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SunnyDays

ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Outer Banks in October

Outer Banks in October is historically a poor month for sun: only 20% of days clear across 8 years (n=248, avg high 71°F). June is the clearest month for Outer Banks 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 Outer Banks 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 Outer Banks 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		 32% n=120 71°F
Late October
16th–end		 8% n=128 71°F
Full month average 20% n=248 71°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 Outer Banks 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		 50% n=120
Late October
16th–end		 18% n=128
Full month average 33% n=248
10.6 h median sunshine per day 77% 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: 20%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 33%. 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

Outer Banks is mostly overcast in October historically: only 20% of days are clear across 8 years (n=248), avg high 71°F. The two halves differ materially (32% early, 8% late) — favour the early half of the month. If you want sun in Outer Banks, June is historically much better. Most visitors this month will see more clouds than sun.

→ See all destinations in June — historically the best month for sun in Outer Banks.

Every month in Outer Banks

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

Historical clear-sky % for Outer Banks, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month % Clear Sample (n)
January 0% n=248 All destinations →
February 0% n=226 All destinations →
March 0% n=248 All destinations →
April 1% n=240 All destinations →
May 16% n=248 All destinations →
June 47% n=240 All destinations →
July 35% n=248 All destinations →
August 35% n=248 All destinations →
September 40% n=240 All destinations →
October ← this page 20% n=248 All destinations →
November 1% 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.