Nuuk weather in September

In September, Nuuk sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 97 mm of precipitation across 12.4 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 4°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in September, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 18 min at the start of September to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Nuuk's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nuuk's year-round climate.

Daytime high
4th warmest
Overnight low
9th coldest
Precipitation
97 mm
12.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
6:02 AM – 6:40 PM
Cloud cover
75%
8th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
2.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.6
out of 10

Nuuk is capital of Greenland.

Density
22/km²
people per km²
Founded
1721

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 8°C in the first days to 4°C by the end.

A typical September day in Nuuk reaches about 6°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 4°C cooler than August and about 6°C warmer than October.

-5°10°15°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
184
284
384
484
584
683
783
883
973
1073
1173
1273
1372
1472
1572
1662
1762
1862
1962
2061
2161
2251
2351
2451
2551
2650
2740
2840
2940
3040

How September really feels in Nuuk

Once humidity and wind are folded in, September averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 24 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
24
wind chill below the day's low

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

Nuuk weather by month

How September compares with the rest of the year at a glance. September is the 4th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-10° / -15°569.411.74.90.0
Feb-10° / -15°427.19.57.90.0
Mar-8° / -13°487.89.411.20.0
Apr-2° / -7°538.1914.60.0
May / -2°588.26.917.90.0
Jun / 659.61.920.21.4
Jul11° / 6290.219.22.6
Aug10° / 7811.40.316.12.1
Sep / 9712.43.512.70.6
Oct / -4°7910.48.39.30.0
Nov-5° / -10°7711.111.360.0
Dec-8° / -13°6210.511.73.80.0

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in September.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
22179
32179
42377
52377
62377
72575
82575
92575
102674
112773
122773
132872
142971
152971
162971
172971
182971
192872
202872
212971
222872
232872
242872
252872
262872
272872
282971
292971
302971

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitationSnow

Nuuk gets around 97 mm of rain and snow over 12.4 wet days in September, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 41% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202530
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1392
2393
3393
4393
5393
6404
7404
8405
9405
10406
11407
12408
13398
14399
153910
164011
174013
184114
194115
204116
214217
224218
234219
244219
254320
264321
274322
284223
294224
304124

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 13 km/h in September.

Across September, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 18 min at the start of September to 11 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 192 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 5:17 AM to 6:44 AM, and sunset from 7:36 PM to 5:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.35:177:36
214.25:207:32
314.15:237:29
414.05:267:25
513.95:297:21
613.85:327:17
713.65:357:14
813.55:387:10
913.45:417:06
1013.35:447:03
1113.25:476:59
1213.15:506:55
1313.05:536:52
1412.95:566:48
1512.85:596:44
1612.66:026:40
1712.56:056:37
1812.46:086:33
1912.36:116:29
2012.26:146:26
2112.16:176:22
2212.06:206:18
2311.96:236:14
2411.76:266:11
2511.66:296:07
2611.56:326:03
2711.46:356:00
2811.36:385:56
2911.26:415:52
3011.16:445:49

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 2.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.06 kWh/m² to a high of 5.72 kWh/m² in May across the year — September's 2.24 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0123151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.8Moderate
22.7Moderate
32.7Moderate
42.6Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.0Moderate
232.0Dim
241.9Dim
251.9Dim
261.8Dim
271.8Dim
281.8Dim
291.7Dim
301.7Dim
Planning a trip in September

Is September a good time to visit Nuuk?

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

0.6
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

September is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nuuk.

What to pack for Nuuk in September

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

In September, Nuuk sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Nuuk in September

The nearest coast averages about 4°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 August at about 5°C and coldest in February near -0°C.

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

-2°0°2°4°6°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan0Bracing
Feb0Bracing
Mar0Bracing
Apr0Bracing
May1Bracing
Jun3Bracing
Jul5Bracing
Aug5Bracing
Sep4Bracing
Oct3Bracing
Nov2Bracing
Dec1Bracing

UV index in Nuuk in September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nuuk peaks around June 17 at about 5 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJun 17UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr3Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Nuuk?

Nuuk sits at 64.2°N, 51.7°W, 5 m above sea level, in Greenland. The nearest listed city is Keflavik, 1,404 km away.

KeflavikReykjanesbærKópavogurHafnarfjörðurReykjavikAkureyriVik

Topography around Nuuk

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nuuk has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 349 m around an average of 21 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,157 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,598 m.

The land around Nuuk is covered by water (65%) within 3 km, water (51%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and water (47%), moss and lichen (21%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
349 m
16 km
1,157 m
80 km
1,598 m
grasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewaterwetlandmoss and lichen
September weather nearby: Keflavik 1,404 km · Reykjanesbær 1,405 km · Kópavogur 1,432 km · Hafnarfjörður 1,432 km · Reykjavik 1,432 km · Akureyri 1,574 km · Vik 1,590 km · Corner Brook 1,734 km

Greenland travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E / F / K
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 77% of US
price level, 2023
GDP per capita
$58,499
2023
Homicide rate
5.4
per 100k, 2016
Income group
High
World Bank

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 Nuuk (64.1835°, -51.7216°, elevation 5 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).