Mason City weather in September

In September, Mason City sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 52°F, with 3.5 in of rain across 9.3 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 76°F in the first days to 67°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% 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 Mason City's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mason City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
4th warmest
Overnight low
52°
9th coldest
Rainfall
3.5 in
9.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:58 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
48%
1st clearest
Wind
9 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Mason City is city and the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States.

Density
376/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

Highs ease over the month, from about 76°F in the first days to 67°F by the end.

A typical September day in Mason City reaches about 72°F in the afternoon and slips back to 52°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 61°F and 83°F. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 6°F cooler than August and about 13°F warmer than October.

40°60°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17758
27758
37657
47657
57656
67556
77556
87555
97455
107455
117454
127354
137353
147353
157253
167252
177252
187151
197151
207051
217050
227050
236949
246949
256848
266848
276847
286747
296747
306646

How September really feels in Mason City

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.

Mason City 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
Jan24° / 1.16.15.79.20.0
Feb28° / 13°1.25.95.310.20.0
Mar42° / 25°2.48.53.911.60.7
Apr57° / 37°4.011.51.913.13.8
May69° / 49°5.113.60.114.45.8
Jun78° / 60°5.412.6015.16.3
Jul80° / 63°4.09.7014.96.7
Aug78° / 60°4.010.2013.86.9
Sep72° / 52°3.59.3012.36.9
Oct59° / 40°2.78.20.510.84.8
Nov43° / 27°1.96.52.89.50.9
Dec30° / 15°1.56.75.98.90.0

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in September, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 41%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26436
36436
46337
56436
66337
76238
86238
96139
106040
115941
125941
135842
145743
155644
165644
175545
185545
195545
205644
215545
225644
235644
245743
255644
265743
275743
285743
295743
305743

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

Mason City gets around 3.5 in of rain over 9.3 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 31% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
127
227
328
428
528
629
729
830
930
1031
1132
1233
1333
1434
1534
1634
1735
1835
1934
2034
2134
2233
2333
2432
2532
2631
2731
2830
2930
3030

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 10% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1302620204
2332619194
3352619173
4382518163
5402518153
6422418132
7452317132
8472317122
9492217112
10512116111
11522116101
12532115101
1356201491
1457201490
1559201380
1660201280
1762191180
1863191170
1965181070
206718960
216817960
227017850
237216750
247415740
257515640
267714630
277913530
288012530
298112520
308311420

Wind in September

Winds average 9 mph in September.

Across September, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light 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 5:41 AM to 6:15 AM, and sunset from 6:44 PM to 5:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.05:416:44
213.05:436:42
312.95:446:40
412.95:456:38
512.85:466:36
612.85:476:34
712.75:486:33
812.75:496:31
912.65:516:29
1012.65:526:27
1112.55:536:25
1212.55:546:23
1312.45:556:21
1412.45:566:20
1512.35:576:18
1612.35:586:16
1712.26:006:14
1812.26:016:12
1912.16:026:10
2012.16:036:08
2112.06:046:06
2212.06:056:05
2311.96:066:03
2411.96:086:01
2511.86:095:59
2611.86:105:57
2711.76:115:55
2811.76:125:53
2911.66:135:51
3011.66:155:50

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 4.41 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.64 kWh/m² to a high of 6.38 kWh/m² in July across the year — September's 4.41 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.6Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.4Bright
154.4Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.1Bright
214.1Bright
224.0Bright
234.0Moderate
244.0Moderate
253.9Moderate
263.9Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.8Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.7Moderate
Planning a trip in September

Hazard calendar for Mason City

In seasonPeak

In September, Mason City sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Mason City's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is September a good time to visit Mason City?

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 Mason City for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mason City in September

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

In September, Mason City sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 52°F. Worth packing: light clothes and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

UV index in Mason City 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 Mason City peaks around June 16 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 16UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Mason City?

Mason City sits at 43.2°N, 93.2°W, 1,129 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Albert Lea, 35 mi away.

Topography around Mason City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Mason City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 ft around an average of 1,129 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 577 ft.

The land around Mason City is covered by trees (38%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 2 miles, cropland (77%) within 10 miles, and cropland (89%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
135 ft
10 miles
285 ft
50 miles
577 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
September weather nearby: Albert Lea 35 mi · Austin 37 mi · Cedar Falls 58 mi · Waterloo 63 mi · Owatonna 64 mi · Fort Dodge 66 mi · Rochester 70 mi · Marshalltown 78 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 Mason City (43.1536°, -93.201°, elevation 1,129 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).