Madison weather in September

In September, Madison sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 53°F, with 3.3 in of rain across 9.1 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 77°F in the first days to 67°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in September, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 hours at the start of September to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Madison's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Madison's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
4th warmest
Overnight low
53°
9th coldest
Rainfall
3.3 in
9.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:43 AM – 6:01 PM
Cloud cover
51%
1st clearest
Wind
7 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Madison is capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and seat of Dane County.

Density
1,409/km²
people per km²
Founded
1836

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 67°F by the end.

A typical September day in Madison reaches about 72°F in the afternoon and slips back to 53°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 61°F and 82°F. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 7°F cooler than August and about 13°F warmer than October.

40°60°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17759
27758
37758
47658
57657
67657
77557
87556
97556
107455
117455
127455
137354
147354
157254
167253
177253
187152
197152
207052
217051
226951
236950
246950
256849
266849
276749
286748
296748
306647

How September really feels in Madison

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.

Madison weather by month

How September compares with the rest of the year at a glance. September is the 4th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 13°1.67.66.49.20.0
Feb32° / 16°1.66.65.310.20.0
Mar44° / 27°2.49.23.911.60.9
Apr57° / 38°4.012.31.913.13.7
May68° / 49°4.012.50.114.45.8
Jun78° / 60°4.411.8015.16.4
Jul81° / 64°3.210.2014.96.5
Aug79° / 61°3.79.9013.86.7
Sep72° / 53°3.39.1012.36.9
Oct59° / 42°2.88.70.410.84.6
Nov44° / 30°2.282.29.50.9
Dec32° / 19°1.97.55.28.90.0

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in September, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 46%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25842
35842
45743
55842
65743
75842
85743
95743
105644
115644
125545
135446
145446
155446
165347
175248
185248
195248
205149
215149
225149
235149
245149
255149
265149
275149
285149
295248
305248

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

Madison gets around 3.3 in of rain over 9.1 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 30% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
128
228
328
428
528
628
729
829
929
1029
1130
1230
1331
1431
1532
1632
1732
1832
1932
2032
2132
2232
2332
2432
2532
2632
2731
2831
2931
3031

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 59% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 9% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1342521173
2352521163
3372520153
4392520142
5412419132
6432419122
7452418112
8472318112
9482318101
10502217101
1152211791
1253211691
1354201691
1456201581
1557191581
1659191480
1762181370
1863171370
1964171270
2067161160
2168151160
2271141050
237313950
247413940
257612840
267711840
277911730
288010730
29819730
30839620

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
217light 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 hours 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 84 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 5:26 AM to 5:59 AM, and sunset from 6:28 PM to 5:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.05:266:28
213.05:276:26
312.95:296:25
412.95:306:23
512.85:316:21
612.85:326:19
712.75:336:17
812.75:346:16
912.65:356:14
1012.65:366:12
1112.55:386:10
1212.55:396:08
1312.45:406:06
1412.45:416:04
1512.35:426:02
1612.35:436:01
1712.25:445:59
1812.25:465:57
1912.15:475:55
2012.15:485:53
2112.05:495:51
2212.05:505:49
2311.95:515:47
2411.95:525:46
2511.85:545:44
2611.85:555:42
2711.75:565:40
2811.75:575:38
2911.65:585:36
3011.65:595:34

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 1.56 kWh/m² to a high of 6.29 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
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.1Bright
204.1Bright
214.0Bright
224.0Bright
234.0Moderate
243.9Moderate
253.9Moderate
263.9Moderate
273.8Moderate
283.8Moderate
293.7Moderate
303.7Moderate
Planning a trip in September

Is September a good time to visit Madison?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

September is a reasonable time to visit Madison for sightseeing.

What to pack for Madison in September

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

In September, Madison sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 53°F. Worth packing: light clothes and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

UV index in Madison 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 Madison peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Madison 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 Madison is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1715 µg/m³Oct 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Madison?

Madison sits at 43.1°N, 89.4°W, 876 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Middleton, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around Madison

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Madison has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 236 ft around an average of 863 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 427 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,056 ft.

The land around Madison is covered by water (46%), artificial surfaces (26%) and trees (21%) within 2 miles, trees (27%), cropland (27%) and grassland (22%) within 10 miles, and cropland (50%) and trees (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
236 ft
10 miles
427 ft
50 miles
1,056 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
September weather nearby: Middleton 5.6 mi · Fitchburg 8.7 mi · Sun Prairie 12 mi · Janesville 33 mi · Watertown 35 mi · Beaver Dam 39 mi · Beloit 43 mi · Oconomowoc 45 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 Madison (43.0731°, -89.4012°, elevation 876 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).