Nuwara Eliya weather in September

In September, Nuwara Eliya sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 228 mm of rain across 25.7 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in September, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of September to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Nuwara Eliya's 6th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nuwara Eliya's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
5th warmest
Overnight low
18°
8th coldest
Rainfall
228 mm
25.7 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:00 AM – 6:02 PM
Cloud cover
82%
6th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.43 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Nuwara Eliya is human settlement.

Density
2,115/km²
people per km²

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 24°C through the month.

A typical September day in Nuwara Eliya reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, September runs on par with August and on par with October.

15°20°25°30°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12418
22418
32418
42418
52418
62418
72418
82418
92418
102418
112418
122418
132418
142418
152418
162418
172418
182418
192418
202418
212418
222418
232418
242418
252418
262418
272418
282418
292418
302418

Nuwara Eliya weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 16°12014.711.65.9
Feb24° / 16°10211.511.86.5
Mar26° / 17°10911.9126.4
Apr26° / 18°24321.412.14.7
May25° / 19°21128.612.33.8
Jun24° / 19°16626.412.44.0
Jul24° / 18°17726.912.44.1
Aug24° / 18°18326.912.24.1
Sep24° / 18°22825.7124.2
Oct24° / 18°35327.411.84.0
Nov23° / 17°33024.611.74.2
Dec23° / 17°2342111.64.8

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in September.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 89%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1892
2991
3991
4991
51189
61189
71189
81189
91189
101189
111189
121189
131189
141288
151288
161288
171288
181189
191189
201189
211189
221189
231189
241189
251189
261189
271189
281288
291288
301288

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

Nuwara Eliya gets around 228 mm of rain over 25.7 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 86% and peaks near 87% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
187
286
386
485
585
685
785
885
985
1084
1185
1285
1385
1485
1586
1686
1786
1886
1987
2087
2187
2287
2387
2487
2587
2687
2787
2887
2987
3087

Humidity in September

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, September lands in the humid band about 67% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 32% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
117029
217029
317029
416930
516930
616930
716831
816831
916831
1016831
1116732
1216732
1316732
1416633
1516633
1616534
1716534
1816534
1906634
2006634
2106634
2216534
2316534
2416633
2516633
2616732
2716732
2816732
2916831
3016831

Wind in September

Winds average 9 km/h in September.

Across September, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 9 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
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
307calm

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of September to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 6:03 AM to 5:58 AM, and sunset from 6:11 PM to 5:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:036:11
212.16:026:10
312.16:026:10
412.16:026:09
512.16:026:08
612.16:026:08
712.16:026:07
812.16:016:07
912.16:016:06
1012.16:016:06
1112.16:016:05
1212.16:016:05
1312.16:016:04
1412.16:006:03
1512.06:006:03
1612.06:006:02
1712.06:006:02
1812.06:006:01
1912.06:006:01
2012.05:596:00
2112.05:595:59
2212.05:595:59
2312.05:595:58
2412.05:595:58
2512.05:595:57
2612.05:585:57
2712.05:585:56
2812.05:585:56
2912.05:585:55
3011.95:585:55

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 5.43 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.05 kWh/m² to a high of 6.21 kWh/m² in March across the year — September's 5.43 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.2Bright
Planning a trip in September

Is September a good time to visit Nuwara Eliya?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

September is a reasonable time to visit Nuwara Eliya for sightseeing.

What to pack for Nuwara Eliya in September

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

In September, Nuwara Eliya sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Nuwara Eliya in September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nuwara Eliya peaks around April 15 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 15UV 15Dec 17UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Nuwara Eliya 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 Nuwara Eliya is worst in November — around 48 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.8× the cleanest month (July, 27 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorNov 1847 µg/m³Jul 1327 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan42Poor
Feb36Poor
Mar41Poor
Apr44Poor
May36Poor
Jun27Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct41Poor
Nov48Poor
Dec44Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Nuwara Eliya?

Nuwara Eliya sits at 7.0°N, 80.8°E, 1,868 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Hatton, 22 km away.

BadullaEllaGampolaKandyRatnapuraKegalleMatale

Topography around Nuwara Eliya

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nuwara Eliya has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 740 m around an average of 1,985 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,984 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,495 m.

The land around Nuwara Eliya is covered by trees (60%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, trees (77%) within 16 km, and trees (89%) within 80 km.

3 km
740 m
16 km
1,984 m
80 km
2,495 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
September weather nearby: Hatton 22 km · Badulla 30 km · Ella 31 km · Gampola 32 km · Kandy 39 km · Ratnapura 53 km · Kegalle 58 km · Matale 58 km

Sri Lanka travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 27% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,002
2025
Happiness
4.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
47%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
3.3
per 100k, 2019
Road deaths
19.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 486
Religion
Buddhist 70%Hindu 13%Muslim 10%Roman Catholic 6%

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 Nuwara Eliya (6.9708°, 80.7829°, elevation 1,868 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. 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).