Charlottesville weather in September

In September, Charlottesville sees average daytime highs of 79°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 4.2 in of rain across 8.7 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 83°F in the first days to 74°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in September, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of September to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Charlottesville's 5th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Charlottesville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
79°
4th warmest
Overnight low
60°
9th coldest
Rainfall
4.2 in
8.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:01 AM – 6:15 PM
Cloud cover
55%
5th clearest
Wind
5 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Charlottesville is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
1,754/km²
people per km²
Founded
1762

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 83°F in the first days to 74°F by the end.

A typical September day in Charlottesville reaches about 79°F in the afternoon and slips back to 60°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 69°F and 88°F. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 7°F cooler than August and about 11°F warmer than October.

40°60°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18365
28365
38364
48364
58264
68263
78263
88263
98162
108162
118062
128061
138061
147961
157960
167960
177860
187859
197859
207758
217758
227658
237657
247657
257657
267556
277556
287455
297455
307455

How September really feels in Charlottesville

Once humidity and wind are folded in, September averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

September sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Charlottesville 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 (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan45° / 29°3.18.22.79.71.1
Feb49° / 30°2.88.12.610.52.0
Mar57° / 37°3.910.21.611.74.1
Apr68° / 47°3.49.60.1136.2
May75° / 56°3.511.20146.6
Jun83° / 64°3.210.9014.65.5
Jul87° / 69°3.311.6014.44.5
Aug85° / 67°3.19.5013.55.2
Sep79° / 60°4.28.7012.36.8
Oct68° / 48°3.37.30116.8
Nov57° / 38°3.17.40.29.94.4
Dec48° / 32°3.48.21.69.41.9

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in September.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35446
45446
55446
65446
75446
85446
95446
105446
115545
125446
135446
145347
155347
165347
175248
185149
195149
205149
215149
225149
235149
245248
255248
265347
275347
285446
295545
305545

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

Charlottesville gets around 4.2 in of rain over 8.7 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 rain averages around 28% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
129
229
329
429
529
629
729
828
928
1028
1127
1227
1327
1426
1526
1626
1727
1827
1928
2028
2128
2229
2329
2428
2528
2628
2727
2827
2926
3026

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 32% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 24% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
11320233410
21420233310
31620233210
4172023319
5192123299
6202123288
7222123268
8232223257
9252223246
10262223236
11272223225
12282324214
13302324204
14312324203
15322324193
16332324182
17342323172
18352323172
19362323161
20372323151
21392322151
22402322141
23412321141
24432320141
25452220131
26462219130
27482118120
28502118110
29522017110
30541917100

Wind in September

Winds average 5 mph in September.

Across September, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202530
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min at the start of September to 11 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 72 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 5:48 AM to 6:14 AM, and sunset from 6:39 PM to 5:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:486:39
212.85:496:38
312.85:506:36
412.75:506:35
512.75:516:33
612.75:526:32
712.65:536:30
812.65:546:28
912.55:556:27
1012.55:566:25
1112.55:576:24
1212.45:576:22
1312.45:586:20
1412.35:596:19
1512.36:006:17
1612.26:016:15
1712.26:026:14
1812.26:036:12
1912.16:046:11
2012.16:056:09
2112.06:056:07
2212.06:066:06
2311.96:076:04
2411.96:086:02
2511.96:096:01
2611.86:105:59
2711.86:115:58
2811.76:125:56
2911.76:135:54
3011.76:145:53

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 4.32 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.11 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — September's 4.32 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.6Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.4Bright
154.4Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.1Bright
224.1Bright
234.0Bright
244.0Bright
254.0Moderate
264.0Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.9Moderate
293.9Moderate
303.9Moderate
Planning a trip in September

Is September a good time to visit Charlottesville?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

September is a reasonable time to visit Charlottesville for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Charlottesville in September

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

In September, Charlottesville sees daytime highs around 79°F and nights near 60°F. Worth packing: light clothes and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

UV index in Charlottesville in September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Charlottesville peaks around June 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 187 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr14Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Charlottesville?

Charlottesville sits at 38.0°N, 78.5°W, 466 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Waynesboro, 22 mi away.

Topography around Charlottesville

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Charlottesville.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Charlottesville has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 915 ft around an average of 466 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,529 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,416 ft.

The land around Charlottesville is covered by trees (67%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, trees (76%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (75%) and grassland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
915 ft
10 miles
1,529 ft
50 miles
4,416 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
September weather nearby: Waynesboro 22 mi · Staunton 34 mi · Harrisonburg 36 mi · Culpeper 40 mi · Short Pump 54 mi · Lynchburg 56 mi · West Lynchburg 58 mi · Midlothian 58 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 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 Charlottesville (38.0293°, -78.4767°, elevation 466 ft), 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).