Sun Prairie weather in October

In October, Sun Prairie sees average daytime highs of 59°F and overnight lows near 41°F, with 2.9 in of precipitation across 8.9 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 65°F in the first days to 52°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 Sun Prairie's 5th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sun Prairie's year-round climate.

Daytime high
59°
6th warmest
Overnight low
41°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.9 in
8.9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:18 AM – 5:06 PM
Cloud cover
61%
5th clearest
Wind
9 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.9 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Sun Prairie is third-class city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States.

Density
1,038/km²
people per km²
Founded
1839

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 65°F in the first days to 52°F by the end.

A typical October day in Sun Prairie reaches about 59°F in the afternoon and slips back to 41°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 47°F and 72°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 13°F cooler than September and about 15°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16547
26546
36546
46446
56445
66445
76345
86344
96244
106244
116143
126143
136042
146042
155942
165941
175841
185841
195740
205740
215640
225639
235539
245539
255438
265438
275338
285337
295237
305237
315136

How October really feels in Sun Prairie

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 6 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
6
wind chill below the day's low

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

Sun Prairie 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
Jan27° / 13°1.67.66.69.20.0
Feb31° / 16°1.56.75.510.20.0
Mar43° / 26°2.48.93.611.60.8
Apr56° / 38°3.912.41.913.13.5
May68° / 49°3.912.30.114.45.8
Jun77° / 59°4.311.8015.16.4
Jul81° / 63°3.49.9014.96.5
Aug79° / 61°3.710.3013.86.7
Sep72° / 53°3.19012.36.9
Oct59° / 41°2.98.90.310.84.5
Nov44° / 30°2.27.92.29.50.9
Dec32° / 19°1.97.55.28.90.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 56%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25149
35149
45149
55149
65050
75050
85050
94852
104852
114753
124852
134753
144555
154456
164456
174357
184159
194159
204159
213961
223961
233862
243862
253862
263763
273763
283763
293763
303763
313763

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Sun Prairie gets around 2.9 in of rain and snow over 8.9 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 29% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1310
2300
3300
4300
5300
6300
7300
8300
9300
10300
11290
12290
13290
14291
15291
16291
17291
18291
19291
20291
21291
22282
23282
24282
25282
26272
27272
28272
29272
30273
31273

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 (%)
184862
285762
386752
487652
587652
689641
790541
890541
991531
1091531
1191531
1292521
1393421
1493421
1594411
1695410
1795410
1895410
1995410
2096310
2196310
2296310
2396310
2496310
2596310
2697210
2797210
2897210
2997210
3097210
3198200

Wind in October

Winds average 9 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light 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 6:00 AM to 6:37 AM, and sunset from 5:32 PM to 4:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:005:32
211.56:015:30
311.46:025:28
411.46:035:26
511.36:055:25
611.36:065:23
711.26:075:21
811.26:085:19
911.16:095:18
1011.16:115:16
1111.06:125:14
1211.06:135:12
1310.96:145:11
1410.96:165:09
1510.86:175:07
1610.86:185:06
1710.76:195:04
1810.76:215:03
1910.76:225:01
2010.66:234:59
2110.66:244:58
2210.56:264:56
2310.56:274:55
2410.46:284:53
2510.46:294:52
2610.36:314:50
2710.36:324:49
2810.26:334:48
2910.26:354:46
3010.16:364:45
3110.16:374:44

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.9 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.57 kWh/m² to a high of 6.28 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 2.9 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.5Moderate
63.4Moderate
73.4Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.8Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Sun Prairie?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.7
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Sun Prairie for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sun Prairie in October

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

In October, Sun Prairie sees daytime highs around 59°F and nights near 41°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Sun Prairie in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sun Prairie peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Sun Prairie 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 Sun Prairie is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1715 µg/m³Oct 248 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sun Prairie?

Sun Prairie sits at 43.2°N, 89.2°W, 958 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Madison, 12 mi away.

Topography around Sun Prairie

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sun Prairie has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 154 ft around an average of 971 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 269 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,043 ft.

The land around Sun Prairie is covered by cropland (32%), artificial surfaces (28%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, cropland (53%) within 10 miles, and cropland (48%) and trees (30%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
154 ft
10 miles
269 ft
50 miles
1,043 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Madison 12 mi · Middleton 16 mi · Fitchburg 20 mi · Watertown 24 mi · Beaver Dam 27 mi · Janesville 36 mi · Oconomowoc 37 mi · Beloit 48 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 Sun Prairie (43.1836°, -89.2137°, elevation 958 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).