Climate averages 1991–2020
Madison weather
in October.
A cool, moderately wet month: the 6th warmest and the 6th driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
October is a cool month in Madison: daytime highs average 14.8°C and nights cool to about 6.4°C. By daytime temperature it is the 6th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 72 mm of rain on roughly 9 days, which makes October a moderately wet month (the 6th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 11 h 05 min on an average October day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Rockford (93 km away). In October its highs average 15.7°C, 0.9°C warmer than Madison, with 73 mm of rain.
Among the 498 cities listed in the United States, Madison ranks joint 467th of 498 for the warmest October highs and joint 216th of 498 for the driest October (rainfall, lowest first). The mean October high of those 498 cities is 21.4°C; Madison is 6.6°C cooler than that mean.
From October to November, average highs fall by 8.0°C to 6.7°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 72 mm to 55 mm.
The annual picture
October in context
Monthly precipitation
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
Madison climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Precipitation mm/month | Wet days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -2.9°C-11.6°C | -11.6°C | 41 | 7.6 | 9.49 h |
| February | -0.6°C-9.9°C | -9.9°C | 41 | 6.7 | 10.510 h |
| March | 6.3°C-3.6°C | -3.6°C | 61 | 9.2 | 11.912 h |
| April | 13.2°C2.8°C | 2.8°C | 101 | 12.3 | 13.413 h |
| May | 19.8°C9.6°C | 9.6°C | 101 | 12.5 | 14.615 h |
| June | 25.1°C15.4°C | 15.4°C | 112 | 11.8 | 15.315 h |
| July | 27.1°C17.9°C | 17.9°C | 83 | 10.2 | 15.015 h |
| August | 26.1°C17.2°C | 17.2°C | 95 | 9.8 | 13.914 h |
| September | 22.1°C13.1°C | 13.1°C | 84 | 9.1 | 12.513 h |
| October, selected | 14.8°C6.4°C | 6.4°C | 72 | 8.7 | 11.111 h |
| November | 6.7°C-0.6°C | -0.6°C | 55 | 8.0 | 9.810 h |
| December | -0.1°C-7.4°C | -7.4°C | 48 | 7.5 | 9.19 h |
Precipitation (rain or snow, as water) is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A wet 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
- Rockford in OctoberUnited States · 93 kmHigh 15.7°C · Low 7.2°C · 73 mm rain
- Waukesha in OctoberUnited States · 95 kmHigh 14.9°C · Low 7.6°C · 72 mm rain
- Milwaukee in OctoberUnited States · 122 kmHigh 14.0°C · Low 9.5°C · 78 mm rain
- Racine in OctoberUnited States · 137 kmHigh 14.2°C · Low 10.2°C · 92 mm rain
- Kenosha in OctoberUnited States · 140 kmHigh 14.3°C · Low 10.3°C · 96 mm rain
- Elgin in OctoberUnited States · 147 kmHigh 16.0°C · Low 7.8°C · 80 mm rain
- Waukegan in OctoberUnited States · 150 kmHigh 14.5°C · Low 10.3°C · 101 mm rain
- Appleton in OctoberUnited States · 154 kmHigh 13.7°C · Low 6.3°C · 72 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 Madison) is explained once on the Madison year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.