Nanaimo weather in September

In September, Nanaimo sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 86 mm of rain across 9.3 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in September, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of September to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Nanaimo's 3rd-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nanaimo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
13°
10th coldest
Rainfall
86 mm
9.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
5:59 AM – 6:21 PM
Cloud cover
48%
3rd clearest
Wind
10 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Nanaimo is city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 6 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
991/km²
people per km²
Founded
1874

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

Temperature in September

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical September day in Nanaimo reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 3°C cooler than August and about 5°C warmer than October.

10°15°20°25°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11814
21814
31814
41814
51814
61814
71814
81814
91714
101713
111713
121713
131713
141713
151713
161713
171613
181613
191612
201612
211612
221612
231612
241512
251512
261512
271511
281511
291511
301411

How September really feels in Nanaimo

Once humidity and wind are folded in, September averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

September sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Nanaimo weather by month

How September compares with the rest of the year at a glance. September is the 3rd-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 25318.57.18.50.1
Feb / 14914.65.99.80.4
Mar / 17817.66.111.60.9
Apr10° / 12415.21.513.42.0
May14° / 10°8512.10.1153.9
Jun17° / 13°6910.6015.95.2
Jul19° / 15°437.3015.66.8
Aug20° / 15°546.3014.27.0
Sep17° / 13°869.3012.45.5
Oct12° / 17715.20.210.52.7
Nov / 26418.74.28.91.0
Dec / 24718.58.38.10.1

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in September.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
26040
36139
46139
56139
66139
76238
86238
96139
106139
116040
126040
135842
145842
155842
165743
175743
185743
195644
205743
215644
225644
235743
245743
255644
265743
275644
285644
295545
305446

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

Nanaimo gets around 86 mm of rain over 9.3 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 31% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
125
225
325
425
526
626
727
827
928
1029
1130
1231
1332
1432
1533
1633
1734
1834
1934
2035
2135
2235
2335
2435
2535
2634
2734
2835
2935
3036

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 79% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
163361
264351
365341
466331
568311
669301
770291
871281
972271
1073261
1174251
1275241
1375241
1476231
1578220
1679210
1780200
1881190
1983170
2084160
2185150
2287130
2388120
2489110
259190
269280
279370
289370
299460
309550

Wind in September

Winds average 10 km/h in September.

Across September, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 min at the start of September to 11 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 108 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 5:37 AM to 6:20 AM, and sunset from 6:54 PM to 5:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:376:54
213.25:396:52
313.25:406:50
413.15:426:47
513.05:436:45
613.05:446:43
712.95:466:41
812.95:476:39
912.85:496:36
1012.75:506:34
1112.75:526:32
1212.65:536:30
1312.55:556:28
1412.55:566:25
1512.45:586:23
1612.45:596:21
1712.36:016:19
1812.26:026:16
1912.26:046:14
2012.16:056:12
2112.06:076:10
2212.06:086:07
2311.96:106:05
2411.96:116:03
2511.86:136:01
2611.76:145:58
2711.76:165:56
2811.66:175:54
2911.56:195:52
3011.56:205:50

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 4.03 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.78 kWh/m² to a high of 6.54 kWh/m² in July across the year — September's 4.03 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.6Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.4Bright
94.4Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.2Bright
134.1Bright
144.1Bright
154.0Bright
164.0Moderate
173.9Moderate
183.8Moderate
193.8Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.4Moderate
273.3Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.2Moderate
Planning a trip in September

Hazard calendar for Nanaimo

In seasonPeak

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

Nanaimo's rainy season runs October–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is September a good time to visit Nanaimo?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
1.1
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

September is a reasonable time to visit Nanaimo for sightseeing.

What to pack for Nanaimo in September

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

In September, Nanaimo sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Nanaimo in September

The nearest coast averages about 15°C in September — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 23 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in January near 7°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Nanaimo in September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nanaimo peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 19UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Nanaimo?

Nanaimo sits at 49.2°N, 123.9°W, 16 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Harewood, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Nanaimo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nanaimo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 238 m around an average of 39 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,013 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,048 m.

The land around Nanaimo is covered by trees (35%), water (33%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, trees (49%) and water (38%) within 16 km, and trees (59%) and water (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
238 m
16 km
1,013 m
80 km
2,048 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
September weather nearby: Harewood 2.0 km · North Cowichan 41 km · Duncan 46 km · University Endowment Lands 52 km · Seafair 55 km · Dunbar-Southlands 55 km · Steveston 55 km · Arbutus Ridge 57 km

Canada travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 83% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$55,698
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
5.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 53%none 35%Muslim 5%Hindu 2%

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 Nanaimo (49.1664°, -123.94°, elevation 16 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. 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).