842
175743
185743
195644
205644
215545
225446
235446
245446
255347
265347
275347
285347
295347
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Sioux City gets around 2.4 in of rain and snow over 7.4 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 23% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1260
2260
3260
4261
5261
6271
7271
8261
9261
10251
11251
12241
13231
14232
15222
16222
17212
18212
19212
20212
21202
22202
23202
24203
25203
26203
27203
28204
29194
30194
31185

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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1831142
2841042
3851032
487931
587931
689821
789821
890721
990721
1091621
1191621
1292620
1393520
1494510
1595410
1695410
1795410
1895410
1995410
2095410
2196310
2296310
2397300
2497300
2597300
2698200
2798200
2898200
2998200
3098200
3199100

Wind in October

Winds average 10 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 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 78 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:28 AM to 7:05 AM, and sunset from 6:01 PM to 5:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:286:01
211.56:295:59
311.46:315:57
411.46:325:56
511.36:335:54
611.36:345:52
711.36:355:50
811.26:365:49
911.26:385:47
1011.16:395:45
1111.16:405:44
1211.06:415:42
1311.06:425:40
1410.96:445:39
1510.96:455:37
1610.86:465:35
1710.86:475:34
1810.76:485:32
1910.76:505:31
2010.66:515:29
2110.66:525:28
2210.56:535:26
2310.56:555:25
2410.56:565:23
2510.46:575:22
2610.46:585:20
2710.37:005:19
2810.37:015:18
2910.27:025:16
3010.27:035:15
3110.27:055:14

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.82 kWh/m² to a high of 6.66 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 3.24 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.7Moderate
73.7Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.6Moderate
103.5Moderate
113.5Moderate
123.5Moderate
133.4Moderate
143.4Moderate
153.3Moderate
163.3Moderate
173.2Moderate
183.2Moderate
193.1Moderate
203.1Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Sioux City

In seasonPeak

In October, Sioux City sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Sioux City's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is October a good time to visit Sioux City?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Sioux City for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sioux City in October

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

In October, Sioux City sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 41°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Sioux City in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sioux City peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 19UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sioux City?

Sioux City sits at 42.5°N, 96.4°W, 1,201 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Norfolk, 62 mi away.

Topography around Sioux City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sioux City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 ft around an average of 1,152 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 436 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 892 ft.

The land around Sioux City is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and trees (30%) within 2 miles, cropland (52%) and grassland (23%) within 10 miles, and cropland (84%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
282 ft
10 miles
436 ft
50 miles
892 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Norfolk 62 mi · Fremont 74 mi · Sioux Falls 74 mi · Columbus 89 mi · Omaha 89 mi · Council Bluffs 90 mi · La Vista 93 mi · Papillion 95 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 Sioux City (42.5°, -96.4003°, elevation 1,201 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).