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SunnyDays

ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Orlando in October

Orlando in October is historically a poor month for sun: only 30% of days clear across 8 years (n=248, avg high 82°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 Orlando 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 Orlando 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		 18% n=120 82°F
Late October
16th–end		 42% n=128 82°F
Full month average 30% n=248 82°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 Orlando 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		 88% n=120
Late October
16th–end		 90% n=128
Full month average 89% n=248
10.7 h median sunshine per day 86% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 39% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden
Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 30%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 89%. The 59-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

Orlando is mostly overcast in October historically: only 30% of days are clear across 8 years (n=248), avg high 82°F. The two halves differ materially (18% early, 42% late) — favour the late half of the month. Most visitors this month will see more clouds than sun.

Every month in Orlando

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

Historical clear-sky % for Orlando, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month % Clear Sample (n)
January 20% n=248 All destinations →
February 33% n=226 All destinations →
March 45% n=248 All destinations →
April 44% n=240 All destinations →
May 30% n=248 All destinations →
June 7% n=240 All destinations →
July 2% n=248 All destinations →
August 3% n=248 All destinations →
September 10% n=240 All destinations →
October ← this page 30% n=248 All destinations →
November 32% n=240 All destinations →
December 26% 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.