Watertown weather in October

In October, Watertown sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 2.8 in of precipitation across 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 Watertown's 5th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Watertown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
6th warmest
Overnight low
42°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.8 in
9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:16 AM – 5:04 PM
Cloud cover
61%
5th clearest
Wind
9 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.89 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Watertown is city in Dodge County and Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States.

Density
739/km²
people per km²

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 Watertown reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 42°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 14°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16547
26547
36546
46446
56446
66345
76345
86244
96244
106244
116143
126143
136043
146042
155942
165942
175841
185841
195741
205740
215640
225640
235539
245539
255439
265438
275338
285338
295237
305237
315136

How October really feels in Watertown

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 5 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
5
wind chill below the day's low

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

Watertown 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°1.67.96.69.20.0
Feb31° / 16°1.66.95.510.20.0
Mar43° / 26°2.38.93.911.60.8
Apr56° / 38°3.712.11.913.13.5
May67° / 49°3.711.8014.45.8
Jun77° / 59°3.911.2015.16.6
Jul81° / 63°3.29.9014.96.6
Aug79° / 61°3.510.2013.86.8
Sep72° / 53°2.98.8012.36.9
Oct58° / 42°2.890.310.84.5
Nov44° / 30°2.17.929.50.9
Dec32° / 20°1.97.65.48.90.0

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 12% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25149
35149
45149
55050
64951
74951
84852
94852
104852
114753
124654
134654
144555
154456
164258
174159
184060
194060
203961
213961
223862
233862
243862
253862
263763
273763
283763
293862
303862
313862

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Watertown gets around 2.8 in of rain and snow over 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
2310
3310
4300
5300
6300
7300
8300
9300
10300
11300
12300
13300
14301
15301
16301
17301
18301
19301
20301
21291
22291
23291
24281
25282
26272
27272
28272
29272
30262
31262

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 (%)
183962
284862
386752
486752
587652
689641
789641
889641
991531
1091531
1191531
1293421
1393421
1493421
1593421
1695410
1796310
1896310
1996310
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
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light 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 5:58 AM to 6:35 AM, and sunset from 5:30 PM to 4:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:585:30
211.55:595:28
311.46:005:26
411.46:015:24
511.36:035:23
611.36:045:21
711.26:055:19
811.26:065:17
911.16:075:16
1011.16:095:14
1111.06:105:12
1211.06:115:10
1310.96:125:09
1410.96:145:07
1510.86:155:05
1610.86:165:04
1710.76:175:02
1810.76:195:01
1910.76:204:59
2010.66:214:57
2110.66:224:56
2210.56:244:54
2310.56:254:53
2410.46:264:51
2510.46:284:50
2610.36:294:48
2710.36:304:47
2810.26:314:46
2910.26:334:44
3010.16:344:43
3110.16:354:42

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.89 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.54 kWh/m² to a high of 6.3 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 2.89 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.4Moderate
73.4Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.0Moderate
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 Watertown?

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 Watertown for sightseeing.

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 58°F and nights near 42°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Watertown in October

The nearest coast averages about 56°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 44 mi away) is warmest in August at about 70°F and coldest in March near 36°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 29 to Aug 30 — about 1.1 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan38Bracing
Feb36Bracing
Mar36Bracing
Apr38Bracing
May42Bracing
Jun54Bracing
Jul67Cool
Aug70Refreshing
Sep66Cool
Oct56Bracing
Nov46Bracing
Dec41Bracing

UV index in Watertown 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 Watertown peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 19UV 9Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

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

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1415 µg/m³Nov 118 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Watertown?

Watertown sits at 43.2°N, 88.7°W, 853 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Oconomowoc, 13 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 180 ft around an average of 843 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 325 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,129 ft.

The land around Watertown is covered by grassland (28%), artificial surfaces (27%) and trees (26%) within 2 miles, cropland (57%) and trees (21%) within 10 miles, and cropland (47%) and trees (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
180 ft
10 miles
325 ft
50 miles
1,129 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
October weather nearby: Oconomowoc 13 mi · Beaver Dam 19 mi · Sun Prairie 24 mi · Waukesha 28 mi · Menomonee Falls 31 mi · Germantown 31 mi · West Bend 32 mi · Brookfield 33 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 (43.1947°, -88.729°, elevation 853 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. 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. 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).