ERA5 almanac comparison — 8 years of real data
Big Sur vs Vail: weather in October
Big Sur is the clear winner for sun in October: 30% of days historically clear versus just 0% in Vail — a 30-point gap across 8 years of ERA5 data. Vail also sees measurably more rain than Big Sur this month (30% vs 8% of days). This isn't close.
What you are reading: 8-year historical averages, not a forecast.
Either destination can still surprise you this specific October. For this
week’s actual forecast, each destination links to its live page below.
Big Sur
CA
- Clear days, October
- 30%
- Sample size
- n=248 days
- Avg high
- 70°F
- Early October (1st–15th)
- 32%
- Late October (16th–end)
- 28%
- Rain frequency
- 8% of days
Vail
CO
- Clear days, October
- 0%
- Sample size
- n=248 days
- Avg high
- 53°F
- Early October (1st–15th)
- 0%
- Late October (16th–end)
- 0%
- Rain frequency
- 30% of days
Compare Big Sur vs Vail in another month
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.