Lhasa Weather in October

Lhasa weather in October is relatively favorable: the daytime is nearly always sunny and cool, with bright sunshine, blue sky, and high visibility. You can have a comfortable travel experience as long as you take some measures to protect yourself from the strong sunshine and dry air.

 See more about Tibet Weather in October.

As October begins, the temperature in Lhasa shows a marked downward trend. During the first half of the month, the daytime is generally warm or cool: the daily high typically hovers around 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), and under strong sunshine, the apparent temperature at noon may reach around 22-23°C (72-73°F). When nights fall, however, the weather tends to become cold quickly, with the daily low temperature ranging from 5-10°C (41-50°F).

Warm or Cool Daytime in October

By the second half of the month, the temperature drops a lot. Specifically, the daily high is around 15°C (59°F) and may even fall to around 10°C (50°F) by the end of the month. Don’t worry too much - as long as the sun is shining, you won’t feel cold. However, with significant daily temperature differences, the daily low is only 0-5°C (32-41°F), so be aware that nights will be very cold and feel like winter.
 

In October, Lhasa enters its dry season, and the weather is very stable with many sunny moments, so rainy weather should not be a big concern of travelers. On average, precipitation amounts to 9 mm, spreading in over about 5 days. Furthermore, even on days when precipitation does occur, it is mostly concentrated at night and rarely lasts into the daytime.

Sunny Daytime with Bright Sunshine

Please note that as daily lows in the second half of the month can drop to around 0-5°C (32-41°F), both rain and sleet are possible at that time. High-altitude areas such as Namtso Lake and Yamdrok Lake may even experience heavy snowfall.
 

The weather of Lhasa in October is extremely dry, with an average humidity of only 49%. You can really feel this dryness: during your stay, you may experience a dry and itchy throat, chapped lips, a dry nose, and flaky skin. Therefore, be sure to take necessary moisturizing measures throughout your stay there.
 

This month, daylight hours in Lhasa continue to shorten, from 11.5 hours to around 11 hours. Be careful not to overbook your daily activities to avoid altitude sickness caused by physical exhaustion.

October enjoys abundant sunshine, with up to 9 hours of sunlight per day on average. So, you will likely enjoy warm and bright sunshine while visiting almost any attraction. However, keep in mind that even though it’s late autumn, the UV rays remain quite strong, and you should still take precautions against sunburn.
 

 For the First Half of the Month: During the warm daytime, it’s OK to wear a short- or long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans plus a thin jacket like a denim jacket. When going out for visits during the morning and the evening, you are recommended to add long johns inside the jeans and change the thin jacket into a 3-in-1 jacket.

 For the Second Half of the Month: When the sun is shining, you can wear a long-sleeved T-shirt, a knit sweater, plus a trench jacket for the upper body; and long johns plus sweatpants or jeans for the lower body. For outdoor activities during the cold moments after sunset and before sunrise, remember to change the trench jacket into a 3-in-1 jacket or a thin down jacket.

 Shoes: Warm sneakers or hiking shoes that are comfortable for walking are recommended choices.

 Others:
1. Sun-protection items like sunglasses, sunhats, and sunscreen are essential during sunny daytime.
2. To ease the discomfort caused by the dry air, you need to bring lip balm, hand cream, face cream, and body lotion. Besides, a travel water bottle should be packed so you can drink water frequently.
3. For higher-altitude areas with lower temperatures and winds, warm hats will be useful. Lhasa in October offers you many favorable conditions for a trip:
 As mentioned above, temperature-wise, the daytime of Lhasa in October is warm or cool, but not cold at all, indicating that you can do outdoor activities comfortably. Besides, with quite low rainfall, the climate of Lhasa is sunny most of the time, providing perfect sunshine and high visibility. As a result, in addition to admiring cultural heritages such as the magnificent Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple as they glisten in the sunlight, October is one of the best times to visit the snow-capped Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains.   

Beautiful Barkhor Street

 October in Lhasa boasts wonderful autumn scenery. The Norbulingka, the Zongjiao Lukang Park behind the Potala Palace, and the banks of the Lhasa River are all blanketed in vast expanses of golden and orange-red autumn foliage. If you visit Namtso Lake or Yamdrok Lake, you will be awestruck by the beauty of the golden grasslands on the shore of the sapphire-blue waters.

Norbulingka in Autumn

 Apart from the National Day holiday, usually from October 1 to 7, Lhasa is generally quiet during the rest of the month, with few tourists. You can stroll at a leisurely pace along Barkhor Street and won’t have to wait in long lines at the Potala Palace.
 Typically, starting October 15 each year, Tibet introduces some promotional offers. Since then, most tourist attractions such as the Potala Palace and Norbulingka, offer free admission or half-price tickets. Additionally, after the National Day holiday, hotel rates tend to be more reasonable since visitor numbers are relatively low.
 1. For a more relaxed and comfortable travel experience and to save on travel expenses, it’s best to avoid the National Day holiday at the beginning of the month. If you can’t avoid it, be sure to plan your itinerary well in advance.
2. There is a significant temperature difference between day and night. If you can’t guarantee that you’ll return to your hotel early, be sure to bring a three-in-one jacket or a lightweight down jacket with you.
3. When it rains or snows, the views at Namtso and Yamdrok Lake may not be as spectacular, so you are recommended to keep a close eye on the weather forecast.
 

Oct	Temperature		Sunrise / Sunset	Humi- dity (%)
	High	Low
1	22.1°C / 71.8°F	6.5°C / 43.7°F	07:49 / 19:42	41
2	21.1°C / 70°F	6.7°C / 44.1°F	07:49 / 19:40	40
3	17.5°C / 63.5°F	6.4°C / 43.5°F	07:50 / 19:39	48
4	16.1°C / 61°F	5.1°C / 41.2°F	07:51 / 19:38	48
5	18.3°C / 64.9°F	3.8°C / 38.8°F	07:51 / 19:37	35
6	19.9°C / 67.8°F	3.2°C / 37.8°F	07:52 / 19:36	31
7	21°C / 69.8°F	4.2°C / 39.6°F	07:52 / 19:34	38
8	20.9°C / 69.6°F	4.2°C / 39.6°F	07:53 / 19:33	41
9	20.9°C / 69.6°F	5.3°C / 41.5°F	07:53 / 19:32	36
10	21°C / 69.8°F	4.7°C / 40.5°F	07:54 / 19:31	38
11	21.2°C / 70.2°F	5.5°C / 41.9°F	07:55 / 19:30	29
12	21.9°C / 71.4°F	5.1°C / 41.2°F	07:55 / 19:29	27
13	22°C / 71.6°F	4.5°C / 40.1°F	07:56 / 19:28	24
14	23.9°C / 75°F	4.1°C / 39.4°F	07:56 / 19:27	25
15	22.8°C / 73°F	5.3°C / 41.5°F	07:57 / 19:25	31
16	21.5°C / 70.7°F	7.5°C / 45.5°F	07:58 / 19:24	36
17	20.5°C / 68.9°F	6.1°C / 43°F	07:58 / 19:23	25
18	19°C / 66.2°F	3.6°C / 38.5°F	07:59 / 19:22	29
19	18.9°C / 66°F	2.8°C / 37°F	08:00 / 19:21	28
20	19.9°C / 67.8°F	3.1°C / 37.6°F	08:00 / 19:20	30
21	16.7°C / 62.1°F	4.2°C / 39.6°F	08:01 / 19:19	37
22	16.2°C / 61.2°F	1.2°C / 34.2°F	08:02 / 19:18	33
23	14.7°C / 58.5°F	1.1°C / 34°F	08:02 / 19:17	25
24	18.3°C / 64.9°F	0.2°C / 32.4°F	08:03 / 19:16	26
25	17.3°C / 63.1°F	0.4°C / 32.7°F	08:04 / 19:15	21
26	15.9°C / 60.6°F	2.4°C / 36.3°F	08:04 / 19:14	25
27	13°C / 55.4°F	3.4°C / 38.1°F	08:05 / 19:13	20
28	12.5°C / 54.5°F	-0.9°C / 30.4°F	08:06 / 19:13	25
29	13.9°C / 57°F	-2.4°C / 27.7°F	08:06 / 19:12	37
30	12.5°C / 54.5°F	0.9°C / 33.6°F	08:07 / 19:11	50
31	14.3°C / 57.7°F	-0.1°C / 31.8°F	08:08 / 19:10	36