Waterloo weather in October: Waterloo, Iowa: normal highs, lows, rain and records for October

Waterloo in October has a normal high of 63°F and a normal low of 40°F, a daily mean of 52°F, falling from 71°F on the 1st to 55°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 9 days in a normal October, 2.76 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)

In metric: a normal high of 17°C and low of 5°C, 70 mm of precipitation and 1 cm of snow in October.

  • NOAA stationWaterloo Municipal Airport
  • Station IDUSW00094910
  • Location42.55°N 92.40°W
  • Elevation868 ft (265 m)
  • Population67,477
  1. Jan 28° 11°
  2. Feb 33° 15°
  3. Mar 47° 27°
  4. Apr 61° 38°
  5. May 73° 50°
  6. Jun 82° 61°
  7. Jul 85° 64°
  8. Aug 83° 61°
  9. Sep 77° 52°
  10. Oct 63° 40°
  11. Nov 47° 28°
  12. Dec 34° 17°

Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.

How warm is Waterloo in October?

The normal high is 63°F and the normal low 40°F, for a daily mean of 51.6°F. October is 13.0°F cooler than September and 14.2°F warmer than November. October is the 6th warmest month of the year in Waterloo and the 7th wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 16°F, from 71°F on October 1 to 55°F on October 31. From one year to the next October's mean temperature typically moves about 2.8°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Octobers in three average between 49°F and 54°F.

Waterloo in October, day by day: normal high and low

Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 29%).

Normal high and low on five days of October, with the chance of precipitation
DayHighLowChance of 0.01 inChance of 0.10 in
October 171°F46°F29%17%
October 867°F43°F28%16%
October 1564°F41°F27%15%
October 2260°F38°F27%14%
October 3155°F34°F26%13%
Every day of October: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon October 1, coldest night October 31)
Waterloo: NOAA 1991-2020 daily normals for each day of October
DayHighLowChance of 0.01 inChance of 0.10 inDaylight
October 171°F46°F29%17%11 h 50 min
October 270°F46°F28%17%11 h 50 min
October 370°F45°F28%17%11 h 40 min
October 469°F45°F28%17%11 h 40 min
October 569°F45°F28%17%11 h 40 min
October 668°F44°F28%16%11 h 30 min
October 768°F44°F28%16%11 h 30 min
October 867°F43°F28%16%11 h 30 min
October 967°F43°F28%16%11 h 30 min
October 1066°F43°F28%16%11 h 20 min
October 1166°F42°F27%15%11 h 20 min
October 1265°F42°F27%15%11 h 20 min
October 1365°F41°F27%15%11 h 10 min
October 1464°F41°F27%15%11 h 10 min
October 1564°F41°F27%15%11 h 10 min
October 1663°F40°F27%14%11 h 10 min
October 1763°F40°F27%14%11 h
October 1862°F39°F27%14%11 h
October 1961°F39°F27%14%11 h
October 2061°F39°F27%14%10 h 50 min
October 2160°F38°F27%14%10 h 50 min
October 2260°F38°F27%14%10 h 50 min
October 2359°F37°F27%14%10 h 50 min
October 2459°F37°F27%14%10 h 40 min
October 2558°F37°F27%13%10 h 40 min
October 2658°F36°F26%13%10 h 40 min
October 2757°F36°F26%13%10 h 40 min
October 2857°F35°F26%13%10 h 30 min
October 2956°F35°F26%13%10 h 30 min
October 3056°F35°F26%13%10 h 30 min
October 3155°F34°F26%13%10 h 20 min
Normal high
63°FOctober average
Normal low
40°FOctober average
Precipitation
2.76 inmonth total
Days with precipitation
90.01 inch or more
Snowfall
0.3 inmonth total
Nights at 32°F or colder
9
Daylight
11 h 50 min to 10 h 20 minOctober 1 to October 31
Days at 70°F or more
8
Days at 80°F or more
2
Sunshine
71%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00094910; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.

Does it rain or snow in Waterloo in October?

On a given October day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 27% on average, highest around October 1 (29%). In all, 2.76 in falls on 9 days of a normal October, 1 of them with an inch or more.

In a normal October in Waterloo, 9 nights fall to freezing and snowfall averages 0.3 inches.

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00094910.

How humid and windy is Waterloo in October?

At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 52°F with 51% relative humidity and a dew point of 34°F; at 6 a.m. it is 37°F with 83% humidity. The wind averages 10.0 mph, most often from the west in the afternoon. A dew point under 50°F feels dry.

A normal October day at the station, hour by hour (local standard time)
TimeTemperatureDew pointHumidityWindClear or few clouds
6 a.m.37°F33°F83%8.2 mph52%
9 a.m.42°F35°F75%10.6 mph56%
noon50°F35°F57%13.1 mph52%
3 p.m.52°F34°F51%13.3 mph56%
6 p.m.46°F34°F64%9.3 mph54%
9 p.m.42°F34°F72%9.1 mph60%

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00094910. Hourly normals exist only for NOAA's first-order stations; a dash where NOAA publishes no value for that hour (the sky at some hours).

What are the records for October in Waterloo?

The warmest October temperature on Waterloo's official record (since 1895) is 95°F, on October 12, 1930; the coldest is 0°F, on October 30, 1925. The wettest October brought 5.86 in (2009); the snowiest, 6.0 inches (1898).

The October mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 51.6°F: 2021 56.2°F (+4.6), 2022 50.6°F (−1.0), 2023 54.1°F (+2.5), 2024 57.5°F (+5.9), 2025 56.2°F (+4.6). 4 of 5 ran warmer than normal.

Waterloo: October in recent years against the 1991-2020 normal
OctoberMeanAgainst normalPrecip.
202156.2°F+4.6°F3.72 in
202250.6°F−1.0°F1.39 in
202354.1°F+2.5°F3.38 in
202457.5°F+5.9°F1.69 in
202556.2°F+4.6°F1.35 in

Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record ALOthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00094910. Records and recent months use complete months only.

How does October in Waterloo compare across Iowa?

Across the 132 places PlainClimate covers in Iowa, October normal highs run from 57°F in Northwood to 67°F in Glenwood; Waterloo's is 63°F.

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.

Other months and places