Funafuti weather in September

In September, Funafuti sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 178 mm of rain across 22.1 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in September, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of September to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Funafuti's 1st-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Funafuti's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
10th warmest
Overnight low
26°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
178 mm
22.1 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
5:59 AM – 5:56 PM
Cloud cover
54%
1st clearest
Wind
20 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Funafuti is capital of Tuvalu.

Density
2,633/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 28°C through the month.

A typical September day in Funafuti reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, September runs on par with August and on par with October.

24°26°28°30°32°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12826
22826
32826
42826
52826
62826
72826
82826
92826
102826
112826
122826
132826
142826
152826
162826
172826
182826
192826
202826
212826
222826
232826
242826
252826
262826
272826
282826
292826
302826

How September really feels in Funafuti

Once humidity and wind are folded in, September averages 21 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
21
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in September is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Funafuti weather by month

How September compares with the rest of the year at a glance. September is the 10th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 27°3572512.43.7
Feb28° / 26°35922.912.33.7
Mar28° / 26°30125.112.13.8
Apr28° / 27°25025.611.83.7
May28° / 27°23725.611.63.8
Jun28° / 26°20524.311.54.0
Jul28° / 26°20423.311.64.5
Aug28° / 26°21523.711.74.6
Sep28° / 26°17822.1124.5
Oct28° / 26°20322.512.24.3
Nov28° / 26°21322.512.44.1
Dec28° / 27°29324.812.53.8

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in September, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
25842
35842
45842
55842
65842
75842
85842
95842
105842
115842
125941
135743
145743
155743
165743
175743
185743
195743
205743
215743
225743
235743
245743
255644
265644
275644
285545
295545
305446

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

Funafuti gets around 178 mm of rain over 22.1 wet days in September, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 75% and peaks near 77% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
175
275
374
474
574
674
774
874
974
1075
1175
1276
1376
1477
1577
1677
1777
1877
1977
2076
2175
2275
2374
2474
2573
2673
2772
2872
2971
3071

Humidity in September

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, September lands in the oppressive band about 54% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
105644
205644
305545
405545
505545
605545
705545
805446
905446
1005347
1105347
1205347
1305347
1405347
1505347
1605347
1705347
1805347
1905347
2005347
2105347
2205347
2305347
2405446
2515346
2615346
2715445
2815445
2915445
3015445

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
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
521breezy
621breezy
721breezy
821breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1520breezy
1620breezy
1720breezy
1820breezy
1920breezy
2020light breeze
2120light breeze
2220light breeze
2320light breeze
2420light breeze
2520light breeze
2620light breeze
2720light breeze
2820light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of September to 12 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 6:08 AM to 5:51 AM, and sunset from 5:58 PM to 5:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:085:58
211.86:075:58
311.96:075:58
411.96:065:58
511.96:065:58
611.96:055:57
711.96:045:57
811.96:045:57
911.96:035:57
1011.96:035:57
1111.96:025:57
1211.96:015:57
1311.96:015:57
1411.96:005:56
1511.96:005:56
1612.05:595:56
1712.05:585:56
1812.05:585:56
1912.05:575:56
2012.05:565:56
2112.05:565:56
2212.05:555:55
2312.05:555:55
2412.05:545:55
2512.05:535:55
2612.05:535:55
2712.05:525:55
2812.15:525:55
2912.15:515:55
3012.15:515:55

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 5.94 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.65 kWh/m² to a high of 6.15 kWh/m² in October across the year — September's 5.94 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
Planning a trip in September

Hazard calendar for Funafuti

In seasonPeak

None of Funafuti's seasonal hazards are active in September. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Funafuti sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Cyclone
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is September a good time to visit Funafuti?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

September is a reasonable time to visit Funafuti for sightseeing.

What to pack for Funafuti in September

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

In September, Funafuti sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection and a windbreaker. About 22 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Funafuti in September

The nearest coast averages about 29°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 14 km away) is warmest in November at about 30°C and coldest in August near 29°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan30Tropical
Feb30Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct30Tropical
Nov30Tropical
Dec30Tropical

UV index in Funafuti 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 Funafuti peaks around February 15 at about 17 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 15UV 17Jun 20UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Funafuti?

Funafuti sits at 8.5°S, 179.2°E, 7 m above sea level, in Tuvalu. The nearest listed city is Mata-Utu, 732 km away.

Topography around Funafuti

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Funafuti has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5 m around an average of 0 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 15 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 12 m.

The land around Funafuti is covered by water (96%) within 3 km, water (100%) within 16 km, and water (100%) within 80 km.

3 km
5 m
16 km
15 m
80 km
12 m
grasslandartificial surfaceswater
September weather nearby: Mata-Utu 732 km · Labasa 880 km · Lautoka 1,028 km · Nadi 1,050 km · Levuka 1,061 km · Nasinu 1,064 km · Lami 1,069 km · Suva 1,072 km

Tuvalu travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 89% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$6,041
2025
Safe drinking water
9%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
18.3
per 100k, 2012
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 93%other 4%Baha'i 2%Jehovah's Witness 2%

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 Funafuti (-8.5243°, 179.1942°, elevation 7 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). 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).