Climateby Month

El Cajon, CA climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 435 ft elevation

Summers in El Cajon are hot; winters are mild. Highs peak at 89°F in August and fall to 69°F in December. The wettest month is February (about 8 wet days) and the driest is August (about 0). Snow is rare. The most comfortable time to visit is May.

Warmest month
89°F
August normal high
Coldest month
42°F
December normal low
Wet days a year
44
15.1 in of precipitation
Muggy days a year
16
dew point 65°F or higher

How warm is El Cajon?

Normal highs range from 69°F in December to 89°F in August.

40°50°60°70°80°90° January: normal high 69°F (21°C), low 43°F (6°C) 69° 43° February: normal high 69°F (21°C), low 44°F (7°C) March: normal high 71°F (22°C), low 48°F (9°C) April: normal high 75°F (24°C), low 51°F (11°C) May: normal high 76°F (24°C), low 56°F (13°C) June: normal high 81°F (27°C), low 59°F (15°C) July: normal high 86°F (30°C), low 63°F (17°C) August: normal high 89°F (32°C), low 65°F (18°C) 89° 65° September: normal high 87°F (31°C), low 62°F (17°C) October: normal high 81°F (27°C), low 56°F (13°C) November: normal high 75°F (24°C), low 47°F (8°C) December: normal high 69°F (21°C), low 42°F (6°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is El Cajon?

February has the most wet days (about 8); the year brings about 15 in of precipitation.

January: 7 wet days February: 8 wet days 8 March: 7 wet days April: 4 wet days May: 3 wet days June: 1 wet days July: 1 wet days August: 0 wet days 0 September: 1 wet days October: 3 wet days November: 4 wet days December: 6 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How humid is El Cajon?

Muggy days peak in August, at about 7 days.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 0 muggy days June: 0 muggy days July: 3 muggy days August: 7 muggy days 7 September: 5 muggy days October: 0 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at San Diego International Airport, 14 mi WSW of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 10.0 hours in December to 14.3 hours in June.

January: 10.3 hours of daylight February: 11.0 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.0 hours of daylight May: 13.8 hours of daylight June: 14.3 hours of daylight 14.3 July: 14.1 hours of daylight August: 13.3 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.4 hours of daylight November: 10.5 hours of daylight December: 10.0 hours of daylight 10.0 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for El Cajon, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysMuggy daysDaylight
January 69°F43°F 2.9 in7 0 10.3 h
February 69°F44°F 3.6 in8 0 11.0 h
March 71°F48°F 2.5 in7 0 12.0 h
April 75°F51°F 1.1 in4 0 13.0 h
May 76°F56°F 0.4 in3 0 13.8 h
June 81°F59°F 0.08 in1 0 14.3 h
July 86°F63°F 0.1 in1 3 14.1 h
August 89°F65°F 0.03 in0 7 13.3 h
September 87°F62°F 0.2 in1 5 12.4 h
October 81°F56°F 0.7 in3 0 11.4 h
November 75°F47°F 1.3 in4 0 10.5 h
December 69°F42°F 2.3 in6 0 10.0 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit El Cajon

By our comfort score, the best month is May.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 691950
Feb 681660
Mar 742041
Apr 771922
May 822112
Jun 741404
Jul 564010
Aug 492015
Sep 494014
Oct 611217
Nov 711922
Dec 691940

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in El Cajon

The last spring frost typically comes around Jan 6, and the first fall frost around Dec 21, leaving 350 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for El Cajon
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Jan 6after Feb 7
First fall frost (32°F)Dec 21before Dec 1
Hard freeze (28°F)in about 16% of years; no typical date
Frost-free season350 daysunder 317 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: El Cajon (USC00042706), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in California.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 114°F (September 5, 2020); the lowest was 26°F (January 15, 2007, and 1 other day).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near El Cajon

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature and frost dates: El Cajon (USC00042706), 2.0 mi ENE of the city center, 495 ft (60 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Rain, snowfall and snow depth: Lakeside 2 E (USC00044710), 5.7 mi NE of the city center, 690 ft (255 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Humidity and wind by hour: San Diego Lindbergh Fld (USW00023188), 14 mi WSW of the city center, 15 ft (420 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: San Diego International Airport (722900-23188), 14 mi WSW of the city center, 15 ft (420 ft lower than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.
  • Not available for this location: cloud cover (no station close enough or similar enough in elevation).

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error