Wake Forest weather in October

In October, Wake Forest sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 52°F, with 3.2 in of rain across 7.5 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 12th-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 46% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Wake Forest's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wake Forest's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
6th warmest
Overnight low
52°
7th coldest
Rainfall
3.2 in
7.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:27 AM – 5:31 PM
Cloud cover
48%
1st clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

Wake Forest is town located in the U.S. state of North Carolina.

Density
969/km²
people per km²
Founded
1880

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 Wake Forest reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 52°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 61°F and 81°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 9°F cooler than September and about 10°F warmer than November.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17659
27658
37658
47558
57557
67457
77456
87456
97455
107355
117355
127354
137254
147253
157153
167152
177152
187151
197051
207050
217050
226950
236949
246949
256849
266848
276848
286748
296747
306747
316647

How October really feels in Wake Forest

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.

Wake Forest weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan51° / 33°3.79.31.39.82.5
Feb54° / 35°3.29.11.310.63.3
Mar62° / 42°4.210.60.511.75.2
Apr71° / 51°3.59.3012.96.7
May78° / 60°3.710.7013.96.6
Jun85° / 68°4.012.1014.44.9
Jul88° / 71°4.715.7014.23.8
Aug86° / 70°4.312.2013.44.6
Sep81° / 64°4.710012.26.4
Oct71° / 52°3.27.5011.17.1
Nov61° / 42°3.47.80.110.15.5
Dec53° / 36°3.59.20.69.63.3

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% 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 42%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25347
35347
45347
55446
65446
75545
85545
95644
105644
115743
125743
135842
145941
156040
166139
176139
186238
196238
206238
216238
226238
236139
246139
256139
266040
276040
285941
295941
305941
315941

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Wake Forest gets around 3.2 in of rain over 7.5 wet days in October, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 25% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
328
428
527
627
727
827
927
1027
1127
1226
1326
1426
1525
1625
1724
1824
1923
2023
2123
2223
2323
2423
2523
2624
2724
2824
2925
3025
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 59% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 9% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1342220186
2362219176
3382219166
4402218145
5412318135
6432317125
7452316114
8472216104
9492215104
1051221593
1153221483
1254211483
1357211372
1458201372
1560201262
1662191261
1763191161
1865181151
1967181050
2068171050
2169171040
227116940
237116940
247215940
257215940
267315930
277315930
287414930
297514830
307514830
317514830

Wind in October

Winds average 6 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 66 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:14 AM to 6:41 AM, and sunset from 5:52 PM to 5:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:145:52
211.66:155:51
311.66:165:49
411.56:165:48
511.56:175:46
611.46:185:45
711.46:195:43
811.46:205:42
911.36:215:41
1011.36:225:39
1111.36:225:38
1211.26:235:36
1311.26:245:35
1411.16:255:34
1511.16:265:32
1611.16:275:31
1711.06:285:30
1811.06:295:29
1911.06:305:27
2010.96:315:26
2110.96:325:25
2210.96:335:24
2310.86:345:22
2410.86:355:21
2510.76:355:20
2610.76:365:19
2710.76:375:18
2810.66:385:17
2910.66:395:16
3010.66:405:15
3110.56:415:14

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.62 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.24 kWh/m² to a high of 6.17 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.62 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.8Moderate
93.7Moderate
103.7Moderate
113.7Moderate
123.7Moderate
133.7Moderate
143.6Moderate
153.6Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.6Moderate
193.6Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.4Moderate
253.4Moderate
263.4Moderate
273.3Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.2Moderate
313.2Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Wake Forest?

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

7.1
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 Wake Forest for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Wake Forest in October

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

In October, Wake Forest sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 52°F. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 8 days see rain.

UV index in Wake Forest 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 Wake Forest peaks around July 13 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 13UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Wake Forest 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 Wake Forest is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Nov 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Wake Forest?

Wake Forest sits at 36.0°N, 78.5°W, 390 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is West Raleigh, 16 mi away.

Topography around Wake Forest

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Wake Forest has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 ft around an average of 361 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 581 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,047 ft.

The land around Wake Forest is covered by trees (67%) within 2 miles, trees (72%) within 10 miles, and trees (74%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
285 ft
10 miles
581 ft
50 miles
1,047 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: West Raleigh 16 mi · Raleigh 16 mi · Garner 19 mi · Cary 20 mi · Morrisville 21 mi · Durham 22 mi · Clayton 23 mi · Henderson 25 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 Wake Forest (35.9799°, -78.5097°, elevation 390 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).