Washington in Fall
In fall (September, October and November), Washington sees average daytime highs around 71°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 2.1 in of precipitation over about 8 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 88°F in early September to 52°F by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Washington's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Washington's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 71°F
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 47°F
- Precipitation
- 2.1 in
- 8 wet days
- Avg wind
- 5 mph
- Travel score
- 6.9
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Washington in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 88°F in early September to 52°F by late November.
A typical fall day in Washington reaches about 71°F and drops to 47°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.
How fall really feels in Washington
Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 20 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in fall is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Washington weather by month
How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48° / 28° | 1.6 | 5.4 | 2.8 | 9.7 | 2.1 |
| Feb | 52° / 31° | 1.8 | 6.3 | 3.1 | 10.6 | 3.2 |
| Mar | 60° / 38° | 1.4 | 5.8 | 1.8 | 11.7 | 5.6 |
| Apr | 68° / 44° | 0.7 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 12.9 | 7.5 |
| May | 78° / 53° | 0.4 | 2.2 | 0 | 14 | 8.3 |
| Jun | 89° / 62° | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0 | 14.5 | 5.6 |
| Jul | 94° / 70° | 0.2 | 1.2 | 0 | 14.3 | 3.7 |
| Aug | 92° / 68° | 0.3 | 1.7 | 0 | 13.4 | 4.3 |
| Sep | 84° / 59° | 0.4 | 1.9 | 0 | 12.3 | 7.2 |
| Oct | 71° / 46° | 0.7 | 2.9 | 0.1 | 11 | 8.3 |
| Nov | 57° / 35° | 0.9 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 10 | 5.1 |
| Dec | 47° / 28° | 1.3 | 4.9 | 2.7 | 9.5 | 1.8 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Washington gets around 2.1 in of rain and snow over 8 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 5 mph across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min in early September to 9 h 42 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 4.7 kWh/m².
Is fall a good time to visit Washington?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a reasonable time to visit Washington for sightseeing.
What to pack for Washington in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Washington sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 47°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.
UV index in Washington in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages 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 Washington peaks around July 15 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 2 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Extreme |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Moderate |
Where is Washington?
Washington sits at 37.1°N, 113.5°W, 2,792 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Saint George, 4.3 mi away.
Topography around Washington
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Washington.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Washington has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 787 ft around an average of 2,854 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,137 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,291 ft.
The land around Washington is covered by artificial surfaces (40%), shrubs (23%) and bare terrain (21%) within 2 miles, grassland (31%), bare terrain (27%) and shrubs (25%) within 10 miles, and shrubs (34%), grassland (28%) and trees (24%) within 50 miles.
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
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 Washington (37.1305°, -113.5083°, elevation 2,792 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.