Sioux Falls weather in October

In October, Sioux Falls sees average daytime highs of 59°F and overnight lows near 39°F, with 2.4 in of precipitation across 7 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 66°F in the first days to 52°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 Sioux Falls's 4th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sioux Falls's year-round climate.

Daytime high
59°
6th warmest
Overnight low
39°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.4 in
7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:49 AM – 5:35 PM
Cloud cover
51%
4th clearest
Wind
10 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
3.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Sioux Falls is city in and seat of Minnehaha County, and largest city in South Dakota, United States.

Density
872/km²
people per km²
Founded
1856

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 66°F in the first days to 52°F by the end.

A typical October day in Sioux Falls reaches about 59°F in the afternoon and slips back to 39°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 44°F and 73°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 14°F cooler than September and about 16°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16745
26644
36644
46544
56543
66443
76442
86342
96342
106241
116241
126140
136140
146040
156039
165939
175938
185838
195837
205737
215737
225636
235636
245535
255535
265434
275334
285333
295233
305232
315132

How October really feels in Sioux Falls

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 16 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
16
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 Falls 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
Jan26° / 10°0.84.74.49.10.0
Feb31° / 13°0.94.84.410.20.0
Mar43° / 24°1.86.63.711.61.0
Apr57° / 36°3.610.32.213.24.0
May69° / 49°4.512.5014.55.9
Jun78° / 59°5.112.5015.26.4
Jul82° / 64°3.38.9014.96.5
Aug80° / 61°3.38.8013.87.0
Sep73° / 52°3.27.9012.37.2
Oct59° / 39°2.470.710.85.0
Nov43° / 25°1.65.53.19.50.9
Dec30° / 15°1.054.88.80.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 44%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26238
36238
46238
56139
66139
76040
86040
95941
105941
115941
125941
135941
145842
155842
165842
175743
185743
195545
205446
215446
225347
235248
245248
255149
265149
275149
285149
295050
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Sioux Falls gets around 2.4 in of rain and snow over 7 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 21% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1240
2231
3231
4231
5231
6231
7241
8231
9232
10232
11222
12222
13212
14202
15202
16202
17203
18203
19203
20203
21203
22203
23203
24204
25214
26214
27214
28215
29215
30215
31216

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
187841
289830
389830
491720
591720
691720
792620
892620
993520
1094510
1194510
1295410
1395410
1496310
1596310
1696310
1797210
1897210
1997210
2097210
2197210
2297210
2398110
2499100
2599100
2699100
2799100
2899100
2999100
3099100
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 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 6:30 AM to 7:08 AM, and sunset from 6:02 PM to 5:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:306:02
211.56:316:00
311.46:325:58
411.46:345:56
511.36:355:54
611.36:365:53
711.26:375:51
811.26:395:49
911.16:405:47
1011.16:415:46
1111.06:425:44
1211.06:445:42
1310.96:455:40
1410.96:465:39
1510.86:475:37
1610.86:495:35
1710.76:505:34
1810.76:515:32
1910.66:525:30
2010.66:545:29
2110.56:555:27
2210.56:565:26
2310.46:585:24
2410.46:595:23
2510.47:005:21
2610.37:015:20
2710.37:035:18
2810.27:045:17
2910.27:055:16
3010.17:075:14
3110.17:085:13

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.13 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.73 kWh/m² to a high of 6.67 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 3.13 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.8Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.5Moderate
93.5Moderate
103.4Moderate
113.4Moderate
123.3Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.1Moderate
183.1Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Sioux Falls

In seasonPeak

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

Sioux Falls'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 Falls?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.9
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Sioux Falls in October

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

In October, Sioux Falls sees daytime highs around 59°F and nights near 39°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Sioux Falls 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 Falls peaks around June 16 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 16UV 8Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sioux Falls?

Sioux Falls sits at 43.5°N, 96.7°W, 1,470 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Brookings, 53 mi away.

Topography around Sioux Falls

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sioux Falls has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 246 ft around an average of 1,440 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 390 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 843 ft.

The land around Sioux Falls is covered by artificial surfaces (47%) and trees (37%) within 2 miles, cropland (51%) and grassland (25%) within 10 miles, and cropland (83%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
246 ft
10 miles
390 ft
50 miles
843 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Brookings 53 mi · Mitchell 66 mi · Sioux City 74 mi · Watertown 96 mi · Norfolk 111 mi · Willmar 137 mi · Mankato 142 mi · Fremont 146 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 Falls (43.5437°, -96.728°, elevation 1,470 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).