Rochester weather in September

In September, Rochester sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 52°F, with 3.3 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 75°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 06 min at the start of September to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Rochester's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rochester's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
4th warmest
Overnight low
52°
9th coldest
Rainfall
3.3 in
9.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:55 AM – 6:13 PM
Cloud cover
51%
1st clearest
Wind
9 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Rochester is seat of Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States of America.

Density
792/km²
people per km²
Founded
1854

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 75°F in the first days to 65°F by the end.

A typical September day in Rochester reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 52°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 59°F and 81°F. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 7°F cooler than August and about 14°F warmer than October.

40°60°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17657
27657
37557
47556
57556
67456
77455
87455
97355
107354
117354
127253
137253
147153
157152
167152
177051
187051
196951
206950
216850
226849
236749
246748
256748
266647
276647
286547
296546
306446

How September really feels in Rochester

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.

Rochester 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
Jan23° / 1.16.76.69.10.0
Feb28° / 13°1.25.75.310.20.0
Mar41° / 24°2.38.84.411.60.5
Apr55° / 37°3.611.42.313.23.3
May67° / 49°4.5130.114.55.7
Jun76° / 59°5.212.3015.26.4
Jul80° / 63°3.810.40156.6
Aug78° / 60°3.810013.86.9
Sep71° / 52°3.39.3012.36.7
Oct57° / 39°2.790.710.84.1
Nov41° / 27°1.96.93.59.40.6
Dec28° / 15°1.57.16.28.80.0

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in September, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26337
36337
46436
56337
66337
76238
86238
96139
106139
116040
125842
135743
145644
155644
165545
175446
185446
195446
205446
215446
225446
235446
245347
255446
265446
275545
285545
295545
305545

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

Rochester gets around 3.3 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 32% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
129
229
329
429
529
629
729
830
930
1030
1131
1232
1332
1433
1533
1634
1734
1834
1934
2034
2134
2234
2333
2433
2533
2632
2732
2832
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 61% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 8% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1372322143
2392222143
3412221133
4432220123
5452219112
6472119102
7492119102
851201892
952201891
1055191781
1155191781
1256191681
1358181671
1460181570
1561181470
1662181460
1764171360
1864171360
1967161250
2068161150
2170161040
227215940
237215940
247514830
257614730
267813630
278012620
288112520
298211520
308410420

Wind in September

Winds average 9 mph in September.

Across September, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 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 90 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 5:38 AM to 6:12 AM, and sunset from 6:42 PM to 5:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.15:386:42
213.05:396:40
313.05:406:38
412.95:416:36
512.95:426:34
612.85:436:32
712.85:456:30
812.75:466:28
912.75:476:27
1012.65:486:25
1112.65:496:23
1212.55:516:21
1312.55:526:19
1412.45:536:17
1512.45:546:15
1612.35:556:13
1712.25:566:11
1812.25:586:09
1912.15:596:07
2012.16:006:05
2112.06:016:04
2212.06:026:02
2311.96:046:00
2411.96:055:58
2511.86:065:56
2611.86:075:54
2711.76:085:52
2811.76:105:50
2911.66:115:48
3011.66:125:46

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 4.28 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.51 kWh/m² to a high of 6.31 kWh/m² in July across the year — September's 4.28 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.6Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.4Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.2Bright
164.2Bright
174.1Bright
184.1Bright
194.0Bright
204.0Bright
214.0Moderate
223.9Moderate
233.9Moderate
243.8Moderate
253.8Moderate
263.8Moderate
273.7Moderate
283.7Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.6Moderate
Planning a trip in September

Is September a good time to visit Rochester?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

September is a reasonable time to visit Rochester for sightseeing.

What to pack for Rochester in September

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

In September, Rochester sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 52°F. Worth packing: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

rain gear

UV index in Rochester 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 Rochester peaks around June 14 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 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 14UV 9Jan 12UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Rochester?

Rochester sits at 44.0°N, 92.5°W, 1,024 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Austin, 35 mi away.

Topography around Rochester

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Rochester has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 305 ft around an average of 1,047 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 436 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 797 ft.

The land around Rochester is covered by trees (43%) and artificial surfaces (38%) within 2 miles, cropland (46%) and trees (28%) within 10 miles, and cropland (66%) and trees (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
305 ft
10 miles
436 ft
50 miles
797 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
September weather nearby: Austin 35 mi · Red Wing 37 mi · Owatonna 38 mi · Winona 41 mi · Faribault 44 mi · Northfield 45 mi · Albert Lea 52 mi · Hastings 53 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 Rochester (44.0216°, -92.4699°, elevation 1,024 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).