Where to go in September
The month that quietly beats June: summer warmth, school back in session, and hotel rates that remember it. Headed for a coast? Keep half an eye on the tropics.
Beach warm
58 places
- Death Valley CA 108° / 79° Still punishing, though the nights finally let go a little.
- Palm Springs CA 102° / 74° Still scorching, but the end is finally in sight.
- Phoenix AZ 100° / 78° Hot right through, with relief teasing at the end.
- Tucson AZ 95° / 70° Storms taper off, heat hangs on, evenings improve slowly.
- Las Vegas NV 95° / 72° The oven cools a notch and evenings turn bearable.
- South Padre Island TX 92° / 75° Squalls roll in, drum the roof, then steam off.
- Austin TX 91° / 70° Still summer, with fronts teasing at the very end.
- Corpus Christi TX 91° / 73° Rain arrives in sheets, leaves in minutes, floods the underpasses.
- Zion National Park UT 91° / 61° Summer loosens its grip a notch, and evenings turn pleasant.
- Houston TX 90° / 71° Still summer, still watching the Gulf, still waiting for fall.
- Tampa FL 90° / 75° The heat holds while the crowds go home.
- Sarasota FL 90° / 74° The rain eases, the rates collapse, the sand empties.
- San Antonio TX 90° / 70° Still hot, but the storms come back and help.
- Fort Myers FL 90° / 74° Storm-watching month; the beach is yours in between.
- Kahului (Maui) HI 90° / 71° The island's hottest and emptiest month — take it.
- Orlando FL 90° / 72° Still summer — but somebody turned the crowds off.
- Naples FL 90° / 75° Empty beaches, warm sea, one eye on the tropics.
- Miami FL 89° / 77° Sultry, storm-watchful, and blissfully underbooked.
- Key West FL 89° / 79° Wettest month of the year, emptiest streets of the year.
- Panama City Beach FL 89° / 71° Still swimming weather, and the strip finally breathes.
- Clearwater FL 89° / 75° The rain backs off; the tropics do not.
- Sedona AZ 89° / 61° The rocks glow longer each evening and the crowds return.
- Galveston TX 89° / 76° Wettest month, sea still summer-warm, and the fewest people on it.
- Dallas TX 89° / 69° Long summer tail, then the State Fair changes the mood.
- Destin FL 89° / 72° Summer without the crowds — locals' favorite trade.
- Pensacola FL 89° / 72° The best-kept month on the beach, with an asterisk.
- Honolulu HI 88° / 75° Summer heat, September prices, and the beach back to yourself.
- Fort Lauderdale FL 88° / 77° The quietest beach of the year, weather permitting.
- El Paso TX 88° / 65° Storms thin out and the Franklins become hikeable again.
- Moab UT 88° / 55° The desert becomes livable again, and everyone comes back.
- St. Augustine FL 87° / 73° The month the coast holds its breath.
- Daytona Beach FL 87° / 73° Summer lingers; the boardwalk goes quiet.
- New Orleans LA 87° / 76° Still summer, though the rain finally lets up.
- Kailua-Kona HI 87° / 75° Residents get their beaches back for a few weeks.
- Savannah GA 86° / 69° The heat holds, the crowds don't, the tropics churn.
- Gulf Shores AL 86° / 70° Summer water, none of the summer crowds — that's the trade.
- Memphis TN 86° / 66° The wettest weather quits, and the evenings turn usable again.
- Hilton Head Island SC 86° / 70° Summer without the summer people — but watch the forecast.
- Anaheim CA 85° / 65° Still furnace-warm, but the school year thins the queues.
- Lihue (Kauai) HI 85° / 75° School's back on the mainland, and the island quiets down.
- Nashville TN 84° / 62° Football owns the weekends; the mornings turn kind.
- Atlanta GA 84° / 66° The rain thins out and the evenings turn usable again.
- Reno NV 84° / 50° If Reno gets one perfect month, this is it.
- Hilo HI 83° / 70° Warmest month here, and the sky lets up a little.
- Myrtle Beach SC 83° / 68° Everything you wanted from July, minus the people.
- Los Angeles CA 83° / 64° Santa Ana heat, empty beaches, the warmest water all year.
- Yosemite Valley CA 83° / 51° Long light, thin crowds, and granite in perfect condition.
- Charlotte NC 83° / 63° The heat breaks slowly, then all at once.
- Charleston SC 83° / 73° The tropics are awake, and the crowds have gone home.
- Albuquerque NM 83° / 58° The best air of the year arrives quietly.
- Branson MO 81° / 59° The hollows cool off first; afternoons still feel like summer.
- St. Louis MO 81° / 61° The air thins out and the city exhales.
- Washington, DC DC 81° / 64° Summer's last act, and its most forgiving one.
- Salt Lake City UT 81° / 56° The canyons turn scarlet before the valley notices anything changed.
- Williamsburg VA 81° / 63° Summer loosens its grip, week by week.
- Napa CA 80° / 51° Crush is on, and the whole valley smells like fermentation.
- Denver CO 80° / 48° Warm afternoons, cold beer, and gold creeping down the mountains.
- Boise ID 80° / 53° Peach season, cool evenings, and the valley finally breathing.
Genuinely warm
35 places
- Santa Fe NM 80° / 49° Golden light, cold mornings, and something burning downtown.
- Virginia Beach VA 80° / 64° Everything good about summer, none of the queues.
- Outer Banks NC 79° / 69° The month the surf, the fish, and the storms all show up.
- Philadelphia PA 79° / 61° Best month of the year, quietly. Don't tell anyone.
- Asheville NC 79° / 58° Warm afternoons, cold mornings, and the first color high up.
- Park City UT 79° / 38° Aspens go over in a week, mornings turn frosty.
- Atlantic City NJ 79° / 58° Summer stays; the crowds don't.
- Gatlinburg TN 78° / 56° Drier, emptier, and the elk start bugling in Cataloochee.
- San Diego CA 77° / 66° Summer without the crowds, and the sky finally clears at dawn.
- Colorado Springs CO 77° / 49° The rain shuts off and the whole month turns golden.
- Ocean City MD 77° / 61° Same warm water, none of the crowd. Ask any local.
- Portland OR 77° / 54° Summer minus the heat, and the light turns golden.
- Durango CO 77° / 43° Gold on the mesas, and the wettest month of the year.
- New York City NY 76° / 62° Summer loosens its grip and walking stops being a chore.
- Grand Canyon AZ 76° / 44° Warm, calm, and the easiest hiking of the year.
- Bend OR 76° / 41° The river empties out and the frosts begin.
- Chicago IL 76° / 57° Summer hangs on and the beaches quietly empty out.
- Santa Cruz CA 75° / 52° The warmest month arrives just as everyone else leaves.
- Santa Barbara CA 74° / 56° The clearest air and the warmest water of the year.
- Flagstaff AZ 74° / 43° Golden aspens, warm sun, and mornings that bite.
- South Lake Tahoe CA 73° / 35° The crowds vanish and the aspens start to turn.
- Boston MA 73° / 58° Bright afternoons, and a real chill once the sun drops.
- Cape Cod MA 73° / 56° Warm water, cool nights, and the crowds simply gone.
- Minneapolis MN 73° / 54° Cool mornings, shirtsleeve afternoons, and light like a photograph.
- Burlington VT 73° / 53° Clear air, cool nights, and the first color up high.
- Niagara Falls NY 73° / 52° Crowds thin, boats still running, and the air turns crisp.
- Newport RI 72° / 57° The one everybody who lives here saves their time off for.
- Seattle WA 72° / 54° Summer's quieter second half — still bright, finally uncrowded.
- Bozeman MT 71° / 42° Blue afternoons, hard mornings, and gold up the canyons.
- Portland, Maine ME 71° / 52° The month that makes up for February.
- Monterey CA 71° / 54° The peninsula's clearest month, and the warmest the bay gets.
- Bar Harbor ME 71° / 53° Cruise ships in, families gone, hiking at its very best.
- Traverse City MI 71° / 50° Harvest light, warm afternoons, and the tour buses gone.
- San Francisco CA 70° / 56° Real summer, at last — locals call this the payoff.
- Mackinac Island MI 70° / 45° Everything still open, and a fraction of the people.
Mild
8 places
- Door County WI 69° / 51° The crowds go, the water stays warm — the local trade.
- Yellowstone WY 69° / 39° Bugling elk, thinner traffic, and frost on the boardwalks.
- Jackson Hole WY 68° / 33° Aspens turn, crowds thin, and the frost returns nightly.
- Aspen CO 67° / 40° Gold everywhere, and the first dusting back on the peaks.
- Lake Placid NY 66° / 45° First color on the summits and the clearest air going.
- Juneau AK 56° / 44° Wettest month of the year, and the cruise ships leave.
- Anchorage AK 56° / 43° Tundra turns red, and the peaks get their first dusting.
- Fairbanks AK 55° / 36° Gold everywhere, dark nights back, and no bugs left.
Crisp
1 place
Warm water this month
- Key West 88°
- Miami 87°
- Fort Lauderdale 87°
- Galveston 87°
- Tampa 86°
- Fort Myers 86°
- Naples 86°
- Sarasota 86°
- Clearwater 86°
- South Padre Island 86°
- Corpus Christi 86°
- Destin 84°
- Panama City Beach 84°
- Pensacola 84°
- Lihue (Kauai) 84°
- Gulf Shores 83°
- St. Augustine 82°
- Kailua-Kona 82°
- Honolulu 81°
- Kahului (Maui) 81°
- Hilo 81°
- Savannah 81°
- Charleston 81°
- Hilton Head Island 81°
- Myrtle Beach 80°
- Outer Banks 78°
- Virginia Beach 75°
- Ocean City 73°
- Atlantic City 72°