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SunnyDays

ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Charlotte in October

Charlotte in October is historically a poor month for sun: only 35% of days clear across 8 years (n=248, avg high 72°F). 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 Charlotte 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 Charlotte 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		 44% n=120 72°F
Late October
16th–end		 27% n=128 72°F
Full month average 35% n=248 72°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 Charlotte 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		 68% n=120
Late October
16th–end		 38% n=128
Full month average 53% n=248
10.5 h median sunshine per day 72% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 23% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden
Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 35%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 53%. The 18-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

Charlotte is mostly overcast in October historically: only 35% of days are clear across 8 years (n=248), avg high 72°F. Most visitors this month will see more clouds than sun.

Every month in Charlotte

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

Historical clear-sky % for Charlotte, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month % Clear Sample (n)
January 0% n=248 All destinations →
February 1% n=226 All destinations →
March 11% n=248 All destinations →
April 36% n=240 All destinations →
May 40% n=248 All destinations →
June 36% n=240 All destinations →
July 22% n=248 All destinations →
August 23% n=248 All destinations →
September 44% n=240 All destinations →
October ← this page 35% n=248 All destinations →
November 6% n=240 All destinations →
December 2% 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.