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October Weather in Ketchikan Alaska, United States

Daily high temperatures decrease by 8°F, from 54°F to 46°F, rarely falling below 40°F or exceeding 58°F.

Daily low temperatures decrease by 7°F, from 45°F to 39°F, rarely falling below 31°F or exceeding 51°F.

For reference, on July 30, the hottest day of the year, temperatures in Ketchikan typically range from 54°F to 65°F, while on December 31, the coldest day of the year, they range from 31°F to 38°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in October in Ketchikan

Average High and Low Temperature in October in KetchikanOct112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313120°F20°F25°F25°F30°F30°F35°F35°F40°F40°F45°F45°F50°F50°F55°F55°F60°F60°F65°F65°FSepNovOct 154°FOct 154°F45°F45°FOct 3146°FOct 3146°F39°F39°FOct 1151°FOct 1151°F43°F43°FOct 2149°FOct 2149°F41°F41°F
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the hourly average temperatures for the quarter of the year centered on October. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in October in Ketchikan

Average Hourly Temperature in October in KetchikanOct112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMSepNovvery coldcoldcool
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Askøy, Norway (4,103 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to Ketchikan (view comparison).

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The month of October in Ketchikan experiences gradually increasing cloud cover, with the percentage of time that the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy increasing from 70% to 76%.

The clearest day of the month is October 1, with clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy conditions 29% of the time.

For reference, on December 9, the cloudiest day of the year, the chance of overcast or mostly cloudy conditions is 79%, while on August 1, the clearest day of the year, the chance of clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy skies is 42%.

Cloud Cover Categories in October in Ketchikan

Cloud Cover Categories in October in KetchikanOct11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%SepNovOct 129%Oct 129%Oct 3124%Oct 3124%Oct 1126%Oct 1126%Oct 2125%Oct 2125%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercast
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. In Ketchikan, the chance of a wet day over the course of October is rapidly increasing, starting the month at 65% and ending it at 73%.

For reference, the year's highest daily chance of a wet day is 73% on October 30, and its lowest chance is 40% on June 5.

Over the course of October in Ketchikan, the chance of a day with only rain increases from 65% to 70%, the chance of a day with mixed snow and rain increases from 0% to 3%, and the chance of a day with only snow remains an essentially constant 0% throughout.

Probability of Precipitation in October in Ketchikan

The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).

Rainfall

To show variation within the month and not just the monthly total, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day.

The average sliding 31-day rainfall during October in Ketchikan is rapidly increasing, starting the month at 12.2 inches, when it rarely exceeds 17.0 inches or falls below 7.9 inches, and ending the month at 13.3 inches, when it rarely exceeds 18.5 inches or falls below 8.4 inches.

The highest average 31-day accumulation is 13.7 inches on October 21.

Average Monthly Rainfall in October in Ketchikan

The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.

Over the course of October in Ketchikan, the length of the day is very rapidly decreasing. From the start to the end of the month, the length of the day decreases by 2 hours, 12 minutes, implying an average daily decrease of 4 minutes, 24 seconds, and weekly decrease of 30 minutes, 46 seconds.

The shortest day of the month is October 31, with 9 hours, 18 minutes of daylight and the longest day is October 1, with 11 hours, 30 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in October in Ketchikan

The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.

The earliest sunrise of the month in Ketchikan is 6:50 AM on October 1 and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 0 minutes later at 7:50 AM on October 31.

The latest sunset is 6:20 PM on October 1 and the earliest sunset is 1 hour, 12 minutes earlier at 5:08 PM on October 31.

Daylight saving time is observed in Ketchikan during 2024, but it neither starts nor ends during October, so the entire month is in standard time.

For reference, on June 20, the longest day of the year, the Sun rises at 4:04 AM and sets 17 hours, 27 minutes later, at 9:32 PM, while on December 21, the shortest day of the year, it rises at 8:12 AM and sets 7 hours, 6 minutes later, at 3:17 PM.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in October in Ketchikan

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in October in KetchikanOct112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMSepNov6:50 AM6:50 AMOct 16:20 PMOct 16:20 PM7:50 AM7:50 AMOct 315:08 PMOct 315:08 PM7:10 AM7:10 AMOct 115:54 PMOct 115:54 PM7:30 AM7:30 AMOct 215:30 PMOct 215:30 PMSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunset
The solar day over the course of October. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in October in Ketchikan

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in October in KetchikanOct112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMSepNov0010102020300001010202030
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of October 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for October 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. The label associated with each bar indicates the date and time that the phase is obtained, and the companion time labels indicate the rise and set times of the Moon for the nearest time interval in which the moon is above the horizon.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in October in Ketchikan

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in October in KetchikanOct112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 AM12 AM4 AM4 AM8 AM8 AM12 PM12 PM4 PM4 PM8 PM8 PM12 AM12 AMSepNovSep 25:56 PMSep 25:56 PMSep 176:35 PMSep 176:35 PMOct 210:50 AMOct 210:50 AMOct 173:27 AMOct 173:27 AMNov 14:48 AMNov 14:48 AMNov 1512:29 PMNov 1512:29 PMNov 309:22 PMNov 309:22 PM5:14 AM5:14 AM7:45 PM7:45 PM6:57 PM6:57 PM7:15 AM7:15 AM6:48 AM6:48 AM6:11 PM6:11 PM5:20 PM5:20 PM7:52 AM7:52 AM8:25 AM8:25 AM4:43 PM4:43 PM3:02 PM3:02 PM9:16 AM9:16 AM7:53 AM7:53 AM2:21 PM2:21 PM
The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.
Oct 2024IlluminationMoonriseMoonsetMoonriseMeridian PassingDistance
1
1%5:33 AME6:07 PMW-11:53 AMS252,398 mi
2
0%6:48 AME6:11 PMW-12:32 PMS252,597 mi
3
1%8:02 AMESE6:17 PMWSW-1:11 PMS252,367 mi
4
4%9:19 AMESE6:24 PMWSW-1:52 PMS251,694 mi
5
9%10:39 AMSE6:34 PMSW-2:37 PMS250,547 mi
6
15%12:01 PMSE6:48 PMSW-3:25 PMS248,889 mi
7
23%1:21 PMSE7:12 PMSW-4:17 PMS246,691 mi
8
32%2:34 PMSSE7:51 PMSSW-5:12 PMS243,950 mi
9
43%3:31 PMSSE8:51 PMSSW-6:11 PMS240,715 mi
10
50%4:08 PMSE10:11 PMSW-7:10 PMS237,103 mi
11
65%4:31 PMSE11:44 PMSW-8:07 PMS233,309 mi
12
76%4:46 PMSE--9:03 PMS229,602 mi
13
85%-1:20 AMWSW4:57 PMESE9:55 PMS226,305 mi
14
93%-2:57 AMWSW5:05 PMESE10:47 PMS223,756 mi
15
98%-4:34 AMW5:12 PME11:37 PMS222,253 mi
16
99%-6:12 AMW5:20 PMENE--
17
100%-7:52 AMWNW5:29 PMENE12:28 AMS221,998 mi
18
99%-9:35 AMNW5:42 PMNE1:22 AMS223,050 mi
19
94%-11:18 AMNW6:01 PMNE2:18 AMS225,309 mi
20
87%-12:54 PMNW6:33 PMNE3:17 AMS228,526 mi
21
79%-2:10 PMNNW7:25 PMNNE4:17 AMS232,359 mi
22
68%-3:00 PMNW8:37 PMNE5:17 AMS236,430 mi
23
58%-3:30 PMNW10:01 PMNE6:13 AMS240,393 mi
24
50%-3:48 PMNW11:26 PMNE7:04 AMS243,974 mi
25
37%-3:59 PMWNW-7:51 AMS246,992 mi
26
28%12:48 AMENE4:06 PMWNW-8:34 AMS249,346 mi
27
19%2:06 AMENE4:12 PMWNW-9:15 AMS251,006 mi
28
12%3:22 AME4:17 PMW-9:53 AMS251,994 mi
29
7%4:36 AME4:22 PMW-10:31 AMS252,369 mi
30
3%5:50 AMESE4:27 PMWSW-11:10 AMS252,207 mi
31
0%7:06 AMESE4:34 PMWSW-11:51 AMS251,586 mi

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The chance that a given day will be muggy in Ketchikan is essentially constant during October, remaining around 0% throughout.

For reference, on July 27, the muggiest day of the year, there are muggy conditions 0% of the time, while on January 1, the least muggy day of the year, there are muggy conditions 0% of the time.

Humidity Comfort Levels in October in Ketchikan

Humidity Comfort Levels in October in KetchikanOct11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%SepNovOct 160%Oct 160%Oct 10%Oct 10%Oct 310%Oct 310%drydrycomfortablecomfortable
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Ketchikan is increasing during October, increasing from 6.9 miles per hour to 8.1 miles per hour over the course of the month.

For reference, on January 2, the windiest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 9.0 miles per hour, while on July 18, the calmest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 5.0 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed in October in Ketchikan

The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

The hourly average wind direction in Ketchikan throughout October is predominantly from the south, with a peak proportion of 45% on October 7.

Wind Direction in October in Ketchikan

Wind Direction in October in KetchikanSEOct11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%SepNovwestsoutheastnorth
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Ketchikan is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average surface water temperature in Ketchikan is gradually decreasing during October, falling by 4°F, from 51°F to 48°F, over the course of the month.

Average Water Temperature in October in Ketchikan

Average Water Temperature in October in KetchikanOct112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313142°F42°F44°F44°F46°F46°F48°F48°F50°F50°F52°F52°F54°F54°F56°F56°F58°F58°FSepNovOct 151°FOct 151°FOct 3148°FOct 3148°FOct 1150°FOct 1150°FOct 2149°FOct 2149°F
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Ketchikan typically lasts for 6.3 months (191 days), from around April 18 to around October 26, rarely starting before March 19 or after May 14, and rarely ending before October 2 or after November 20.

During October in Ketchikan, the chance that a given day is within the growing season is very rapidly decreasing falling from 91% to 40% over the course of the month.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in October in Ketchikan

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in October in Ketchikangrowing seasonOct11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%SepNov91%Oct 191%Oct 1Oct 3140%Oct 3140%78%Oct 1178%Oct 1160%Oct 2160%Oct 21Nov 2010%Nov 2010%freezingvery coldcoldcool
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

The average accumulated growing degree days in Ketchikan are essentially constant during October, remaining within 8°F of 777°F throughout.

Growing Degree Days in October in Ketchikan

Growing Degree Days in October in KetchikanOct1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292930303131600°F600°F650°F650°F700°F700°F750°F750°F800°F800°F850°F850°F900°F900°F950°F950°F1,000°F1,000°FSepNovOct 1769°FOct 1769°FOct 31785°FOct 31785°FOct 11779°FOct 11779°FOct 21783°FOct 21783°F
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of October, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy in Ketchikan is gradually decreasing during October, falling by 1.0 kWh, from 1.8 kWh to 0.9 kWh, over the course of the month.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in October in Ketchikan

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in October in KetchikanOct11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310.0 kWh0.0 kWh0.5 kWh0.5 kWh1.0 kWh1.0 kWh1.5 kWh1.5 kWh2.0 kWh2.0 kWh2.5 kWh2.5 kWh3.0 kWh3.0 kWh3.5 kWh3.5 kWh4.0 kWh4.0 kWh4.5 kWh4.5 kWh5.0 kWh5.0 kWhSepNovOct 11.8 kWhOct 11.8 kWhOct 310.9 kWhOct 310.9 kWhOct 111.4 kWhOct 111.4 kWhOct 211.1 kWhOct 211.1 kWh
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Ketchikan are 55.342 deg latitude, -131.648 deg longitude, and 49 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Ketchikan contains large variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 2,838 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 398 feet. Within 10 miles contains large variations in elevation (3,297 feet). Within 50 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (4,977 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Ketchikan is covered by trees (61%) and water (29%), within 10 miles by trees (55%) and water (37%), and within 50 miles by trees (48%) and water (41%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Ketchikan, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There are 3 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Ketchikan.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Ketchikan according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

The estimated value at Ketchikan is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Ketchikan and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:

Sources mapPAKT, 99%1 mi, 30 ftPAMM, 1%15 mi, -49 ftPAHY, 0%47 mi, -49 ft© OpenStreetMap contributors

To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Ketchikan and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

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