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Climate in San Diego, California: Monthly Weather Averages

By the AverageClimate Editorial Team · Last updated: October 2026

San Diego sits at 15 feet above sea level, and its climate, as recorded at the San Diego Lindbergh Field, CA station, runs to a yearly mean of 64.7°F. The warmest month is August, averaging 72.4°F with typical highs of 77.3°F; the coldest is December, averaging 57.9°F with lows around 49.8°F. Across a normal year the city receives 9.8 in of precipitation. The full month-by-month picture below comes from the official 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals — the 30-year averages the National Weather Service itself uses — so it describes the San Diego climate you should actually plan around, whether you are timing a visit, weighing a move, or just settling an argument about which month is best.

San Diego climate month by month

The table below is the complete 1991–2020 normals profile for San Diego: average high, average low and mean temperature, rainfall, and snowfall for every month. Read down the Mean column to feel the year's rhythm — San Diego's temperature range runs from 57.9°F in December to 72.4°F in August.

How to read the colors:below freezingcoldcoolmildwarmhot. Bands are colored by each cell's own temperature, so a whole year reads at a glance.

NOAA does not publish monthly snowfall normals for this station, so the snow column is shown as —; the temperature and precipitation normals for this station are complete.

San Diego through the seasons

Winter in San Diego averages highs of 66.0–66.4°F and lows of 49.8–51.8°F, a seasonal mean of 58.4°F. The three months together bring 5.8 in of precipitation — about 60% of the city's yearly total — with February the wettest of the three at 2.20 in. This is the city's gentle season — the coolest quarter of the year still averages shirt-sleeve afternoons, which is exactly why it draws winter visitors.

Spring in San Diego averages highs of 67.0–69.5°F and lows of 54.5–60.0°F, a seasonal mean of 62.8°F. The three months together bring 2.4 in of precipitation — about 24% of the city's yearly total — with March the wettest of the three at 1.46 in. The season is a transition: the average temperature climbs 4.1°F from March to May, and by late spring San Diego is firmly into mild territory.

Summer in San Diego averages highs of 71.7–77.3°F and lows of 62.6–67.5°F, a seasonal mean of 70.1°F. The three months together bring 0.1 in of precipitation — about 1% of the city's yearly total — with July the wettest of the three at 0.08 in. Summer is the mildest in the country by big-city standards — heat waves happen, but the average afternoon stays in the 70s, and many homes historically get by without air conditioning.

Fall in San Diego averages highs of 70.7–77.2°F and lows of 54.8–66.2°F, a seasonal mean of 67.5°F. The three months together bring 1.4 in of precipitation — about 14% of the city's yearly total — with November the wettest of the three at 0.79 in. Temperatures ease off through the season — the monthly mean drops 9.0°F from September to November — and fall is when San Diego's weather turns crisp and dry, while nights stay mostly frost-free into December.

Best and worst months to visit San Diego

Ranking every month by its normals — mild mean temperatures score best, heavy rain and snow count against — the most comfortable months to visit San Diego are:

JulyAugustSeptember

July leads the list: average highs of 75.3°F, lows of 66.1°F, and 0.08 in of rain. The other picks, August and September, offer the same balance in San Diego's mild stretch of the year. At the other end, January is usually the month to avoid — the least comfortable mix of temperature and rainfall, with a mean temperature of 58.4°F and 1.98 in of precipitation.

How San Diego compares

Across the 114 cities in our dataset, the typical city averages 57.8°F for the year and 35.7 in of precipitation. San Diego runs 6.9°F warmer than that typical city and drier by 25.9 in a year, ranking #29 of 114 for annual warmth and #109 of 114 for precipitation (wettest first). Its year-round temperature swing — warmest month minus coldest — is 14.5°F, which puts it in the mild, ocean- or latitude-softened camp.

Within California, San Diego is #2 of 9 for warmth of the cities we track. See the California climate overview for the full state comparison, including Fresno (warmest, 65.0°F yearly mean) and Eureka (coolest, 52.6°F).

Planning notes for San Diego

For anyone relocating: average lows never drop below freezing in any month, so hard freezes are events, not seasons; even the warmest month's average high stays below 80°F, so summer heat is rarely a planning factor; days and nights differ by only 12.4°F on average, a sign of strong water or coastal moderation; 12 months of the year average between 55°F and 80°F, the band most people find comfortable without heating or cooling. Those four facts, all straight from the normals table above, shape everything from a San Diego wardrobe to its utility bills.

San Diego climate FAQ

Source: 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) — ncei.noaa.gov. Station: San Diego Lindbergh Field, CA (USW00023188), elevation 15 ft. Figures checked October 2026.