Climate averages 1991–2020
Durham weather
in October.
A mild, moderately wet month: the 6th warmest and the driest of the year. Meets the pleasant-weather rule
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
October is a mild month in Durham: daytime highs average 21.4°C and nights cool to about 11.6°C. By daytime temperature it is the 6th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 79 mm of rain on roughly 8 days, which makes October a moderately wet month (the driest month of the year). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 11 h 18 min on an average October day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Cary (25 km away). In October its highs average 21.2°C, about as warm as Durham, with 79 mm of rain.
Among the 498 cities listed in the United States, Durham ranks joint 258th of 498 for the warmest October highs and joint 249th of 498 for the driest October (rainfall, lowest first). The mean October high of those 498 cities is 21.4°C; Durham is level with that mean.
From October to November, average highs fall by 5.9°C to 15.5°C, and monthly rainfall rises from 79 mm to 85 mm.
The annual picture
October in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Durham climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9.5°C0.1°C | 0.1°C | 92 | 9.4 | 10.010 h |
| February | 11.6°C1.2°C | 1.2°C | 81 | 8.9 | 10.911 h |
| March | 15.8°C4.6°C | 4.6°C | 108 | 10.5 | 11.912 h |
| April | 21.1°C9.7°C | 9.7°C | 89 | 9.3 | 13.113 h |
| May | 25.4°C14.7°C | 14.7°C | 88 | 10.6 | 14.114 h |
| June | 29.4°C19.4°C | 19.4°C | 98 | 12.0 | 14.615 h |
| July | 31.4°C21.9°C | 21.9°C | 110 | 14.9 | 14.314 h |
| August | 30.2°C21.0°C | 21.0°C | 99 | 11.6 | 13.514 h |
| September | 26.9°C17.9°C | 17.9°C | 112 | 9.4 | 12.412 h |
| October, selected | 21.4°C11.6°C | 11.6°C | 79 | 7.5 | 11.311 h |
| November | 15.5°C5.6°C | 5.6°C | 85 | 7.7 | 10.310 h |
| December | 11.1°C1.9°C | 1.9°C | 89 | 9.1 | 9.810 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
October in nearby cities
- Cary in OctoberUnited States · 25 kmHigh 21.2°C · Low 12.1°C · 79 mm rain
- Raleigh in OctoberUnited States · 34 kmHigh 21.5°C · Low 12.3°C · 79 mm rain
- Greensboro in OctoberUnited States · 81 kmHigh 20.7°C · Low 10.8°C · 80 mm rain
- High Point in OctoberUnited States · 100 kmHigh 20.7°C · Low 10.8°C · 82 mm rain
- Fayetteville in OctoberUnited States · 105 kmHigh 22.4°C · Low 12.9°C · 82 mm rain
- Winston-Salem in OctoberUnited States · 122 kmHigh 20.8°C · Low 10.6°C · 83 mm rain
- Greenville in OctoberUnited States · 145 kmHigh 22.1°C · Low 13.0°C · 90 mm rain
- Lynchburg in OctoberUnited States · 159 kmHigh 20.1°C · Low 10.3°C · 86 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Durham) is explained once on the Durham year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.