Lào Cai weather in October

In October, Lào Cai sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 118 mm of rain across 16.6 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 24°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in October, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of October to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Lào Cai's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lào Cai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
7th warmest
Overnight low
19°
7th coldest
Rainfall
118 mm
16.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:05 AM – 5:33 PM
Cloud cover
66%
4th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 24°C by the end.

A typical October day in Lào Cai reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 3°C cooler than September and about 3°C warmer than November.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12721
22721
32721
42720
52720
62720
72720
82720
92620
102620
112620
122620
132620
142620
152620
162619
172619
182519
192519
202519
212519
222519
232519
242518
252518
262418
272418
282418
292418
302417
312417

How October really feels in Lào Cai

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
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.

Lào Cai weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan18° / 11°9618.110.84.7
Feb20° / 12°871711.25.0
Mar24° / 15°1261911.85.5
Apr27° / 19°12917.612.55.2
May29° / 22°20019.713.14.1
Jun30° / 24°2422213.43.3
Jul30° / 24°26123.213.23.4
Aug30° / 23°26822.412.83.6
Sep28° / 22°16518.212.14.6
Oct26° / 19°11816.611.55.7
Nov23° / 15°8813.810.96.1
Dec19° / 12°9214.110.65.5

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24456
34357
44456
54456
64357
74258
84258
94159
104060
114060
123961
133961
143961
153961
163961
173961
183961
193961
203862
213862
223862
233862
243961
253961
264060
274159
284258
294456
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Lào Cai gets around 118 mm of rain over 16.6 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 53% and peaks near 55% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
152
251
351
451
551
651
751
851
951
1052
1152
1252
1353
1453
1553
1654
1754
1854
1955
2055
2155
2255
2355
2455
2555
2654
2753
2852
2952
3051
3150

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of October feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, October lands in the muggy band about 50% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 63% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
105164929
215174928
315185027
416185025
516195024
616205023
716205122
816215220
916215319
1016225318
1126235217
1226235316
1326245315
1426255314
1526255413
1627265213
1727265312
1837265311
1938275210
203827539
213927538
2231027528
2341127517
2441327507
2551427486
2661527466
2771727445
2871827435
2982027415
3092127394
3192227374

Wind in October

Winds average 4 km/h in October.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)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 48 min at the start of October to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 36 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:59 AM to 6:13 AM, and sunset from 5:47 PM to 5:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.85:595:47
211.86:005:46
311.86:005:45
411.76:005:44
511.76:015:43
611.76:015:42
711.76:015:41
811.66:025:40
911.66:025:39
1011.66:035:38
1111.66:035:38
1211.66:035:37
1311.56:045:36
1411.56:045:35
1511.56:055:34
1611.56:055:33
1711.46:055:32
1811.46:065:32
1911.46:065:31
2011.46:075:30
2111.46:075:29
2211.36:085:29
2311.36:085:28
2411.36:095:27
2511.36:095:27
2611.36:105:26
2711.26:105:25
2811.26:115:25
2911.26:115:24
3011.26:125:23
3111.26:135:23

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.49 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.56 kWh/m² to a high of 4.91 kWh/m² in April across the year — October's 3.49 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.7Moderate
93.7Moderate
103.7Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.6Moderate
133.5Moderate
143.5Moderate
153.5Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.4Moderate
183.4Moderate
193.4Moderate
203.4Moderate
213.3Moderate
223.3Moderate
233.3Moderate
243.3Moderate
253.3Moderate
263.3Moderate
273.3Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Lào Cai

In seasonPeak

None of Lào Cai's seasonal hazards are active in October. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Lào Cai's rainy season runs March–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is October a good time to visit Lào Cai?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Lào Cai for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lào Cai in October

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

In October, Lào Cai sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 19°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 17 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

UV index in Lào Cai in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lào Cai peaks around June 21 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 5 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highVery highExtremeVery highHighJun 21UV 13Dec 18UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb8Very high
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May10Very high
Jun14Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep10Very high
Oct8Very high
Nov7High
Dec5High

Air quality in Lào Cai 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 Lào Cai is worst in March — around 49 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.8× the cleanest month (July, 17 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorMar 2349 µg/m³Jul 1817 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan36Poor
Feb40Poor
Mar49Poor
Apr48Poor
May30Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct28Moderate
Nov33Moderate
Dec36Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Lào Cai?

Lào Cai sits at 22.5°N, 104.0°E, 86 m above sea level, in Vietnam. The nearest listed city is Sapa, 21 km away.

Bắc QuangMường LayÍt OngHà Giang

Topography around Lào Cai

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Lào Cai.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lào Cai has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 298 m around an average of 141 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,148 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,050 m.

The land around Lào Cai is covered by trees (65%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 3 km, trees (90%) within 16 km, and trees (85%) within 80 km.

3 km
298 m
16 km
2,148 m
80 km
3,050 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Sapa 21 km · Thị Trấn Phố Lu 29 km · Lai Châu 54 km · Thị Trấn Việt Quang 86 km · Bắc Quang 92 km · Mường Lay 102 km · Ít Ong 108 km · Hà Giang 111 km

Vietnam travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B / C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 29% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,066
2025
Happiness
6.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
59%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.5
per 100k, 2011
Road deaths
30.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 500
Religion
none 86%Catholic 6%Buddhist 6%Protestant 1%

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 Lào Cai (22.4856°, 103.9707°, elevation 86 m), 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).