FLORIDA · FORT LAUDERDALE · SEPTEMBER
In September, the Atlantic off Fort Lauderdale averages 87.7°F at its daily peak, and the airport thermometer tops out at an average 88.3°F. Sea and air sit within a degree of each other, so a swim at the 7:05 a.m. sunrise and another after the 7:25 p.m. sunset come in water that barely changes. For a beach vacation built around the ocean, the month delivers exactly that.
September also sits at the center of the Atlantic hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center puts the statistical peak on September 10, with most activity between mid-August and mid-October. Any trip this month needs a refundable booking and a look at the tropics before you fly. Read our Florida safety guide before you book.
THE MONTH AT A GLANCE · FORT LAUDERDALE · SEPTEMBER
Come in September for 87.7°F water and 88.3°F highs, and book a refundable room, because the hurricane season peaks on September 10.
HURRICANE PEAK: SEPT 10 · SEA 87.7°F AT DAILY MAX · BOOK REFUNDABLE
Go for: dawn swims in 87.7°F water, three state parks inside the metro area, and 12 hours 20 minutes of daylight on the 15th.
Think twice before: booking nonrefundable, since the NHC puts the hurricane peak on September 10, or planning midday hikes at an 88.3°F average high.
Air: NOAA NCEI station USW00012849 · Sea: Open-Meteo Marine API · Storms: NOAA NHC · full sources at the end
On this page
- Fort Lauderdale weather in September88.3°F highs and 10.8 rain days
- Sea temperature in September87.7°F at the daily peak
- Crowds and hotel costs in SeptemberCruise days and the 6% county room tax
- State parks and beaches near Fort LauderdaleThree state parks, from 0.1 to 2.2 miles of sand
- Two days in Fort LauderdaleSunrise at 7:05 a.m., sunset at 7:25 p.m.
- September vs August and OctoberHighs of 90.0, 88.3 and 85.4°F
- Is September a good time to visit?Yes for swimmers with a refundable room
Most trips start at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL). The FAA classes it a large hub, and 17,096,131 passengers boarded there in calendar year 2024. The same airport holds the thermometer for the weather normals below. Routes and fares into FLL are in our Florida flights guide.
Fort Lauderdale weather in September: average highs, lows and rain days
| September normal | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Average high | 88.3°F | Hot by late morning |
| Average low | 77.1°F | No jacket at night |
| Precipitation | 8.02 in | The wet season in full |
| Days with 0.10 in or more | 10.8 | A bit more than one day in three |
| Days with 1 in or more | 2.9 | A soaking about every ten days |
| Daylight, Sep 15 | 12 h 20 min | Sunrise 7:05 a.m., sunset 7:25 p.m. |
Every figure here comes from NOAA’s official 1991-2020 normals for a single station, USW00012849, listed as “FT LAUDERDALE HOLLYWOOD AP.” It is a real thermometer at the airport, about three miles inland from the sand, and not a reanalysis grid cell. That station averages a high of 88.3°F and a low of 77.1°F in September, with 8.02 inches of rain across the month. We have no beach-side station series, so read these as airport conditions. The shore may run slightly different, and we have not measured by how much.
Measurable rain, at least 0.10 inch, falls on 10.8 days of an average September: a bit more than one day in three. A soaking of an inch or more comes 2.9 times, roughly once every ten days. The wet-season pattern our Florida calendar describes is the afternoon thunderstorm, so put the beach and the boardwalk before lunch and keep the afternoon loose.
Nights stay warm. The gap between the 88.3°F high and the 77.1°F low is 11.2°F, and nothing in that range calls for a sweater outdoors. Pack for sweat and showers: quick-dry shirts, a packable rain shell, sandals that can take a soaking, and one light layer for air-conditioned restaurants and the flight home.
On September 15 the sun rises at 7:05 a.m. and sets at 7:25 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (11:05 and 23:25 UTC in sunrise-sunset.org’s calculation), for about 12 hours 20 minutes of daylight. Dark arrives around 7:30, so a dinner booked for 8 p.m. leaves time for a last walk on the sand. The first two hours after sunrise are the coolest daylight of the day.
Can you swim in Fort Lauderdale in September? Sea temperature and what it feels like
Yes. The sea off Fort Lauderdale averages 87.7°F in September, according to the Open-Meteo Marine API over 2015-2024. That number is the mean of each day’s highest reading, so it runs a shade warmer than a 24-hour average would. It also comes from a different source and a different period than the NOAA air normals, and we have not reconciled the two.
For a swimmer, 87.7°F means water within a degree of the 88.3°F afternoon air and more than ten degrees warmer than the 77.1°F overnight low. You get no cold gasp on entry and have no use for a wetsuit. Long swims feel warm rather than refreshing, so bring drinking water and shade for the hours between dips. Each of the three state parks in the metro area lists one designated swimming area.
We found no wind or swell series for September that we could verify, so we give no surf height or wind speed. Our sources do carry the storm calendar: September 10 is the hurricane season’s peak, inside the mid-August to mid-October stretch of most activity. Check the National Hurricane Center’s tropical outlook before each beach day.
How busy is Fort Lauderdale in September? Crowds and prices
September falls in Florida’s wet season, outside the November-to-April dry months that built the state’s winter trade, and squarely inside the June 1 to November 30 hurricane window. We found no hotel-rate or occupancy series for Fort Lauderdale, so we rank no month cheapest or most expensive. The crowd signal we can measure is the port: Port Everglades handled over 4.7 million cruise passengers in fiscal year 2025.
Port Everglades is a homeport, where ships begin and end their voyages. As a result, the airport and the beach hotels fill on the same two days of the week. Before you lock in dates, ask the hotel which days its cruise guests check in and out, and fly on the others if you can. We have no lead-time data, so we give no week count for booking ahead.
Room bills in Broward County carry a 6.0% transient rental tax, filed and paid together with the 6% state sales tax. Those two alone add 12% to the nightly rate. Resort fees and parking come on top at many properties, and our Florida trip-cost guide covers those extra lines.
Pay extra for one thing this month: a fully refundable rate. With the season’s peak on September 10 and most activity running from mid-August to mid-October, the right to cancel close to arrival is worth more than an ocean view. Note the cancellation deadline and check the tropics the day before it.
Things to do in Fort Lauderdale in September
September lets you swim in 87.7°F water, 3.2°F warmer than October’s 84.5°F and half a degree short of August’s 88.2°F. With sunrise at 7:05 a.m., a first swim fits before breakfast, and the sea is still that warm for a second one after the 7:25 p.m. sunset.
Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park is the big one: the state counts 2.2 miles of beach, 2.6 miles of hiking trail, 4,531 feet of boardwalk, one designated swimming area and 1,410 parking spaces. Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is smaller, with 0.1 miles of beach, a canoe, kayak and tube launch, 0.3 miles of trail, 60 feet of boardwalk and 275 spaces. Oleta River State Park sits on the bay side, with two paddle launches, 0.3 miles of beach, 925 spaces and 14 cabins for a night inside the metro area.
From August to September the sea moves only from 88.2°F to 87.7°F, while the average high drops 1.7°F. At an 88.3°F high, the 2.6 miles of trail at Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson make a morning walk, and the water makes the afternoon plan. By October the high falls to 85.4°F and the sea to 84.5°F, so a later walk becomes realistic.
We found no free-admission day or free event for September that we could verify, and we could not read park fees, so we cannot say what costs nothing. What we can count: Broward County runs more than 50 regional parks, nature centers, neighborhood parks, natural areas and specialty parks, on top of the three state parks. Check the county’s parks site for fees before you go.
Fort Lauderdale in September: a two-day itinerary
Day one opens with a swim on the beach near the 7:05 a.m. sunrise, while the air is at its coolest. Drive to Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park once it opens (check its hours, which we could not read) for the 4,531 feet of boardwalk, a stretch of the 2.6-mile trail and a second swim in the designated area. Head back by late morning for lunch and a break from the 88.3°F peak. Keep the afternoon for the pool, when wet-season storms tend to build. Return to the sand around 6:30 p.m. for the 7:25 sunset.
Day two goes to Hugh Taylor Birch State Park and its canoe, kayak and tube launch for a morning paddle, then its 0.3-mile trail. If the forecast turns (September averages 2.9 days with an inch of rain or more), drop the paddle and ride Broward County Transit instead: $2.00 a ride, or a $5.00 All Day Pass bought on the bus. If the National Hurricane Center names a system heading your way, follow county instructions and use your refundable booking. Routes are in our getting-around guide.
Fort Lauderdale in September vs August and October
| Normal | August | September | October |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 90.0°F | 88.3°F | 85.4°F |
| Average low | 77.9°F | 77.1°F | 74.4°F |
| Precipitation | 7.89 in | 8.02 in | 7.37 in |
| Days with 0.10 in or more | 11.2 | 10.8 | 7.9 |
| Sea, daily max (Open-Meteo 2015-2024) | 88.2°F | 87.7°F | 84.5°F |
| Hurricane season | Inside | Inside, peak Sept 10 | Inside |
On NOAA’s airport normals, the average high steps down from 90.0°F in August to 88.3°F in September and 85.4°F in October, and the low goes from 77.9°F to 77.1°F to 74.4°F. September is the wettest of the three by total, 8.02 inches against 7.89 and 7.37. August still counts more rain days, 11.2 against 10.8, and October drops to 7.9. The sea, on Open-Meteo’s 2015-2024 daily maxima, reads 88.2°F, 87.7°F and 84.5°F.
Shift four weeks earlier to August and you gain 0.5°F of sea but take 1.7°F more heat at the high, 0.4 more rain days and the same spot inside the mid-August to mid-October storm stretch. Shift to October and you shed 2.9°F off the high and 2.9 rain days, while the sea cools 3.2°F and the first half of the month stays inside that stretch. The August and October guides have the details for each.
Is September a good time to visit Fort Lauderdale?
Yes, if you come for the water and can cancel. September suits swimmers, beach families and anyone holding a refundable room, with the sea at 87.7°F and highs of 88.3°F. It suits travelers poorly when dates cannot move, such as a nonrefundable package, because the hurricane peak lands on September 10. Long midday hikes are also a hard sell at these temperatures.
If the answer is no, pick October. Rain days fall to 7.9, the high to 85.4°F, and the sea still averages 84.5°F, though the hurricane season runs to November 30. For the dry season proper, November through April, start with our best time to visit Florida guide.
Against its two neighbors, September keeps the sea within half a degree of August’s 88.2°F while the average high sits 1.7°F lower.
The last word
In September the booking terms matter as much as the forecast: take a room you can cancel until the last days before arrival, and plan beach mornings around the 7:05 a.m. sunrise. If you stay a week and skip the rental car, Broward County Transit sells a 7-day pass for $20.00, and riders 65 and over or under 18 pay a reduced $1.00 fare. Then the only schedule left to keep is the swim, in water that averages 87.7°F at its daily peak.
Sources & data for this guide
- September, August and October air normals, rain totals and rain days · NOAA NCEI monthly normals 1991-2020, station USW00012849 (Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International) · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Station identity, “FT LAUDERDALE HOLLYWOOD AP,” about three miles inland · NOAA NCEI Search service · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Sea surface temperature, mean of daily maxima 2015-2024 · Open-Meteo Marine API · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Sunrise, sunset and daylight on September 15 · sunrise-sunset.org, converted to Eastern Daylight Time by us · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Hurricane season dates and September 10 peak · NOAA National Hurricane Center · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Broward transient rental tax and state sales tax · Florida Department of Revenue, form DR-15TDT · checked Sep 24, 2026
- State park beaches, trails, boardwalks, launches, cabins and parking · Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Recreational Facilities Inventory 2024 · checked Sep 24, 2026
- FLL boardings, calendar year 2024 · Federal Aviation Administration · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Cruise passengers FY2025 and homeport status · Port Everglades, porteverglades.net · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Bus fares and passes · Broward County Transit, broward.org/bct/fares · checked Sep 24, 2026
- County park count · Broward County Parks and Recreation · checked Sep 24, 2026
- We could not read state park entrance fees or opening hours, and we found no hotel-rate, occupancy, wind or swell series we could verify, so none of those figures appear. Check operators when you book.
To plan your stay
- Things to Do in Fort Lauderdale: Three State Parks, 14 Cabins and $2.00 Bus Fares
- Best Time to Visit Fort Lauderdale: Weather, Sea Temperature and the Quiet Months
- Fort Lauderdale in August: Weather, Sea Temperature, Crowds and Hurricane Season
- Fort Lauderdale in October: Weather, Sea Temperature, Crowds and Hurricane Risk