Darwin weather in September

In September, Darwin sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 16 mm of rain across 3.8 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 34°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in September, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of September to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Darwin's 5th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Darwin's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
22°
4th coldest
Rainfall
16 mm
3.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:43 AM – 6:39 PM
Cloud cover
43%
5th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
6.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
out of 10

Darwin is capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia, and the surrounding area.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,443/km²
people per km²
Founded
1869

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

Temperature in September

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 34°C through the month.

A typical September day in Darwin reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°C and 36°C. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 1°C warmer than August and on par with October.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13320
23320
33421
43421
53421
63421
73421
83421
93421
103421
113421
123422
133422
143422
153422
163422
173422
183422
193422
203422
213422
223423
233423
243423
253423
263423
273423
283423
293423
303423

How September really feels in Darwin

Once humidity and wind are folded in, September averages 30 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
30
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in September is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Darwin weather by month

How September compares with the rest of the year at a glance. September is the 2nd-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 26°43827.612.72.6
Feb31° / 26°37625.612.42.6
Mar32° / 25°30024.412.12.7
Apr33° / 24°10010.111.73.4
May33° / 22°142.411.44.2
Jun32° / 20°20.411.35.2
Jul32° / 19°10.311.35.3
Aug33° / 19°20.511.64.7
Sep34° / 22°163.811.93.6
Oct34° / 24°7611.212.33.0
Nov33° / 25°18020.812.62.6
Dec32° / 26°32324.912.72.6

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in September.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 28%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17525
27525
37525
47525
57525
67426
77426
87327
97327
107228
117228
127129
137129
147129
157129
167030
177030
187030
197129
207030
217030
227129
237129
247129
257129
267129
277129
287129
297129
307228

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

Darwin gets around 16 mm of rain over 3.8 wet days in September. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 13% and peaks near 22% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
15
26
36
47
57
68
78
89
99
1010
1110
1211
1311
1412
1513
1613
1714
1814
1915
2015
2116
2216
2317
2417
2518
2619
2720
2820
2921
3022

Humidity in September

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, September lands in the muggy band about 41% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 70% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
113112638120
212112539130
311102440140
411102440160
51092340170
61092340180
7992240190
8992240210
9982140220
10882140230
11882040230
12882040240
13772040250
14772040261
15671940271
16661941281
17561841291
18451842301
19451742311
20341643321
21241643332
22241544342
23131444362
24131444372
25121343392
26021242412
27021142432
28011140452
29011039473
30011038483

Wind in September

Winds average 8 km/h in September.

Across September, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of September to 12 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 6:54 AM to 6:33 AM, and sunset from 6:39 PM to 6:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:546:39
211.86:536:39
311.86:526:39
411.86:526:39
511.86:516:39
611.86:506:39
711.86:496:39
811.86:496:39
911.86:486:39
1011.96:476:39
1111.96:476:39
1211.96:466:39
1311.96:456:39
1411.96:446:39
1511.96:446:39
1611.96:436:39
1711.96:426:39
1812.06:426:39
1912.06:416:39
2012.06:406:39
2112.06:396:39
2212.06:396:39
2312.06:386:39
2412.06:376:39
2512.06:366:39
2612.16:366:39
2712.16:356:39
2812.16:346:39
2912.16:346:39
3012.16:336:39

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 6.56 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.21 kWh/m² to a high of 6.81 kWh/m² in October across the year — September's 6.56 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.3Intense
26.4Intense
36.4Intense
46.4Intense
56.4Intense
66.4Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.6Intense
156.6Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.6Intense
206.6Intense
216.6Intense
226.6Intense
236.7Intense
246.7Intense
256.7Intense
266.7Intense
276.7Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
Planning a trip in September

Hazard calendar for Darwin

In seasonPeak

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

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

Darwin's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is September a good time to visit Darwin?

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

3.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

September is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Darwin. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Darwin in September

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

In September, Darwin sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Darwin in September

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in September — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in December at about 31°C and coldest in July near 26°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan30Tropical
Feb30Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct30Tropical
Nov31Tropical
Dec31Tropical

UV index in Darwin in September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Darwin peaks around February 20 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 9 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 20UV 16Jun 18UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Darwin 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 Darwin is worst in June — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (March, 5 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Darwin's WHO annual average of 9.1 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1416 µg/m³Mar 185 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar5Good
Apr6Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Darwin?

Darwin sits at 12.5°S, 130.8°E, 31 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Palmerston, 16 km away.

SuaiAileuAtsabe

Topography around Darwin

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Darwin has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 40 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 51 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 227 m.

The land around Darwin is covered by water (62%) within 3 km, water (46%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and water (44%) and trees (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
40 m
16 km
51 m
80 km
227 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
September weather nearby: Palmerston 16 km · Lospalos 607 km · Venilale 647 km · Baucau 653 km · Suai 703 km · Aileu 710 km · Atsabe 713 km · Dili 721 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 Darwin (-12.4611°, 130.8418°, elevation 31 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). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).