Dali weather in September

In September, Dali sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 184 mm of rain across 24.5 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in September, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 30 min at the start of September to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Dali's 9th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dali's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
5th warmest
Overnight low
15°
9th coldest
Rainfall
184 mm
24.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
7:09 AM – 7:18 PM
Cloud cover
80%
9th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10
Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 17.6 µg/m³ · 2019

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 23°C through the month.

A typical September day in Dali reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 1°C cooler than August and about 2°C warmer than October.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12316
22316
32316
42316
52316
62316
72316
82316
92316
102316
112316
122316
132316
142316
152315
162315
172315
182315
192315
202315
212315
222315
232315
242215
252215
262215
272215
282215
292215
302215

Dali weather by month

How September compares with the rest of the year at a glance. September is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan15° / 254.510.65.5
Feb17° / 224.811.16.5
Mar20° / 29611.87.3
Apr23° / 11°375.912.67.5
May24° / 14°9010.713.26.8
Jun25° / 17°17421.713.64.7
Jul24° / 17°27228.813.43.8
Aug24° / 17°27526.812.94.1
Sep23° / 15°18424.512.24.3
Oct21° / 13°9715.711.45.6
Nov18° / 264.710.86.7
Dec15° / 132.910.45.9

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in September.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11783
21783
31882
41981
51981
61981
71882
81882
91783
101684
111684
121684
131684
141684
151684
161684
171684
181684
191783
201882
211981
222080
232278
242377
252476
262674
272773
283070
293169
303268

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

Dali gets around 184 mm of rain over 24.5 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 81% and peaks near 83% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
183
283
383
483
583
683
782
882
983
1083
1183
1283
1383
1483
1583
1683
1783
1882
1982
2082
2181
2281
2380
2479
2578
2677
2776
2876
2975
3073

Humidity in September

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, September lands in the comfortable band about 48% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
143066
243165
353263
453362
563460
663658
763757
873855
973954
1074053
1184151
1284350
1384448
1484546
1594744
1694843
1795041
18105139
19105337
20105436
21115534
22115732
23125830
24136027
25146125
26156223
27166321
28186319
29196417
30206515

Wind in September

Winds average 4 km/h in September.

Across September, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of September to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 42 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 7:03 AM to 7:15 AM, and sunset from 7:35 PM to 7:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.57:037:35
212.57:037:34
312.57:047:33
412.57:047:31
512.47:057:30
612.47:057:29
712.47:057:28
812.47:067:27
912.37:067:26
1012.37:077:25
1112.37:077:24
1212.37:077:22
1312.27:087:21
1412.27:087:20
1512.27:097:19
1612.17:097:18
1712.17:097:17
1812.17:107:16
1912.17:107:14
2012.07:117:13
2112.07:117:12
2212.07:117:11
2312.07:127:10
2411.97:127:09
2511.97:137:08
2611.97:137:07
2711.97:147:05
2811.87:147:04
2911.87:147:03
3011.87:157:02

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 4.15 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.69 kWh/m² to a high of 6.29 kWh/m² in April across the year — September's 4.15 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.3Bright
104.2Bright
114.2Bright
124.2Bright
134.2Bright
144.2Bright
154.2Bright
164.1Bright
174.1Bright
184.1Bright
194.1Bright
204.1Bright
214.0Bright
224.0Bright
234.0Bright
244.0Bright
254.0Bright
264.0Bright
274.0Moderate
284.0Moderate
294.0Moderate
304.0Moderate
Planning a trip in September

Hazard calendar for Dali

In seasonPeak

In September, Dali sits inside its pacific typhoon and monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Dali sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Dali's monsoon runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is September a good time to visit Dali?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
3.3
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

September is a reasonable time to visit Dali for sightseeing.

What to pack for Dali in September

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

In September, Dali sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 15°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 25 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

UV index in Dali in September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dali peaks around June 20 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highHighJun 20UV 14Dec 22UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb8Very high
Mar11Extreme
Apr10Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun15Extreme
Jul14Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct9Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec6High

Air quality in Dali 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 Dali is worst in April — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (June, 13 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Dali's WHO annual average of 17.6 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateApr 1123 µg/m³Jun 2313 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan19Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar22Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov19Moderate
Dec19Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Dali?

Dali sits at 25.6°N, 100.2°E, 1,977 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Lijiang, 143 km away.

Topography around Dali

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dali has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 970 m around an average of 2,123 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,663 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,847 m.

The land around Dali is covered by trees (49%) and artificial surfaces (40%) within 3 km, trees (57%) within 16 km, and trees (58%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
970 m
16 km
2,663 m
80 km
2,847 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
September weather nearby: Lijiang 143 km · Panglong 253 km · Shangri-La 254 km · Laukkai 256 km · Kunming 259 km · Myitkyina 284 km · Mu-se 293 km · Lakang 321 km

China travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / I
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 47% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$13,862
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.5
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
17.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 464
Religion
unaffiliated 52%folk religion 22%Buddhist 18%Christian 5%

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 Dali (25.5847°, 100.2123°, elevation 1,977 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).