Where to Go This 23–25 October Long Weekend — by Ten Years of Rain Data
Chulalongkorn Day, a Thai public holiday, falls on Friday 23 October this year — a three-day Friday-to-Sunday weekend with no leave needed.
A 3-day trip has no spare day: one washed-out day costs a third of it. So destination-picking should start from a single question — how much does it rain there in October? — and the real data contradicts intuition for several cities.
October's winning side: Korea, and Japan's far north and south
Seoul is the driest city on the list (85 mm), at an easy 18.6/9.4°C, right in autumn-foliage season.
Fukuoka (98 mm) and Busan (103 mm) follow close behind — shorter flights than Tokyo and roughly half the rain. Sapporo (109 mm · 15.4/6.8°C) is Hokkaido's foliage month, per the temperature mechanism in our autumn-leaves article.
Cities that feel right but the numbers say wait
Tokyo averages 201 mm in October — the second-wettest month of its year, wetter than the June rainy season. Taipei (207 mm) and Hong Kong (176 mm) aren't in their dry windows either; they're doable, but bring a serious indoor plan.
The clearest "save it for another month" cases are the Andaman coast and central Vietnam: October is the wettest month of the year for both Phuket (290 mm) and Da Nang (491 mm).
If you'd rather not fly far: Chiang Mai at the tail of the rains
Chiang Mai gets 178 mm in October — well down from its August peak (412 mm) but not yet dry. That suits green-season travellers with waterfalls at full flow; the fully clear-sky season starts around late November.
Average October rainfall, 12 popular cities (10-year mean)
Sorted dry to wet — full 12-month figures for each city are on its destination page and in the weather calendar in our search bar.
| City | Avg Oct rain (mm) | High / low (°C) |
|---|---|---|
| Seoul | 85 | 18.6 / 9.4 |
| Fukuoka | 98 | 22.6 / 16.4 |
| Busan | 103 | 20.8 / 13.5 |
| Sapporo | 109 | 15.4 / 6.8 |
| Bali | 115 | 29.1 / 23.5 |
| Hong Kong | 176 | 27.5 / 22.6 |
| Chiang Mai | 178 | 29.2 / 22.2 |
| Tokyo | 201 | 21.6 / 14.4 |
| Singapore | 204 | 29.5 / 25.3 |
| Taipei | 207 | 27.2 / 22.0 |
| Phuket | 290 | 29.0 / 24.5 |
| Da Nang | 491 | 28.2 / 24.4 |
All figures are 2016–2025 monthly means at each city's coordinate. Any single year can differ a lot — check the actual forecast near your dates.
Frequently asked questions
- Where should I go on 23–25 October if I'm worried about rain?
- On 10-year averages, Seoul is the driest popular pick (85 mm), followed by Fukuoka (98), Busan (103) and Sapporo (109) — all in foliage season. Phuket (290) and Da Nang (491) are at their yearly rain peaks and better saved for another month.
- Is Tokyo really that wet in late October?
- Tokyo's October average is 201 mm — the second-wettest month of its year. It's doable with an indoor backup plan, but don't expect the clear skies of November, when rainfall drops to 83 mm.
Where the numbers come from: Every temperature and rainfall figure in this article is a 2016–2025 monthly mean from the ERA5 dataset (via the Open-Meteo Historical Weather API) at each city's coordinate — a 10-year statistic, not a forecast for your trip. Any single year can differ a lot from the mean. ERA5 is a roughly 9 km reanalysis grid, not a reading from any one weather station. This is the same dataset the weather calendar in rooozt's search bar displays.