Winston-Salem weather in October

In October, Winston-Salem sees average daytime highs of 70°F and overnight lows near 50°F, with 3.3 in of rain across 7.3 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 75°F in the first days to 66°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 Winston-Salem's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Winston-Salem's year-round climate.

Daytime high
70°
6th warmest
Overnight low
50°
7th coldest
Rainfall
3.3 in
7.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:34 AM – 5:38 PM
Cloud cover
47%
1st clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

Winston-Salem is city in and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
696/km²
people per km²
Founded
1766

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 66°F by the end.

A typical October day in Winston-Salem reaches about 70°F in the afternoon and slips back to 50°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 80°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 10°F cooler than September and about 11°F warmer than November.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17557
27556
37556
47456
57455
67455
77354
87354
97353
107253
117253
127252
137151
147151
157151
167050
177050
187049
196949
206948
216948
226848
236847
246847
256747
266746
276746
286646
296645
306645
316544

How October really feels in Winston-Salem

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.

Winston-Salem weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan49° / 32°3.69.41.59.82.1
Feb53° / 34°3.38.91.510.63.0
Mar61° / 40°4.3100.811.75.1
Apr70° / 49°3.69.5012.96.6
May78° / 58°3.311013.96.6
Jun85° / 66°3.612.1014.44.9
Jul88° / 70°3.714.1014.23.9
Aug86° / 69°3.611.8013.44.7
Sep80° / 62°4.09012.26.5
Oct70° / 50°3.37.3011.17.1
Nov60° / 40°3.37.70.110.15.2
Dec52° / 34°3.790.69.62.8

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 40%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25644
35842
45842
55842
65842
75842
85941
95941
105842
115941
125941
135941
146040
156139
166139
176139
186238
196238
206337
216238
226238
236238
246238
256139
266139
276040
286040
295941
306040
316040

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Winston-Salem gets around 3.3 in of rain over 7.3 wet days in October. 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 27% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
226
326
425
525
625
725
825
925
1025
1125
1225
1325
1425
1524
1624
1724
1823
1923
2023
2123
2223
2323
2423
2524
2624
2725
2825
2925
3026
3126

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 67% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 6% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1432019152
2452019142
3472018132
4492017112
5521917102
654191692
755191682
858181572
959181562
1060181462
1161181452
1264171342
1364171342
1467161232
1568161231
1670161121
1771151121
1872151021
197415920
207514920
217714810
227714810
237814710
247814710
257814710
267814710
278013610
288013610
298013610
308113510
318212510

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
55calm
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 6:21 AM to 6:49 AM, and sunset from 5:59 PM to 5:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:215:59
211.66:225:58
311.66:235:56
411.56:235:55
511.56:245:53
611.46:255:52
711.46:265:50
811.46:275:49
911.36:285:47
1011.36:295:46
1111.36:305:45
1211.26:305:43
1311.26:315:42
1411.16:325:41
1511.16:335:39
1611.16:345:38
1711.06:355:37
1811.06:365:35
1911.06:375:34
2010.96:385:33
2110.96:395:32
2210.86:405:30
2310.86:415:29
2410.86:425:28
2510.76:435:27
2610.76:445:26
2710.76:455:25
2810.66:465:24
2910.66:475:23
3010.66:485:22
3110.56:495:21

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.66 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.24 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 3.66 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Moderate
24.0Moderate
34.0Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.8Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.7Moderate
123.7Moderate
133.7Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.6Moderate
193.6Moderate
203.6Moderate
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 Winston-Salem?

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

October is one of the better times to visit Winston-Salem for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Winston-Salem in October

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

In October, Winston-Salem sees daytime highs around 70°F and nights near 50°F. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 7 days see rain.

UV index in Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Dec 138 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Winston-Salem?

Winston-Salem sits at 36.1°N, 80.2°W, 961 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Clemmons, 9.3 mi away.

Topography around Winston-Salem

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Winston-Salem has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 269 ft around an average of 879 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 554 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,593 ft.

The land around Winston-Salem is covered by trees (51%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 2 miles, trees (68%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (76%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
269 ft
10 miles
554 ft
50 miles
3,593 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Clemmons 9.3 mi · Kernersville 9.3 mi · High Point 17 mi · Thomasville 17 mi · Lexington 19 mi · Greensboro 25 mi · Salisbury 32 mi · Asheboro 36 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 Winston-Salem (36.0999°, -80.2442°, elevation 961 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).