Great Falls weather in September

In September, Great Falls sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 1.4 in of precipitation across 6.3 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 77°F in the first days to 65°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in September, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of September to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Great Falls's 3rd-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Great Falls's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
4th warmest
Overnight low
47°
9th coldest
Precipitation
1.4 in
6.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:09 AM – 6:30 PM
Cloud cover
45%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 mph
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Great Falls is city in and county seat of Cascade County, Montana, United States.

Density
985/km²
people per km²
Founded
1883

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 77°F in the first days to 65°F by the end.

A typical September day in Great Falls reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 47°F overnight — a 24°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 56°F and 85°F. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 12°F cooler than August and about 14°F warmer than October.

40°60°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17852
27851
37751
47651
57650
67550
77549
87449
97449
107348
117348
127248
137247
147147
157147
167046
177046
186946
196946
206945
216845
226845
236844
246744
256744
266643
276643
286543
296542
306442

How September really feels in Great Falls

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.

Great Falls weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 18°0.85.75.78.70.0
Feb36° / 19°0.75.85.99.90.0
Mar45° / 26°1.075.311.61.2
Apr55° / 34°2.09.44.213.33.5
May65° / 43°2.410.81.114.95.7
Jun73° / 50°2.910.50.115.76.6
Jul84° / 56°0.95.1015.46.5
Aug83° / 55°1.14.8014.17.0
Sep71° / 47°1.46.30.212.47.3
Oct57° / 37°1.372.510.64.3
Nov43° / 27°0.95.84.79.10.7
Dec34° / 20°0.85.75.68.30.0

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in September.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 36%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27030
36931
46931
56832
66832
76733
86634
96535
106436
116337
126337
136238
146337
156238
166238
176238
186139
196139
206139
216139
226139
236238
246238
256238
266238
276238
286238
296238
306139

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitationSnow

Great Falls gets around 1.4 in of rain and snow over 6.3 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 22% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202530
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1180
2180
3180
4190
5190
6200
7200
8210
9220
10230
11230
12240
13240
14240
15240
16241
17241
18241
19231
20231
21231
22221
23222
24222
25212
26213
27213
28213
29214
30214

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000

Wind in September

Winds average 7 mph in September.

Across September, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202530
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of September to 11 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 102 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 5:49 AM to 6:29 AM, and sunset from 7:01 PM to 6:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:497:01
213.15:506:59
313.15:516:57
413.05:536:55
513.05:546:53
612.95:566:51
712.95:576:49
812.85:586:47
912.76:006:44
1012.76:016:42
1112.66:026:40
1212.66:046:38
1312.56:056:36
1412.56:076:34
1512.46:086:32
1612.36:096:30
1712.36:116:28
1812.26:126:25
1912.26:146:23
2012.16:156:21
2112.06:166:19
2212.06:186:17
2311.96:196:15
2411.96:216:13
2511.86:226:11
2611.86:236:08
2711.76:256:06
2811.66:266:04
2911.66:286:02
3011.56:296:00

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 4.61 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.39 kWh/m² to a high of 7.32 kWh/m² in July across the year — September's 4.61 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.3Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.1Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
104.9Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.7Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.4Bright
194.4Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.2Bright
234.2Bright
244.1Bright
254.1Bright
264.0Bright
274.0Moderate
283.9Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.8Moderate
Planning a trip in September

Is September a good time to visit Great Falls?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

September is one of the better times to visit Great Falls for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Great Falls in September

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

In September, Great Falls sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 47°F. Worth packing: sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

sun protection

UV index in Great Falls in September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Great Falls peaks around July 14 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 14UV 8Dec 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May7High
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep5Moderate
Oct4Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Great Falls 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 Great Falls is worst in August — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodAug 1323 µg/m³Dec 106 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb6Good
Mar11Good
Apr13Moderate
May12Good
Jun9Good
Jul20Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Great Falls?

Great Falls sits at 47.5°N, 111.3°W, 3,330 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Helena, 71 mi away.

Topography around Great Falls

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Great Falls has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 217 ft around an average of 3,366 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,270 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,588 ft.

The land around Great Falls is covered by artificial surfaces (52%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, grassland (51%) and cropland (38%) within 10 miles, and grassland (55%) and cropland (31%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
217 ft
10 miles
1,270 ft
50 miles
6,588 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
September weather nearby: Helena 71 mi · Butte 119 mi · Bozeman 126 mi · Missoula 134 mi · Kalispell 148 mi · Whitefish 154 mi · Lethbridge 167 mi · Medicine Hat 178 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 Great Falls (47.5002°, -111.3008°, elevation 3,330 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).