Fort Collins weather in September

In September, Fort Collins sees average daytime highs of 76°F and overnight lows near 49°F, with 1.5 in of precipitation across 5.8 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 81°F in the first days to 71°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Fort Collins's 1st-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fort Collins's year-round climate.

Daytime high
76°
4th warmest
Overnight low
49°
9th coldest
Precipitation
1.5 in
5.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:47 AM – 6:03 PM
Cloud cover
42%
1st clearest
Wind
5 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.6
out of 10

Fort Collins is city and county seat of Larimer County, Colorado, United States.

Density
1,188/km²
people per km²
Founded
1864

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 81°F in the first days to 71°F by the end.

A typical September day in Fort Collins reaches about 76°F in the afternoon and slips back to 49°F overnight — a 27°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 62°F and 87°F. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 8°F cooler than August and about 13°F warmer than October.

40°60°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18254
28154
38153
48053
58053
68052
77952
87952
97851
107851
117851
127750
137750
147649
157649
167548
177548
187548
197447
207447
217447
227346
237346
247346
257245
267245
277144
287144
297044
307043

How September really feels in Fort Collins

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.

Fort Collins weather by month

How September compares with the rest of the year at a glance. September is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan41° / 19°0.644.29.40.1
Feb44° / 20°0.74.94.610.40.9
Mar53° / 27°1.56.94.311.73.4
Apr60° / 34°2.59.63.7134.9
May69° / 43°3.411.60.714.26.1
Jun79° / 52°2.18.7014.86.7
Jul86° / 58°1.77.7014.65.5
Aug84° / 57°1.56.7013.66.2
Sep76° / 49°1.55.80.312.37.6
Oct63° / 37°1.66.9210.96.0
Nov50° / 27°1.05.34.29.72.6
Dec41° / 20°0.63.849.20.2

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in September, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 28%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27129
37228
47228
57228
67228
77228
87327
97327
107327
117327
127327
137327
147228
157228
167228
177228
187228
197228
207228
217228
227228
237228
247129
257030
267030
277030
287030
296931
306931

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitationSnow

Fort Collins gets around 1.5 in of rain and snow over 5.8 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 20% and peaks near 22% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202530
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1170
2170
3170
4180
5181
6191
7191
8201
9201
10201
11211
12211
13211
14221
15221
16221
17221
18211
19211
20211
21201
22202
23202
24202
25202
26202
27212
28212
29212
30213

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1919
2928
3937
4937
5946
6955
7955
8964
9964
10973
11973
12973
13982
14982
15982
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000

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
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
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 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 78 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 5:32 AM to 6:01 AM, and sunset from 6:28 PM to 5:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:326:28
212.95:336:27
312.95:346:25
412.85:356:23
512.85:366:22
612.75:376:20
712.75:386:18
812.65:396:17
912.65:406:15
1012.55:416:13
1112.55:426:11
1212.45:436:10
1312.45:446:08
1412.45:456:06
1512.35:466:04
1612.35:476:03
1712.25:486:01
1812.25:495:59
1912.15:505:57
2012.15:515:56
2112.05:525:54
2212.05:535:52
2311.95:545:50
2411.95:555:49
2511.95:565:47
2611.85:575:45
2711.85:585:43
2811.75:595:42
2911.76:005:40
3011.66:015:38

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 5.35 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.37 kWh/m² to a high of 7.32 kWh/m² in June across the year — September's 5.35 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
Planning a trip in September

Is September a good time to visit Fort Collins?

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

7.6
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.4
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

September is one of the better times to visit Fort Collins for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Fort Collins in September

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

In September, Fort Collins sees daytime highs around 76°F and nights near 49°F. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Fort Collins in September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Fort Collins peaks around July 13 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 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 highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 11Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Fort Collins 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 Fort Collins is worst in October — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (November, 10 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodOct 1528 µg/m³Nov 2310 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun12Good
Jul14Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct30Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Fort Collins?

Fort Collins sits at 40.6°N, 105.1°W, 5,003 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Windsor, 12 mi away.

Topography around Fort Collins

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Fort Collins has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 ft around an average of 5,003 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,923 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,675 ft.

The land around Fort Collins is covered by artificial surfaces (41%), trees (32%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, grassland (57%) within 10 miles, and grassland (57%) and trees (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
187 ft
10 miles
2,923 ft
50 miles
9,675 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
September weather nearby: Windsor 12 mi · Loveland 13 mi · Greeley 22 mi · Evans 25 mi · Estes Park 27 mi · Longmont 29 mi · Erie 37 mi · Boulder 40 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 Fort Collins (40.5853°, -105.0844°, elevation 5,003 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).