Kerala · India
September
Onam festival (some years), monsoon easing — the first glimpses of the post-rain transformation.
Strong option
#9 of 12 months
There are better months for Kerala — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
30°C
Low
24°C
Rain
262mm
Sun
4.1hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How September scores in Kerala
Weather
Average
Value
Excellent
Crowds
Very good
Events
Very good
Atmosphere
Good
What you gain in September
- ↑The southwest monsoon begins retreating from Kerala in September, with the second half of the month offering increasingly clear days and the backwaters returning to navigable condition. September is a genuine transition month — not the full dry-season experience, but a foretaste of it.
- ↑In years when Onam falls in September, the state-wide festivities offer the same cultural richness as August. The 26-course Onam Sadya at traditional restaurants (Malabar Junction in Fort Kochi, Grand Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram) is available throughout the festival period.
- ↑Prices are still deeply discounted from peak season — September offers the best ratio of improving conditions to low cost.
What you sacrifice
- ↓September's early weeks remain heavily affected by the tail of the southwest monsoon: 262mm of rain with unpredictable daily patterns. Houseboat operators begin cautiously resuming services, but availability and reliability are lower than October onwards.
- ↓The northeast monsoon can also begin arriving in October, creating a window in September that is actually shorter than it appears on paper. Planning flexibility is essential.
How September compares to December (best month)
| Factor | September | December ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 4 | 9 |
| Value | 8 | 4 |
| Crowds | 7 | 3 |
September in other destinations
Lisbon (24.6°C)Barcelona (25.5°C)Tokyo (28.1°C)Bali (30.4°C)Santorini (24.1°C)Paris (21.6°C)New York (23.9°C)Marrakech (31.6°C)Amsterdam (18.8°C)Maldives (30.2°C)Rome (26.5°C)Bangkok (31°C)Istanbul (24.2°C)Vienna (22.1°C)Seoul (25.1°C)Dubrovnik (24.9°C)Rio de Janeiro (27.3°C)Kyoto (28.6°C)Phuket (31°C)Cape Town (19°C)Prague (21°C)Amalfi Coast (27°C)Mexico City (22°C)Medellín (28°C)Fiji (27°C)London (20°C)Sydney (20°C)Iceland (10°C)Tulum (32°C)Dubai (39°C)Singapore (32°C)Hoi An (31°C)Chiang Mai (31°C)Miami (32.8°C)Florence (26.3°C)Queenstown (12.5°C)Madrid (28.7°C)Porto (25°C)Edinburgh (16°C)Copenhagen (18°C)Budapest (23°C)Kraków (19°C)Tbilisi (26°C)Palawan (30°C)Hanoi (31°C)Osaka (29°C)Goa (30°C)Cusco (20°C)Buenos Aires (18°C)Mykonos (27°C)Zanzibar (27°C)Sri Lanka (30°C)Costa Rica (24°C)Cancun (31°C)Krabi (31°C)Athens (29°C)Seville (31°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (31°C)Havana (31°C)Split (26°C)Taipei (31°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (29°C)Ho Chi Minh City (32°C)Hawaii (31°C)Cappadocia (27°C)Dominican Republic (31°C)Jamaica (32°C)Tanzania (25°C)Seychelles (27°C)Nepal (26°C)Jordan (32°C)Azores (25°C)Bora Bora (27°C)Los Angeles (28.1°C)Cairo (35.9°C)Kenya (25.3°C)Jaipur (32.1°C)Las Vegas (36.2°C)San Francisco (20.8°C)Madeira (26.5°C)Vancouver (19.2°C)Muscat (38.1°C)Lima (17.8°C)Cinque Terre (25°C)Kotor (27°C)Tel Aviv (30°C)Santiago (18°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (19.2°C)Penang (31.8°C)Lombok (31°C)Cape Verde (29.2°C)Fez (32.8°C)Kigali (27°C)Hong Kong (29°C)Oslo (18°C)Auckland (16°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Kerala, not across destinations. Methodology →