Olympia weather in September

In September, Olympia sees average daytime highs of 69°F and overnight lows near 52°F, with 2.1 in of rain across 7 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 72°F in the first days to 65°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% 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 Olympia's 3rd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Olympia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
69°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
52°
10th coldest
Rainfall
2.1 in
7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:56 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
48%
3rd clearest
Wind
5 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
4.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.0
out of 10

Olympia is capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and seat of Thurston County.

Density
1,093/km²
people per km²
Founded
1859

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 72°F in the first days to 65°F by the end.

A typical September day in Olympia reaches about 69°F in the afternoon and slips back to 52°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 61°F and 78°F. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 6°F cooler than August and about 10°F warmer than October.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17354
27254
37254
47254
57254
67154
77154
87154
97153
107153
117053
127053
137053
146953
156953
166953
176952
186852
196852
206852
216852
226751
236751
246751
256751
266651
276650
286550
296550
306550

How September really feels in Olympia

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.

Olympia weather by month

How September compares with the rest of the year at a glance. September is the 3rd-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan45° / 38°7.617.52.38.70.9
Feb48° / 38°5.314.42101.5
Mar52° / 40°6.317.61.111.62.2
Apr57° / 43°4.714.90.113.33.5
May63° / 48°2.910.2014.85.5
Jun68° / 52°1.87.5015.66.5
Jul74° / 55°0.73.1015.38.2
Aug75° / 55°1.040148.2
Sep69° / 52°2.17012.47.0
Oct59° / 47°5.112.7010.64.3
Nov50° / 41°8.417.60.69.11.8
Dec45° / 37°8.117.12.38.40.7

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% 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 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
26040
36040
46040
56139
66040
76040
86040
95941
105842
115842
125743
135644
145545
155545
165446
175545
185545
195545
205545
215545
225545
235644
245644
255743
265743
275743
285644
295644
305545

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

Olympia gets around 2.1 in of rain over 7 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 24% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
120
220
321
421
522
622
722
823
923
1024
1124
1224
1324
1424
1524
1624
1723
1823
1924
2024
2124
2224
2324
2425
2525
2625
2726
2826
2927
3028

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 77% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
168311
268311
369301
469301
570291
671281
772271
872271
973261
1073261
1174251
1274251
1375241
1475241
1576231
1676231
1777221
1878211
1979201
2079201
2180191
2281181
2382171
2483161
2584151
2684151
2785141
2886131
2988120
3089110

Wind in September

Winds average 5 mph in September, the calmest month.

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

0246810151015202530
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
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 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 5:36 AM to 6:15 AM, and sunset from 6:47 PM to 5:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:366:47
213.15:376:45
313.15:386:43
413.05:406:41
513.05:416:39
612.95:426:37
712.85:446:35
812.85:456:33
912.75:476:31
1012.75:486:28
1112.65:496:26
1212.65:516:24
1312.55:526:22
1412.45:536:20
1512.45:556:18
1612.35:566:16
1712.35:576:14
1812.25:596:12
1912.26:006:10
2012.16:016:07
2112.06:036:05
2212.06:046:03
2311.96:066:01
2411.96:075:59
2511.86:085:57
2611.86:105:55
2711.76:115:53
2811.66:125:51
2911.66:145:49
3011.56:155:47

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 4.1 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.89 kWh/m² to a high of 6.29 kWh/m² in July across the year — September's 4.1 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.4Bright
104.4Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.2Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.0Bright
174.0Moderate
183.9Moderate
193.9Moderate
203.8Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.7Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.6Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.4Moderate
283.4Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.3Moderate
Planning a trip in September

Hazard calendar for Olympia

In seasonPeak

None of Olympia's seasonal hazards are active in September. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Olympia's rainy season runs October–April, 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 Olympia?

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

7.0
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Olympia in September

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

In September, Olympia sees daytime highs around 69°F and nights near 52°F. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 7 days see rain.

UV index in Olympia in September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Olympia peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 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 17UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Olympia?

Olympia sits at 47.0°N, 122.9°W, 95 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Tumwater, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Olympia

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Olympia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 364 ft around an average of 135 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,241 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,555 ft.

The land around Olympia is covered by trees (57%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (63%) within 10 miles, and trees (81%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
364 ft
10 miles
2,241 ft
50 miles
6,555 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
September weather nearby: Tumwater 2.5 mi · Lacey 3.7 mi · Lakewood 20 mi · University Place 21 mi · Spanaway 22 mi · Centralia 23 mi · Parkland 23 mi · Frederickson 26 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 Olympia (47.0449°, -122.9017°, elevation 95 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).