Invercargill weather in September

In September, Invercargill sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 93 mm of precipitation across 15.2 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 12°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in September, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 48 min at the start of September to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Invercargill's 5th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Invercargill's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
93 mm
15.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
7:51 AM – 7:31 PM
Cloud cover
70%
5th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
3.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.7
out of 10

Invercargill is city in New Zealand's Southland region.

Air quality
Good
PM10 23.6 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
118/km²
people per km²
Founded
1853

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 12°C through the month.

A typical September day in Invercargill reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 15°C. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 2°C warmer than August and about 1°C cooler than October.

10°15°20°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1116
2116
3116
4126
5126
6126
7126
8126
9126
10126
11126
12126
13126
14126
15126
16127
17127
18127
19127
20127
21127
22127
23127
24127
25127
26127
27127
28127
29127
30127

Invercargill weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan17° / 11°11814.215.24.9
Feb17° / 12°9712.1145.1
Mar16° / 10°9813.512.44.5
Apr14° / 9513.510.73.7
May12° / 10715.69.22.7
Jun10° / 9315.68.51.9
Jul / 8414.98.81.8
Aug10° / 8114.8102.2
Sep12° / 9315.211.62.7
Oct13° / 11917.513.33.0
Nov14° / 11116.414.83.5
Dec16° / 10°10915.515.54.3

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% 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 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23070
33070
43070
53070
63070
73169
83070
93070
103070
113070
123169
133169
143169
153169
163070
173070
183070
193169
203169
213169
223169
233169
243169
253169
263169
273169
283070
293070
303169

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

Invercargill gets around 93 mm of rain and snow over 15.2 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 51% and peaks near 55% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
146
246
346
446
546
646
746
846
947
1047
1148
1248
1349
1450
1550
1651
1752
1853
1953
2054
2154
2254
2355
2455
2555
2655
2755
2855
2955
3055

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 20 km/h in September.

Across September, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
520light breeze
620light breeze
720light breeze
820light breeze
920light breeze
1020light breeze
1120breezy
1220breezy
1320breezy
1420breezy
1520breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 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 102 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 8:21 AM to 7:22 AM, and sunset from 7:12 PM to 7:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.88:217:12
210.98:197:13
310.98:177:14
411.08:157:15
511.18:137:17
611.18:117:18
711.28:097:19
811.28:077:21
911.38:057:22
1011.38:037:23
1111.48:017:25
1211.57:597:26
1311.57:577:27
1411.67:557:29
1511.67:537:30
1611.77:517:31
1711.77:497:33
1811.87:477:34
1911.87:447:35
2011.97:427:36
2112.07:407:38
2212.07:387:39
2312.17:367:40
2412.17:347:42
2512.27:327:43
2612.27:307:44
2712.37:287:46
2812.47:267:47
2912.47:247:49
3012.57:227:50

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 3.19 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.05 kWh/m² to a high of 6.11 kWh/m² in December across the year — September's 3.19 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.7Moderate
52.7Moderate
62.8Moderate
72.8Moderate
82.9Moderate
92.9Moderate
103.0Moderate
113.0Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.3Moderate
183.3Moderate
193.3Moderate
203.4Moderate
213.4Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.7Moderate
283.7Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.8Moderate
Planning a trip in September

Is September a good time to visit Invercargill?

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

2.7
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

September is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Invercargill.

What to pack for Invercargill in September

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

In September, Invercargill sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Invercargill in September

The nearest coast averages about 11°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 17 km away) is warmest in February at about 15°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
Jan15Bracing
Feb15Cool
Mar15Bracing
Apr14Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul11Bracing
Aug10Bracing
Sep11Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov13Bracing
Dec14Bracing

UV index in Invercargill in September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Invercargill 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 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highJan 15UV 10Jun 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Very high
Feb8Very high
Mar5High
Apr3Moderate
May1Low
Jun1Low
Jul1Low
Aug2Low
Sep3Moderate
Oct5High
Nov7Very high
Dec9Very high
Location & terrain

Where is Invercargill?

Invercargill sits at 46.4°S, 168.3°E, 6 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Queenstown, 154 km away.

QueenstownDunedinWanakaTekapoTimaruFranz JosefAshburtonRolleston

Topography around Invercargill

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Invercargill has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 21 m around an average of 6 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 193 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,492 m.

The land around Invercargill is covered by grassland (45%) and artificial surfaces (38%) within 3 km, grassland (69%) within 16 km, and grassland (41%) and water (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
21 m
16 km
193 m
80 km
1,492 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
September weather nearby: Queenstown 154 km · Dunedin 176 km · Wanaka 199 km · Tekapo 314 km · Timaru 318 km · Franz Josef 365 km · Ashburton 384 km · Rolleston 446 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 Invercargill (-46.4°, 168.35°, elevation 6 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).