Maybe some of the ladies who have visited Madrid in October or those that live there now can help me with this. I've checked the weather averages and some of the other packing posts, but still can't decide which coat/jacket to take for mid-October (it is HOT most of the year where I live)
Can I get by with a couple of sweaters and light trench/raincoat? Or should I bring a heavier wool coat in case it gets colder than average. Or do I just pack a couple of sweaters and buy a jacket if I need it there? I'm trying to pack light but also hate being cold. Thanks!

You can probably figure on temperatures similar to what you would have in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (maybe Waco). It stays pretty warm through October in central & southern Spain.

Mid-october in Madrid is still quite warm (15-20ºC) so a sweater with a light jacket should be enough. If you're planning to do daytrips to El Escorial or Segovia, carry an extra sweater because temperatures go down a lot when it gets dark there.
Today, it's a typical "beginning of fall" day, you'll be ok just wearing a long sleeved shirt.

Hey Tex --
Castiza, being the madrileña that she is, is right on with her response. However, you might want to take into consideration your tolerance for "cooler" weather. If you come from where it is consistently HOT, then perhaps 60º-65º weather is not for you and will feel chilly. I have an aunt who lives in Los Angeles and refuses to come east to Philadelphia to visit my father (her brother) because she is afraid of the cold...even in the summer! When the weather dips below 65º she goes running for the sweaters.

Definitely a lightweight jacket and sweater for Segovia/El Escorial. It gets chilly here when the sun goes in.

60º-65º!!! Brrrrr! I'll be the tourist dressed in snowboots, parka, gloves, and hat, wandering around with my map... :p

Seriously, for several years, I've had a picture of the aqueduct taped up next to the kids' artwork in my office. It's been my little "yeah, I'm going to go see that someday" reminder. Just a couple more weeks!

I am visiting Madrid at present and I am wandering around in a T shirt because it is so warm. However I come from England so the temp there is a lot colder. The locals are wandering around in jackets with some wearing scarves (Maybe local fashion) If you are used to high temps I suggest you bring plenty of warm clothing, if like England, Dallas is cool then bring Tshirts. Either way I hope you like spain, especially if you speak Spanish.

Yep! this week we've had a couple of chilling days (and nights specially!), but at the moment, we're living what's called "el veranillo de San Miguel", our own Indian summer. And it's meant to stay this sunny and warm next wk too (great news for the get together on the 5th )
The change of weather from hot to cold and viceversa or "entretiempo" are the most difficult times to know what to wear, you see people wearing light coats with summer sandals, light dresses with winter scarves, etc....
It's also a time when many many people get a cold, since both our appartments and offices are cooler all of a sudden, and there's no 'calefacción' yet.

Thanks for the info because I have been wondering that very thing...what to pack.
PIM, you know me, being from Hawaii, I am ALWAYS cold! If it is going to be any cooler than the low 70's (farenheit), then I will have to pack some warm clothes.

I hate the stereotypes, specially when they are about the weather, like: Spain is everytime sunny and hot...This can be good for some people, but not good for people who wants to ski (i.e.)

There is another stereotype, for example: people who thinks that the north area of Spain is colder than central area (all the year). This isn´t true, central area is on a high altitude plate and we have much colder winters than north area (Bilbao, Coruña, Santander...).

Probably some people who visited us one week ago could think that Madrid is very cold in September, when we had mins of 7ºC and maxs of 18º. And now one english person thinks that September is too warm because he is enjoying with the so called "Veranillo de San Miguel", and today we could see 30ºC at the sun.

Both are right, Autumn is unpredectable, specially in october, when you can feel with a very unconfortable rainy day or a pretty warm day with a shining sun, and 23º or 13º can be maxs.

This is my advise, take wear for warm spring days (light jackets and t-shirts) and for soft winter days.If you come in november, except the days of "Veranillo del Membrillo", the rest of the days are pure winter, with night ice and much rain (even snow).

I visited Madrid late october last year and never had to wear a coat once, although I did pack one just incase. I mainly wore quite light clothes, but with the weather as it is, there's just no telling what it'll do!