Winchester weather in October

In October, Winchester sees average daytime highs of 65°F and overnight lows near 46°F, with 3.2 in of precipitation across 8.1 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 70°F in the first days to 60°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Winchester's 1st-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Winchester's year-round climate.

Daytime high
65°
6th warmest
Overnight low
46°
7th coldest
Precipitation
3.2 in
8.1 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:29 AM – 5:26 PM
Cloud cover
52%
1st clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
3.33 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Winchester is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
1,138/km²
people per km²
Founded
1752

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 70°F in the first days to 60°F by the end.

A typical October day in Winchester reaches about 65°F in the afternoon and slips back to 46°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 77°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)
17152
27152
37051
47051
57051
66950
76950
86949
96849
106848
116748
126748
136647
146647
156646
166546
176546
186445
196445
206445
216344
226344
236344
246243
256243
266242
276142
286142
296041
306041
316041

How October really feels in Winchester

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.

Winchester weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan40° / 25°2.98.33.59.60.0
Feb44° / 27°2.68.33.610.50.6
Mar52° / 34°3.710.42.811.72.8
Apr64° / 44°3.6110.2135.5
May72° / 53°4.112.4014.16.3
Jun81° / 62°3.611.8014.75.9
Jul85° / 67°3.511.3014.55.0
Aug84° / 65°2.910.1013.55.6
Sep77° / 58°4.29.2012.36.9
Oct65° / 46°3.28.10.1116.2
Nov54° / 36°2.97.60.69.93.4
Dec44° / 29°3.28.82.69.30.8

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in October, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 45%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25644
35743
45743
55842
65941
75941
85842
95842
105842
115743
125743
135644
145644
155644
165545
175545
185545
195545
205446
215347
225347
235347
245347
255347
265248
275248
285248
295347
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Winchester gets around 3.2 in of rain and snow over 8.1 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 27% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
229
329
428
527
627
726
826
926
1026
1126
1226
1326
1426
1527
1627
1727
1827
1927
2027
2127
2227
2327
2427
2527
2627
2726
2826
2926
3026
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 82% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
16220135
26419125
36618115
46718105
56917104
6701794
7721684
8731584
9751573
10771463
11771463
12801352
13811252
14821242
15841141
16851131
17861031
18861031
1989920
2089920
2190820
2290820
2391720
2491720
2592620
2693610
2793610
2894510
2994510
3094510
3195410

Wind in October

Winds average 6 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
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 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 72 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:14 AM to 6:45 AM, and sunset from 5:49 PM to 5:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:145:49
211.66:155:48
311.56:165:46
411.56:175:45
511.46:185:43
611.46:195:41
711.36:205:40
811.36:215:38
911.26:225:37
1011.26:235:35
1111.26:245:34
1211.16:255:32
1311.16:265:31
1411.06:275:29
1511.06:285:28
1611.06:295:26
1710.96:305:25
1810.96:315:23
1910.86:325:22
2010.86:335:21
2110.76:345:19
2210.76:355:18
2310.76:375:17
2410.66:385:15
2510.66:395:14
2610.56:405:13
2710.56:415:12
2810.56:425:10
2910.46:435:09
3010.46:445:08
3110.46:455:07

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.33 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.89 kWh/m² to a high of 6.13 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.33 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.8Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.7Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.5Moderate
103.5Moderate
113.5Moderate
123.5Moderate
133.4Moderate
143.4Moderate
153.3Moderate
163.3Moderate
173.3Moderate
183.2Moderate
193.2Moderate
203.2Moderate
213.1Moderate
223.1Moderate
233.1Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.0Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Winchester?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
2.5
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Winchester for sightseeing.

What to pack for Winchester in October

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

In October, Winchester sees daytime highs around 65°F and nights near 46°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Winchester 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 Winchester peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Winchester 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 Winchester is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1317 µg/m³Nov 138 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Winchester?

Winchester sits at 39.2°N, 78.2°W, 709 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Front Royal, 19 mi away.

Topography around Winchester

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Winchester has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 358 ft around an average of 748 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,814 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,183 ft.

The land around Winchester is covered by trees (45%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 2 miles, trees (51%) and grassland (37%) within 10 miles, and trees (70%) and grassland (21%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
358 ft
10 miles
1,814 ft
50 miles
4,183 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
October weather nearby: Front Royal 19 mi · Martinsburg 22 mi · Leesburg 32 mi · Ashburn 37 mi · Hagerstown 39 mi · South Riding 40 mi · Ballenger Creek 41 mi · Sterling 41 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 Winchester (39.1857°, -78.1633°, elevation 709 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).