Dunedin weather in September

In September, Dunedin sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 50 mm of precipitation across 10.6 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 13°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in September, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of September to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Dunedin's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dunedin's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
8th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
50 mm
10.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
7:42 AM – 7:23 PM
Cloud cover
65%
6th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.47 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Dunedin is city in New Zealand's South Island.

Air quality
Good
PM10 18.1 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
40/km²
people per km²
Founded
1848

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 13°C through the month.

A typical September day in Dunedin reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 2°C warmer than August and about 2°C cooler than October.

-5°10°15°20°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1123
2123
3123
4123
5123
6123
7123
8124
9124
10134
11134
12134
13134
14134
15134
16134
17134
18134
19134
20134
21134
22134
23134
24134
25134
26134
27135
28135
29135
30135

How September really feels in Dunedin

Once humidity and wind are folded in, September averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 5 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
5
wind chill below the day's low

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

Dunedin weather by month

How September compares with the rest of the year at a glance. September is the 8th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan19° / 10°9113.115.15.4
Feb19° / 10°7310.3145.7
Mar17° / 599.712.45.5
Apr15° / 549.310.74.5
May12° / 509.99.33.3
Jun10° / 469.38.52.1
Jul / 398.18.82.1
Aug11° / 419.110.12.6
Sep13° / 5010.611.73.4
Oct14° / 7413.613.33.8
Nov16° / 7713.514.74.3
Dec17° / 9614.415.54.8

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in September.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34159
44159
54258
64258
74258
84357
94357
104258
114357
124258
134258
144258
154258
164258
174159
184159
194060
204060
213961
223961
233961
243862
253862
263763
273664
283664
293565
303565

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

Dunedin gets around 50 mm of rain and snow over 10.6 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 35% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
129
229
330
430
530
630
730
831
931
1031
1132
1232
1332
1433
1534
1634
1735
1836
1936
2037
2138
2238
2339
2439
2540
2640
2740
2841
2941
3041

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 14 km/h in September.

Across September, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 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
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of September to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 96 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 8:12 AM to 7:14 AM, and sunset from 7:04 PM to 7:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.98:127:04
210.98:107:05
311.08:087:06
411.08:067:07
511.18:047:09
611.18:027:10
711.28:007:11
811.27:587:12
911.37:567:14
1011.47:547:15
1111.47:527:16
1211.57:507:18
1311.57:487:19
1411.67:467:20
1511.67:447:21
1611.77:427:23
1711.77:407:24
1811.87:387:25
1911.87:367:27
2011.97:347:28
2112.07:327:29
2212.07:307:31
2312.17:287:32
2412.17:267:33
2512.27:247:34
2612.27:227:36
2712.37:207:37
2812.37:187:38
2912.47:167:40
3012.57:147:41

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 3.47 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.22 kWh/m² to a high of 6.04 kWh/m² in January across the year — September's 3.47 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.8Moderate
22.9Moderate
32.9Moderate
43.0Moderate
53.0Moderate
63.0Moderate
73.1Moderate
83.1Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.3Moderate
133.4Moderate
143.4Moderate
153.5Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.6Moderate
193.6Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.8Moderate
233.8Moderate
243.8Moderate
253.9Moderate
263.9Moderate
274.0Moderate
284.0Moderate
294.0Bright
304.1Bright
Planning a trip in September

Is September a good time to visit Dunedin?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

September is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dunedin.

What to pack for Dunedin in September

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

In September, Dunedin sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 4°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Dunedin in September

The nearest coast averages about 10°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 February at about 14°C and coldest in August near 10°C.

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

8°10°12°14°16°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan14Bracing
Feb14Bracing
Mar14Bracing
Apr13Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul10Bracing
Aug10Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct11Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec13Bracing

UV index in Dunedin in September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dunedin peaks around January 15 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highJan 15UV 10Jun 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb9Very high
Mar5High
Apr3Moderate
May1Low
Jun1Low
Jul1Low
Aug2Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct5High
Nov8Very high
Dec9Very high
Location & terrain

Where is Dunedin?

Dunedin sits at 45.9°S, 170.5°E, 21 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Wanaka, 168 km away.

WanakaQueenstownTimaruInvercargillTekapoAshburtonFranz JosefRolleston

Topography around Dunedin

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dunedin has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 286 m around an average of 73 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 790 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,463 m.

The land around Dunedin is covered by artificial surfaces (42%) and trees (38%) within 3 km, water (39%), trees (35%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (48%) and water (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
286 m
16 km
790 m
80 km
1,463 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
September weather nearby: Wanaka 168 km · Queenstown 172 km · Timaru 175 km · Invercargill 176 km · Tekapo 208 km · Ashburton 240 km · Franz Josef 277 km · Rolleston 295 km

New Zealand travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 86% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$49,591
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.5
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
9.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
no religion 49%Christian 37%objected to answering 7%Hindu 3%

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 Dunedin (-45.8742°, 170.5036°, elevation 21 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).