State College weather in September

In September, State College sees average daytime highs of 73°F and overnight lows near 54°F, with 4.1 in of rain across 9.4 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 78°F in the first days to 68°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% 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 State College's 1st-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see State College's year-round climate.

Daytime high
73°
4th warmest
Overnight low
54°
9th coldest
Rainfall
4.1 in
9.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:58 AM – 6:14 PM
Cloud cover
57%
1st clearest
Wind
5 mph
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Temperature in September

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 78°F in the first days to 68°F by the end.

A typical September day in State College reaches about 73°F in the afternoon and slips back to 54°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 63°F and 83°F. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 7°F cooler than August and about 12°F warmer than October.

40°60°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17859
27859
37859
47758
57758
67758
77658
87657
97657
107556
117556
127556
137455
147455
157455
167354
177354
187253
197253
207253
217152
227152
237052
247051
257051
266951
276950
286850
296849
306749

How September really feels in State College

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.

State College weather by month

How September compares with the rest of the year at a glance. September is the 4th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 20°3.09.96.29.40.0
Feb37° / 22°2.78.6510.40.0
Mar46° / 29°3.710.73.911.71.2
Apr59° / 40°3.812.10.913.14.2
May69° / 49°3.912.8014.25.9
Jun77° / 59°3.611.4014.96.4
Jul82° / 63°3.110.8014.66.3
Aug80° / 62°2.99.9013.66.5
Sep73° / 54°4.19.4012.36.8
Oct61° / 43°3.490.310.95.1
Nov49° / 34°3.28.81.49.71.9
Dec38° / 26°3.39.949.10.0

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in September, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25149
35050
45149
55149
65050
75149
85149
95149
105149
115149
125149
135149
145149
155149
165149
175149
185149
195149
205149
215248
225248
235248
245248
255149
265149
275149
285149
295149
305149

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

State College gets around 4.1 in of rain over 9.4 wet days in September, the wettest month. 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
529
629
729
830
930
1030
1130
1230
1330
1430
1530
1630
1731
1831
1931
2031
2131
2232
2332
2432
2532
2632
2732
2832
2932
3032

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 52% 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 (%)
1332524152
2342523152
3352522152
4362622142
5382621142
6392620132
7402619122
8422619122
9432519112
10452518111
11462518101
12472418101
1349241791
1451231790
1552231780
1653221780
1756211670
1857211660
1958201660
2059201650
2162191540
2262191540
2364181530
2465181430
2566181330
2667181320
2768181220
2870171120
2970171120
3071171020

Wind in September

Winds average 5 mph in September.

Across September, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 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
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm

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 5:43 AM to 6:12 AM, and sunset from 6:40 PM to 5:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.05:436:40
212.95:446:38
312.95:456:36
412.85:466:35
512.85:476:33
612.75:486:31
712.75:496:29
812.65:506:28
912.65:516:26
1012.55:526:24
1112.55:536:23
1212.55:546:21
1312.45:556:19
1412.45:566:17
1512.35:576:16
1612.35:586:14
1712.25:596:12
1812.26:006:10
1912.16:016:08
2012.16:026:07
2112.06:036:05
2212.06:046:03
2311.96:056:01
2411.96:066:00
2511.86:075:58
2611.86:085:56
2711.86:095:54
2811.76:105:53
2911.76:115:51
3011.66:125:49

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 4.09 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.6 kWh/m² to a high of 5.94 kWh/m² in June across the year — September's 4.09 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.4Bright
84.4Bright
94.4Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.2Bright
134.2Bright
144.2Bright
154.1Bright
164.1Bright
174.1Bright
184.0Bright
194.0Moderate
204.0Moderate
213.9Moderate
223.9Moderate
233.8Moderate
243.8Moderate
253.7Moderate
263.7Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.6Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.5Moderate
Planning a trip in September

Is September a good time to visit State College?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

September is a reasonable time to visit State College for sightseeing.

What to pack for State College in September

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

In September, State College sees daytime highs around 73°F and nights near 54°F. Worth packing: light clothes and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

UV index in State College 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 State College peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in State College 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 State College is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1316 µg/m³Nov 117 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is State College?

State College sits at 40.8°N, 77.9°W, 1,165 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Altoona, 34 mi away.

Topography around State College

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around State College has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 364 ft around an average of 1,142 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,713 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,598 ft.

The land around State College is covered by trees (44%), grassland (26%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (72%) within 10 miles, and trees (82%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
364 ft
10 miles
1,713 ft
50 miles
2,598 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
September weather nearby: Altoona 34 mi · Carlisle 54 mi · Williamsport 55 mi · Chambersburg 60 mi · Harrisburg 63 mi · Johnstown 65 mi · Hagerstown 80 mi · Lebanon 82 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 State College (40.7934°, -77.86°, elevation 1,165 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).