Canberra weather in September

In September, Canberra sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 51 mm of precipitation across 7.4 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 17°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in September, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of September to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Canberra's 4th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Canberra's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
8th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
51 mm
7.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
7:04 AM – 6:51 PM
Cloud cover
49%
4th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
4.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Canberra is capital city of Australia.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 13.9 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
779/km²
people per km²
Founded
1913

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in September

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 17°C by the end.

A typical September day in Canberra reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 3°C warmer than August and about 3°C cooler than October.

10°20°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1143
2143
3143
4143
5143
6143
7153
8153
9154
10154
11154
12154
13154
14154
15154
16164
17164
18164
19164
20164
21164
22164
23165
24175
25175
26175
27175
28175
29175
30175

How September really feels in Canberra

Once humidity and wind are folded in, September averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 2 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
2
wind chill below the day's low

The story in September is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Canberra weather by month

How September compares with the rest of the year at a glance. September is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 14°496.614.17.2
Feb26° / 14°51613.37.4
Mar23° / 11°385.312.37.8
Apr19° / 27411.17.1
May15° / 284.310.25.3
Jun12° / 516.89.73.3
Jul11° / 386.79.92.9
Aug12° / 497.510.73.6
Sep16° / 517.411.85.2
Oct19° / 567.312.96.6
Nov22° / 588.413.97.0
Dec25° / 12°566.914.37.5

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in September.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25644
35644
45644
55743
65743
75842
85842
95842
105842
115842
125941
136040
146040
156139
166238
176238
186337
196337
206337
216436
226436
236436
246436
256535
266535
276535
286535
296436
306436

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

Canberra gets around 51 mm of rain and snow over 7.4 wet days in September. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 25% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
124
224
325
425
525
625
725
825
925
1025
1125
1225
1325
1425
1525
1624
1724
1824
1924
2024
2124
2225
2325
2425
2525
2625
2726
2826
2926
3026

Humidity in September

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of September feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, September lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100

Wind in September

Winds average 12 km/h in September, the windiest month of the year.

Across September, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of September to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 7:27 AM to 6:43 AM, and sunset from 6:40 PM to 7:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.27:276:40
211.37:256:41
311.37:246:41
411.37:226:42
511.47:216:43
611.47:196:44
711.47:186:44
811.57:166:45
911.57:156:46
1011.67:136:47
1111.67:126:47
1211.67:106:48
1311.77:096:49
1411.77:076:50
1511.77:066:50
1611.87:046:51
1711.87:036:52
1811.97:016:53
1911.97:006:54
2011.96:586:54
2112.06:576:55
2212.06:556:56
2312.06:546:57
2412.16:526:57
2512.16:516:58
2612.26:496:59
2712.26:487:00
2812.26:467:01
2912.36:457:01
3012.36:437:02

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 4.72 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.17 kWh/m² to a high of 7.23 kWh/m² in January across the year — September's 4.72 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Moderate
24.0Bright
34.1Bright
44.1Bright
54.2Bright
64.2Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.3Bright
104.4Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.9Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.1Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
Planning a trip in September

Hazard calendar for Canberra

In seasonPeak

None of Canberra's seasonal hazards are active in September. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Canberra sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Cyclone
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is September a good time to visit Canberra?

Our two travel scores rate September for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.2
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.5
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

September is a reasonable time to visit Canberra for sightseeing.

What to pack for Canberra in September

From September's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In September, Canberra sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 4°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

UV index in Canberra in September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Canberra peaks around December 23 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateVery highExtremeDec 23UV 13Jun 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May3Moderate
Jun2Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct9Very high
Nov10Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Canberra in September

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where September falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Canberra is worst in December — around 36 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 7.2× the cleanest month (July, 5 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Canberra's WHO annual average of 13.9 µg/m³.

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateDec 2235 µg/m³Jul 135 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan33Moderate
Feb16Moderate
Mar10Good
Apr12Good
May9Good
Jun6Good
Jul5Good
Aug7Good
Sep8Good
Oct9Good
Nov17Moderate
Dec36Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Canberra?

Canberra sits at 35.3°S, 149.1°E, 571 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Tuggeranong, 16 km away.

Topography around Canberra

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Canberra.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Canberra has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 m around an average of 589 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 489 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,796 m.

The land around Canberra is covered by trees (48%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, grassland (45%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and trees (51%) and grassland (47%) within 80 km.

3 km
282 m
16 km
489 m
80 km
1,796 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
September weather nearby: Tuggeranong 16 km · Goulburn 80 km · Batemans Bay 106 km · Wollongong city centre 187 km · Wollongong 187 km · Katoomba 205 km · Blue Mountains 206 km · Bathurst 212 km

Australia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 90% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$65,130
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
none 38%Roman Catholic 20%Protestant 18%other Christian 4%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Canberra (-35.2835°, 149.1281°, elevation 571 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).