Yakima weather in October

In October, Yakima sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 1.2 in of precipitation across 5.5 wet days and about 10.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 70°F in the first days to 55°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Yakima's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Yakima's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
6th warmest
Overnight low
40°
7th coldest
Precipitation
1.2 in
5.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 36 min
6:28 AM – 5:06 PM
Cloud cover
50%
5th clearest
Wind
4 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Yakima is city in and county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States.

Density
1,284/km²
people per km²
Founded
1847

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 55°F by the end.

A typical October day in Yakima reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 22°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 71°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 15°F cooler than September and about 15°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17145
27045
36944
46944
56844
66843
76743
86743
96642
106542
116542
126441
136441
146341
156340
166240
176240
186140
196139
206039
216039
225938
235838
245838
255737
265737
275637
285636
295536
305536
315435

How October really feels in Yakima

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 2 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
2
wind chill below the day's low

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

Yakima weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan38° / 26°2.310.95.68.80.0
Feb44° / 28°1.67.53.1100.9
Mar53° / 33°1.37.51.311.63.3
Apr62° / 38°0.84.70.113.35.8
May72° / 46°0.74.3014.87.6
Jun80° / 53°0.42.5015.67.8
Jul88° / 58°0.10.8015.25.7
Aug87° / 57°0.10.80146.2
Sep77° / 49°0.31.9012.48.4
Oct62° / 40°1.25.50.110.65.9
Nov47° / 31°2.092.29.21.5
Dec38° / 26°2.610.968.40.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27228
37030
46931
56931
66733
76634
86436
96337
106238
116139
126040
135842
145842
155644
165644
175644
185545
195545
205446
215446
225446
235347
245347
255248
265248
275248
285149
294951
304951
314852

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Yakima gets around 1.2 in of rain and snow over 5.5 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 17% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1100
2110
3110
4120
5120
6130
7130
8140
9140
10140
11150
12150
13150
14160
15160
16170
17170
18170
19180
20190
21190
22201
23211
24221
25221
26231
27241
28242
29252
30252
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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in October

Winds average 4 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 96 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:07 AM to 6:50 AM, and sunset from 5:35 PM to 4:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:075:35
211.46:085:33
311.46:105:31
411.36:115:29
511.26:125:27
611.26:145:25
711.16:155:23
811.16:165:21
911.06:185:19
1011.06:195:17
1110.96:215:16
1210.96:225:14
1310.86:245:12
1410.76:255:10
1510.76:265:08
1610.66:285:06
1710.66:295:04
1810.56:315:03
1910.56:325:01
2010.46:344:59
2110.46:354:57
2210.36:374:56
2310.36:384:54
2410.26:394:52
2510.26:414:51
2610.16:424:49
2710.16:444:47
2810.06:454:46
2910.06:474:44
309.96:484:43
319.96:504:41

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.11 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.31 kWh/m² to a high of 7.84 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 3.11 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Bright
24.0Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.7Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.5Moderate
103.5Moderate
113.4Moderate
123.3Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.2Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.0Moderate
183.0Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Yakima?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.9
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Yakima for sightseeing.

What to pack for Yakima in October

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

In October, Yakima sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 40°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Yakima 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 Yakima peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 12 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 12UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Yakima 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 Yakima is worst in August — around 51 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 10.9× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodPoorModerateGoodAug 1948 µg/m³Dec 215 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb6Good
Mar8Good
Apr8Good
May8Good
Jun8Good
Jul11Good
Aug51Poor
Sep31Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Yakima?

Yakima sits at 46.6°N, 120.5°W, 1,070 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ellensburg, 27 mi away.

Topography around Yakima

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Yakima has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 669 ft around an average of 1,076 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,356 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,533 ft.

The land around Yakima is covered by artificial surfaces (58%) within 2 miles, grassland (64%) within 10 miles, and grassland (51%) and trees (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
669 ft
10 miles
2,356 ft
50 miles
7,533 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Ellensburg 27 mi · Sunnyside 30 mi · Wenatchee 58 mi · Richland 62 mi · Tri-Cities 67 mi · Moses Lake 68 mi · Kennewick 71 mi · Pasco 71 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 Yakima (46.6021°, -120.5059°, elevation 1,070 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).