FLORIDA · ORLANDO · SEPTEMBER
Orlando in September runs hot and wet, and it lands squarely on the Atlantic hurricane season’s peak: the National Hurricane Center puts it on September 10. NOAA’s official normals from Orlando International Airport give the month an average high of 89.6°F and 6.37 inches of rain. North of town, the springs keep their own weather. The USGS gauge at Wekiwa Springs read 75.6°F on September 11, 2026.
September comes in 2.0°F cooler than August at the afternoon high and 1.32 inches drier, while October undercuts it by another 4.9°F and 2.91 inches. That leaves one booking rule for the month: refundable rooms and flexible dates, starting with the flight into MCO, Florida’s busiest airport with 27,859,783 passengers boarded in 2024.
THE MONTH AT A GLANCE · ORLANDO IN SEPTEMBER
September suits travelers who book refundable, start early and cool off in springwater near 75°F, while fixed, non-refundable dates are better moved to October and its 3.46 inches of rain.
HURRICANE PEAK SEPT 10 · 9.2 WET DAYS · BOOK REFUNDABLE
Go for: spring swims in water near 75°F, early-morning park days and a trip with fewer wet days than August.
Think twice before: booking anything non-refundable. The hurricane season peaks on September 10, and most activity falls between mid-August and mid-October.
Normals: NOAA NCEI, Orlando International Airport · Hurricanes: NOAA NHC · Springs: USGS · full sources at the end
On this page
- Orlando weather in September89.6°F highs and 9.2 rain days
- How hot Orlando gets in SeptemberAfternoon highs, morning lows and the frost question
- Orlando crowds and hotel tax in September12% in county and state room taxes
- Things to do in Orlando in SeptemberWekiwa, Rock Springs and Blue Spring
- Two days in Orlando in SeptemberA spring at sunrise, one theme park on day two
- Orlando in September vs August and OctoberOctober’s 3.46 inches against September’s 6.37
- Is September a good time to visit Orlando?Who should go, and why October is the fallback
Check your dates against September 10 before anything else. September falls inside the season’s busiest stretch, mid-August to mid-October, so start with a refundable room and follow the National Hurricane Center in the days before you fly. How September sits among the other eleven months across the state is in our Florida best-time guide, and the ride from MCO to your hotel in getting around Florida.
Orlando weather in September: average highs, lows and rain days
| September measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average high | 89.6°F (32.0°C) | NOAA NCEI 1991-2020, MCO station |
| Average low | 72.4°F (22.4°C) | NOAA NCEI 1991-2020, MCO station |
| Precipitation | 6.37 in | NOAA NCEI 1991-2020, MCO station |
| Days with 0.10 in or more | 9.2 | NOAA NCEI 1991-2020, MCO station |
| Days with 1 in or more | 1.8 | NOAA NCEI 1991-2020, MCO station |
| Daylight, Sept 15 | 12 h 21 min | sunrise-sunset.org |
| Sunrise / sunset, Sept 15 | 7:09 a.m. / 7:31 p.m. EDT | sunrise-sunset.org, converted from UTC |
NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information averaged thirty years, 1991-2020, at station USW00012815, a real thermometer at Orlando International Airport. For September they give an average high of 89.6°F (32.0°C), an average low of 72.4°F (22.4°C) and 6.37 inches of precipitation. We chose that station normal over a reanalysis such as ERA5, which averages a whole grid cell of land and can differ from a thermometer on the ground. Every figure here is the airport’s reading.
Measurable rain, at least 0.10 inch, falls on 9.2 days in an average September, close to one day in three. Heavy days are rarer: 1.8 days bring an inch or more, so most wet days deliver less than that. Pack a poncho for every park day and spring morning, and pick an indoor fallback before you leave the hotel.
At 72.4°F the average low sits 17.2°F under the high, and neither end of the day needs a jacket. Pack breathable shirts, a hat, sunscreen and a refillable bottle, plus swimwear and water shoes if a spring is on the plan. Add one light long-sleeve layer for air-conditioned restaurants and indoor queues.
On September 15 the city gets about 12 hours 21 minutes of daylight. Converted to Eastern Daylight Time, the local clock because Orlando lies east of the Apalachicola River, sunrise comes at 7:09 a.m. and sunset at 7:31 p.m. A spring swim can start a little after 7 a.m., and an evening at the parks keeps natural light until about 7:30 p.m.
How warm is Orlando in September?
Across the month, the 89.6°F high and 72.4°F low slide between two neighbors. August’s normal high is 91.6°F and October’s is 84.7°F, so September sits 2.0°F under the first and 4.9°F over the second, with early September days closer to August. Orlando is inland, and we found no sea-temperature reading for either coast, so we give none. The sea tables we use elsewhere average daily maxima, so they read a little warmer than a 24-hour mean.
Mornings start near the low, so shorts and a T-shirt work from the 7:09 a.m. sunrise, with swimwear underneath for a spring. By afternoon the air approaches the 89.6°F average high: time for a hat, shade and an indoor block. A spring cools you fast. Rock Springs at Kelly Park read 75.0°F on September 11, 2026, about 14.6°F below the afternoon normal.
Our normals carry no count of freezing nights for September, so we give no frost figure. With the average low at 72.4°F and even October’s at 66.2°F, cold-weather clothing can stay home. Blue Spring’s water read 74.3°F on September 11, 2026, less than 2°F above the average September night.
How busy is Orlando in September? Crowds and prices
We found no hotel-rate or occupancy series for Orlando, so we rank no month cheap or dear. The dated demand fact we hold is about spring: March fills the theme parks with family school holidays, while college spring break weighs on the beach towns instead. Our sources carry no school-holiday fact for September. Disney and Universal price tickets by date, so any amount has to come from the operators on the day you book.
We have no booking-window data, so we give no week count for September. The storm calendar sets the terms instead: book rooms with free cancellation, read the change rules on tickets and flights before paying, and follow the National Hurricane Center before departure. MCO boarded 27,859,783 passengers in 2024, Sanford SFB 1.4 million. We could not verify how far SFB, north of MCO, sits from the parks, so price that transfer before choosing it.
Orange County, where Orlando and the parks sit, levies a 6.0% transient rental tax, filed and paid together with the 6% state sales tax. Those two alone add 12% to a room bill. Ask whether a quoted nightly rate includes them before comparing hotels.
Spend the extra on flexibility. A refundable room and a changeable flight cost more at checkout, and they let a storm near September 10 move your trip rather than cancel it. Meals, cars and the rest of the budget are priced in our Florida trip-cost guide, and park tickets only on Disney’s and Universal’s own sites.
Things to do in Orlando in September
Wet days drop to 9.2 in September from August’s 11.5, while the 89.6°F average high still sits 14.0°F above the 75.6°F water at Wekiwa Springs. By October the gap shrinks to 9.1°F. For a spring swim, September pairs the fewer rain days with the bigger plunge, so put the water in your morning, before the heat builds.
Wekiwa Springs State Park, the nearest spring to Orlando, has one designated swimming area, one canoe, kayak and tube launch, 15.9 miles of paddling trail, 13.7 miles of hiking trail and 325 parking spaces, per the state’s 2024 inventory. Rock Springs, the tubing run at Kelly Park north of town, read 75.0°F on September 11, 2026. Blue Spring State Park counts 187 spaces, three observation platforms and six cabins, with water at 74.3°F and 168 cubic feet per second that day. Lake Louisa State Park adds a swimming area, five launches and 20 cabins.
Spring water rises from the Upper Floridan aquifer and holds its temperature through the year. The air is what changes. Manatees gather at Blue Spring in winter because the river around it cools while the spring stays put, so plan a September visit around swimming and paddling, and see our manatee guide for the cold months. Popular springs turn cars away on summer mornings, so arrive at opening.
We could not verify a free entry day at any of these parks. The Florida state parks site refused our reads, and fees vary by park and season, so check at the gate. If a small lot fills, Silver Springs State Park, the glass-bottom-boat spring, has the biggest one by some margin: 1,686 spaces and three launches.
Orlando in September: a two-day itinerary
Day one. Reach Wekiwa Springs State Park as early as the gate allows (we could not read park hours, so confirm them first), in the light after the 7:09 a.m. sunrise, while its 325 spaces still have room. Swim in the 75.6°F water, then walk a stretch of the 13.7 miles of trail before noon. Spend the early afternoon indoors or at the hotel pool as the air nears 89.6°F. Head back out for dinner and a walk before the 7:31 p.m. sunset.
Day two. Give it to one theme park: arrive at opening, retreat to the hotel in the hottest hours and return for the evening. On one of September’s 9.2 wet days, switch to indoor rides until the shower passes. If a named storm is forecast, follow the National Hurricane Center and the park’s own notices. Without a car, LYNX buses serve Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties, and an All-Day Pass costs $4.50: ask the driver for it before paying. It runs from 4 a.m. to 3 a.m. SunRail reaches neither MCO nor the parks.
Orlando in September vs August and October
| Normal (NOAA, MCO) | August | September | October |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 91.6°F | 89.6°F | 84.7°F |
| Average low | 73.7°F | 72.4°F | 66.2°F |
| Precipitation | 7.69 in | 6.37 in | 3.46 in |
| Days with 0.10 in or more | 11.5 | 9.2 | 5.3 |
| Hurricane season | Inside the window | Inside, peak Sept 10 | Inside the window |
Against August, September comes in 2.0°F cooler at the high, 1.3°F cooler at the low, 1.32 inches drier and 2.3 wet days lighter, 9.2 against 11.5. October drops harder: highs of 84.7°F, lows of 66.2°F, 3.46 inches of rain over 5.3 wet days, a little over half September’s rainfall. All three sit inside the June 1 to November 30 hurricane season. We found no sea reading for any of them, and the springs stay near 75°F throughout.
Moving four weeks earlier gains nothing on weather: August adds 2.0°F of afternoon heat and 1.32 inches of rain. Moving four weeks later brings nights 6.2°F cooler and 2.91 fewer inches, and late October dates fall after the mid-October end of the busiest storm stretch. You give up plunge at the springs, 9.1°F instead of 14.0°F at Wekiwa. Compare dates with Orlando in August and Orlando in October.
Is September a good time to visit Orlando?
Yes, if you book refundable, start your days near the 7:09 a.m. sunrise and want spring swims with a real temperature drop. It fits couples and families whose dates can slide a week around a forecast. No, if your only window is fixed and non-refundable, or if afternoons near 90°F with rain on 9.2 days would spoil the vacation for you.
If the answer is no, pick October, ideally its second half. Rain falls to 3.46 inches over 5.3 wet days and highs ease to 84.7°F. Late October dates also sit past the mid-October end of the busiest storm stretch, though still inside a season that runs to November 30.
Among August, September and October, only September pairs fewer than ten wet days with a 14°F drop from the afternoon air into Wekiwa’s water.
The last word
Book the refundable room first and settle the final dates by the forecast. After that, September is a month of spring mornings and park evenings. If Orlando is half of a Florida week, Brightline covers the roughly 235 miles to Miami in about three and a half hours, with departures about every two hours and stops at Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach. Fares move by date, so price the train when you price the room.
Sources & data for this guide
- September normals, rain days · NOAA NCEI monthly normals 1991-2020, station USW00012815 (Orlando International Airport) · checked Sep 24, 2026
- August and October normals · same NOAA NCEI station and period · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Daylight, sunrise and sunset on Sept 15 · sunrise-sunset.org, converted from UTC to Eastern Daylight Time · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Hurricane season and Sept 10 peak · NOAA National Hurricane Center · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Spring water temperatures and flow · USGS National Water Information System, stations 02234600, 02234610 and 02235500 · instantaneous readings, Sep 11, 2026
- Park facilities · Florida DEP Recreational Facilities Inventory, 2024 annual report · checked Sep 11 and Sep 21, 2026
- Manatee winter mechanism · Southwest Florida Water Management District · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Transient rental tax · Florida Department of Revenue, form DR-15TDT · checked Sep 24, 2026
- LYNX fares and All-Day Pass rules · LYNX Fares & Passes · checked Sep 24, 2026
- SunRail stations · sunrail.com Schedules · checked Sep 24, 2026 · we could not read a fare, so we give none
- Airport passenger counts · Federal Aviation Administration, CY2024 · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Brightline route and timing · gobrightline.com · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Eastern time boundary · 49 CFR 71.5(f) · checked Sep 24, 2026
- What we could not verify: park hours and entrance fees (floridastateparks.org refused our reads), any hotel-rate or occupancy series, a sea temperature, a frost count, the SFB-to-parks distance and any theme-park price. Check operators when you book.
To plan your stay
- Things to Do in Orlando Beyond the Theme Parks: Springs, Manatees and LYNX Fares
- Orlando Airport to the City: MCO or Sanford, LYNX Fares, Brightline Times
- Best Time to Visit Orlando: Month-by-Month Weather, Summer Heat and the Quiet Weeks
- Orlando in August: Weather, Rain Days, Hurricane Season and Spring Swims