Where Is Warm and Dry in September? Europe Cools, Asia Turns Wet, and Bali's Rain Returns

Which places are warm and dry in September?

Sixteen of the places we track pass our test in September: an average daytime high of at least 24°C and rain on no more than one day in ten, about three rain days in the month. That is four fewer than August. Madrid, Valencia, Porto, Madeira and the Canary Islands leave, and only Maui joins.

The month is a hinge. The northern summer is ending, so the very hot places cool into something workable, and the rain that August held off starts to come back. Dubai is still rain-free and Cyprus almost as dry. The Atlantic islands are the surprise: Madeira goes from about 2 rain days in August to about 7 of 30, and the Canary Islands to about 4, so both fall off the August list.

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Does the Mediterranean get better in September?

Yes, this is the real September win. The heat breaks and most of the south is still dry.

Seville drops from 37°C in August to 32°C with rain on about 2 of 30 days, Athens from 33°C to 29°C, and Antalya from 35°C to 32°C. Lisbon eases from 29°C to 26°C. Málaga and Crete are both under 30°C and inside our dry line. These are the places where September is kinder than July or August for working outdoors in the afternoon, though a first autumn storm on the coast is a matter of when.

The east coast is where the weather turns. Valencia has rain on about 6 of 30 days and 88 mm, up from about 2 days in August, Barcelona about 8 days, and Rome about 7. Madrid drops to 27°C and gets about 4 rain days. They are pleasant, but "warm and dry" stops being the right label.

Is September really the best month for Bali?

No, not on our numbers. Some roundups pick Bali for September (Scott Dunn sends you there for the month's best weather), with no rainfall figures. The rain data is more careful: September is dry compared with the wet season, and clearly wetter than August on the south coast, where most nomads live.

Uluwatu goes from 17 mm in August to 70 mm in September and 121 mm in October, with rain days climbing from about 4 to about 5 to about 6. Canggu nearly doubles from August to September. Ubud, inland, has more than 100 mm in every month of the year. Lombok is the exception: it stays on our dry list in September, and its 48 mm is a fraction of October's 131 mm.

So September is still a good month in Bali, but anyone who says it is as dry as August is guessing. Our Bali by area guide shows the curve through the year, and the rainy season guide covers where it goes next.

Why is Thailand the wrong September choice?

Because it is the monsoon at its strongest. Responsible Travel's September guide flags the monsoon on mainland Southeast Asia and the Andaman coast, and our numbers agree.

Koh Samui, on the Gulf side, is the light one, which our Samui and Phangan guide explains, but its wet turn is close: in October it is at 260 mm and about 18 rain days. Da Nang jumps from about 7 rain days in August to about 12 as the central Vietnamese rainy season starts. Do not plan a September in Thailand or Vietnam for dry weather.

What about the Americas and the Caribbean?

Los Angeles and San Diego pass, and so does Maui (29°C, about 3 of 30 days). The Caribbean does not: Cabarete in the Dominican Republic has about 6 of 30 days and 76 mm, and the Bahamas about 12 and 209 mm. Our monthly averages cannot show storms, and September is inside the Atlantic storm season, so a few showers on paper do not make a settled month. Rio is warm at 27°C but has about 5 rain days and 62 mm, just outside our line.

Where is dry and warm south of the equator?

A few islands. Mauritius (27°C, about 1 of 30 days) is on the list as spring starts, on its drier west coast. Paje on Zanzibar is hotter at 28°C with about 1 rain day, and Cairns is at 26°C with about 3 rain days. Cape Town is still winter-cool at 18°C with rain on about 5 of 30 days.

What would we pick for a month in September?

Warm, dry and comfortable: Lisbon, Athens or Crete, where the heat has gone and the dry weather has not.

Hot and settled: Seville, now 32°C, or Cyprus.

Bali with a hedge: Lombok, which stays dry, or Uluwatu if you accept that the showers have started.

Skip for dry weather: Thailand, Vietnam and the east coast of Spain.

Want sunny rather than dry? Sunniest and cloudiest places for nomads ranks places by cloud cover. Planning more than September, or need to dodge smoke, heat or rain? Pick your months and what to avoid and get your 3 best places, with the numbers.

How we built this list

Each place's September is an average of eleven years of daily Open-Meteo weather at its coordinates. Rain totals come from CHIRPS, except Canggu, Ubud and Paje, where CHIRPS reads too wet against local gauges. A place is listed when its September high averages 24°C or more and no more than one day in ten is a rain day (two millimetres, or four in the tropics). We sort by fewest rain days, then by the warmer high. Prices, crowds, visas, storms and air quality are not in it; see the data sources page.