Watertown weather in October

In October, Watertown sees average daytime highs of 56°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 4.6 in of precipitation across 13.5 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 61°F in the first days to 51°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% 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 Watertown's 6th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Watertown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
56°
6th warmest
Overnight low
44°
7th coldest
Precipitation
4.6 in
13.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:26 AM – 5:11 PM
Cloud cover
65%
6th clearest
Wind
9 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
out of 10

Watertown is city in Jefferson County, New York, United States.

Density
1,104/km²
people per km²
Founded
1800

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 61°F in the first days to 51°F by the end.

A typical October day in Watertown reaches about 56°F in the afternoon and slips back to 44°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 46°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 12°F cooler than September and about 12°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16249
26249
36249
46148
56148
66047
76047
86047
95947
105946
115846
125846
135845
145745
155745
165644
175644
185544
195543
205543
215443
225442
235342
245342
255241
265241
275241
285140
295140
305140
315039

How October really feels in Watertown

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.

Watertown weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 16°3.413.612.39.10.0
Feb29° / 16°2.8119.310.20.0
Mar37° / 24°3.212.17.411.60.1
Apr50° / 37°4.112.32.613.22.2
May62° / 48°3.4120.114.55.0
Jun71° / 59°4.012.2015.26.3
Jul76° / 64°4.213.2014.96.5
Aug75° / 62°3.812.5013.86.7
Sep68° / 55°3.810.1012.36.3
Oct56° / 44°4.613.50.310.83.5
Nov45° / 34°3.813.74.39.40.9
Dec34° / 24°3.81510.78.80.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24555
34654
44555
54555
64555
74555
84555
94456
104456
114357
124357
134258
144159
154060
163961
173961
183763
193664
203664
213664
223466
233466
243466
253367
263367
273268
283268
293268
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Watertown gets around 4.6 in of rain and snow over 13.5 wet days in October, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 44% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1400
2410
3410
4410
5410
6410
7410
8410
9420
10420
11420
12430
13430
14430
15440
16441
17451
18451
19461
20461
21461
22461
23462
24462
25462
26462
27452
28453
29453
30443
31443

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 92% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1771661
2781561
3801451
4801451
5821341
6851230
7861130
8861130
9881020
1089920
1190820
1291720
1391720
1492620
1593520
1694510
1795410
1895410
1995410
2096310
2196310
2296310
2397210
2497210
2598200
2698200
2798200
2899100
2999100
3099100
3199100

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
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light 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 6:07 AM to 6:46 AM, and sunset from 5:38 PM to 4:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:075:38
211.56:085:36
311.46:095:35
411.46:115:33
511.36:125:31
611.36:135:29
711.26:145:27
811.26:165:25
911.16:175:24
1011.16:185:22
1111.06:195:20
1211.06:215:18
1310.96:225:17
1410.96:235:15
1510.86:255:13
1610.86:265:11
1710.76:275:10
1810.76:285:08
1910.66:305:07
2010.66:315:05
2110.56:325:03
2210.56:345:02
2310.46:355:00
2410.46:364:59
2510.36:384:57
2610.36:394:56
2710.26:404:54
2810.26:424:53
2910.16:434:51
3010.16:444:50
3110.16:464:49

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.63 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.24 kWh/m² to a high of 6.2 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 2.63 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.2Moderate
43.2Moderate
53.1Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.1Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
102.9Moderate
112.9Moderate
122.8Moderate
132.8Moderate
142.7Moderate
152.7Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.4Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.0Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Watertown

In seasonPeak

In October, Watertown sits inside its atlantic hurricane season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Watertown sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is October a good time to visit Watertown?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Watertown.

What to pack for Watertown in October

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

In October, Watertown sees daytime highs around 56°F and nights near 44°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Watertown in October

The nearest coast averages about 59°F in October — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 24 mi away) is warmest in August at about 72°F and coldest in March near 35°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 14 to Sep 13 — about 2 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan38Bracing
Feb36Bracing
Mar35Bracing
Apr38Bracing
May45Bracing
Jun58Bracing
Jul69Refreshing
Aug72Refreshing
Sep68Cool
Oct59Bracing
Nov50Bracing
Dec43Bracing

UV index in Watertown in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Watertown peaks around July 13 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 13UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Watertown?

Watertown sits at 44.0°N, 75.9°W, 466 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kingston, 34 mi away.

Topography around Watertown

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Watertown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 374 ft around an average of 486 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,260 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,205 ft.

The land around Watertown is covered by trees (50%), grassland (21%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 2 miles, trees (53%), grassland (21%) and cropland (21%) within 10 miles, and trees (59%) and water (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
374 ft
10 miles
1,260 ft
50 miles
2,205 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
October weather nearby: Kingston 34 mi · Brockville 44 mi · Oswego 47 mi · Greater Napanee 55 mi · Clay 56 mi · Cicero 56 mi · Rome 57 mi · Syracuse 65 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 Watertown (43.9748°, -75.9108°, elevation 466 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).