Laguna Beach in September

Weather in September

September’s average high is 81°F, the same as August’s, and the average low is 59°F, two degrees cooler. These are NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the Laguna Beach station. Rain comes back in small amounts: a normal 0.16 inch, with 0.4 day on average reaching 0.10 inch or more.

Visit Laguna Beach calls September and October an endless summer with fewer crowds. The shorter day is the change you notice first. The U.S. Naval Observatory puts sunset at 7:16 p.m. on September 1 and 6:37 p.m. on September 30 in 2026, in Pacific Daylight Time, a loss of nearly 40 minutes of evening light.

The ocean in September

The water is still near its yearly peak. At NOAA’s San Pedro South buoy (station 46253), September averages about 70°F in the 2015–2025 record, level with August. The buoy sits offshore in 66 meters of water about 23 miles west of Laguna Beach, so use it as a guide to the season and not a reading at a particular cove.

Warm water does not change the rocks. The city says it answers emergency calls every weekend from people hurt on the rocks, where waves can be unpredictable, and it asks you to swim near a lifeguard, since not every beach has one at all times. See the ocean safety guide and the tide pools page; the city recommends checking a tide chart and wearing waterproof shoes on the rocks.

The dog rule changes this month. The city’s summer hours, leashed dogs only before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m., end on September 10. After that, leashed dogs may be on the beach at any time of day.

What’s on in September

• End of the summer festivals. Laguna Art-A-Fair’s 2027 season ends on September 5. The Festival of Arts and the Pageant of the Masters finish in late August (August 27 and 28 in 2027), and the Sawdust Art Festival runs all summer.
• Brooks Street Surfing Classic. The city administers this annual resident-only contest and holds it on a different weekend each year, depending on when the surf is forecast to be at its best, so check the city’s event page for the date. Read about the spots on the surfing page.
• First Thursdays Art Walk. The free gallery night continues on the first Thursday of every month; the Art Walk page has the details.

For the fall calendar after September, see Laguna Beach in October and the events guide.

Crowds and getting around

The city’s summer trolley routes ran through September 7 in 2026, and its non-summer schedule began September 8. In that schedule the free Coastal Route continues on Coast Highway between North Laguna, downtown, South Laguna and the Ritz-Carlton in Dana Point, every 20 to 30 minutes.

The Canyon Route changes shape. Instead of an all-week service from the festival lots, the city lists a weekend option: park at Lot 16 (Act V, 1900 Laguna Canyon Road) for $5 and ride a free trolley downtown on Saturdays and Sundays. Lot 16 is closed to the public Monday to Friday.

Permits, lots and meter rules are in the parking guide, and the getting around guide has the routes.

What to pack

• Summer clothes for the day. An 81°F average high holds through the month.
• A warm layer for dusk. Sunset falls before 6:40 p.m. by month’s end, and the average low is 59°F.
• Waterproof shoes for tide pools. The city recommends them on the rocks.
• Swimwear. The ocean sits near its warmest.
• A headlamp or phone light for the walk back. Daylight ends earlier than it did in August.