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SunnyDays

ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Asheville in October

Asheville in October is historically a poor month for sun: only 23% of days clear across 8 years (n=248, avg high 68°F). September is the clearest month for Asheville historically. Historical average, not a forecast.

What you are reading: 8-year historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis, not a forecast. A month that is historically 90% clear can still be overcast on your specific trip. For this week’s actual forecast, see the live Asheville page. Both can be true at once: “historically strong in this month; this particular week is not.” We label which is which.

Early vs. Late October

Clear-sky percentage for Asheville in October, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period % Clear days Sample (n) Avg high
Early October
1st–15th		 33% n=120 68°F
Late October
16th–end		 14% n=128 68°F
Full month average 23% n=248 68°F

Sunshine & warmth in October

A second measure using actual sunshine hours (ERA5 sunshine_duration), not the daily weather code. A Lowcountry day with 12 hours of sun and a 25-minute afternoon storm is counted below as a warm, sunny day — because it was. How we define this.

Sunshine-based metrics for Asheville in October. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun) Sample (n)
Early October
1st–15th		 54% n=120
Late October
16th–end		 19% n=128
Full month average 36% n=248
10.7 h median sunshine per day 74% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 25% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden
Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 23%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 36%. The 13-point gap is from brief afternoon convective storms that stamp the whole day as “rain” in the WMO code but leave the bulk of the sunshine untouched.

Bottom line

Asheville is mostly overcast in October historically: only 23% of days are clear across 8 years (n=248), avg high 68°F. If you want sun in Asheville, September is historically much better. Most visitors this month will see more clouds than sun.

→ See all destinations in September — historically the best month for sun in Asheville.

Every month in Asheville

Compare across all months with data. Numbers are historical clear-sky %.

Historical clear-sky % for Asheville, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month % Clear Sample (n)
January 0% n=248 All destinations →
February 1% n=226 All destinations →
March 3% n=248 All destinations →
April 19% n=240 All destinations →
May 26% n=248 All destinations →
June 30% n=240 All destinations →
July 21% n=248 All destinations →
August 25% n=248 All destinations →
September 40% n=240 All destinations →
October ← this page 23% n=248 All destinations →
November 4% n=240 All destinations →
December 0% n=248 All destinations →

All percentages are historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 8 full years (2018–2025). “Clear” means avg high ≥ 72 °F, precipitation < 1 mm, and a non-precipitation weather code. This is history, not a forecast. The live 7-day outlook for any destination is on its own page and may differ from the long-run average. Data from Open-Meteo.