Climateby Month

Salinas, CA climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 53 ft elevation

Highs in Salinas peak at 74°F in September (mild) and bottom out at 62°F in December (cool). The wettest month is January (about 9 wet days) and the driest is July (about 0). Snow is rare. The most comfortable time to visit is July.

Warmest month
74°F
September normal high
Coldest month
41°F
December normal low
Wet days a year
56
12.6 in of precipitation
Muggy days a year
0
dew point 65°F or higher

How warm is Salinas?

Normal highs range from 62°F in December to 74°F in September.

40°50°60°70°80° January: normal high 62°F (17°C), low 42°F (6°C) 62° 42° February: normal high 63°F (17°C), low 43°F (6°C) March: normal high 66°F (19°C), low 45°F (7°C) April: normal high 67°F (19°C), low 46°F (8°C) May: normal high 68°F (20°C), low 50°F (10°C) June: normal high 70°F (21°C), low 53°F (12°C) July: normal high 71°F (22°C), low 55°F (13°C) August: normal high 72°F (22°C), low 56°F (13°C) September: normal high 74°F (23°C), low 54°F (12°C) 74° 54° October: normal high 74°F (23°C), low 50°F (10°C) November: normal high 68°F (20°C), low 44°F (7°C) December: normal high 62°F (17°C), low 41°F (5°C) JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is Salinas?

January has the most wet days (about 9); the year brings about 13 in of precipitation.

January: 9 wet days 9 February: 9 wet days March: 9 wet days April: 6 wet days May: 3 wet days June: 1 wet days July: 0 wet days 0 August: 1 wet days September: 1 wet days October: 3 wet days November: 6 wet days December: 8 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

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

How humid is Salinas?

Muggy days (dew point 65°F or higher) are rare in any month.

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: 0 muggy days August: 0 muggy days September: 0 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 N Y. Mineta Sn Jo Intl Apt, 49 mi NNW of the city center (the nearest airport with complete hourly records).

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.7 hours in December to 14.6 hours in June.

January: 10.0 hours of daylight February: 10.9 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.2 hours of daylight May: 14.1 hours of daylight June: 14.6 hours of daylight 14.6 July: 14.4 hours of daylight August: 13.5 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.2 hours of daylight November: 10.2 hours of daylight December: 9.7 hours of daylight 9.7 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Salinas, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysMuggy daysDaylight
January 62°F42°F 2.6 in9 0 10.0 h
February 63°F43°F 2.4 in9 0 10.9 h
March 66°F45°F 2.1 in9 0 12.0 h
April 67°F46°F 0.9 in6 0 13.2 h
May 68°F50°F 0.4 in3 0 14.1 h
June 70°F53°F 0.07 in1 0 14.6 h
July 71°F55°F 0.01 in0 0 14.4 h
August 72°F56°F 0.03 in1 0 13.5 h
September 74°F54°F 0.05 in1 0 12.4 h
October 74°F50°F 0.6 in3 0 11.2 h
November 68°F44°F 1.3 in6 0 10.2 h
December 62°F41°F 2.1 in8 0 9.7 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 Salinas

By our comfort score, the best month is July.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 561060
Feb 591160
Mar 671450
Apr 731530
May 822011
Jun 902401
Jul 952800
Aug 912701
Sep 832302
Oct 752112
Nov 681730
Dec 54950

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 Salinas

The last spring frost typically comes around Jan 29, and the first fall frost around Dec 10, leaving 325 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Salinas
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Jan 29after Mar 1
First fall frost (32°F)Dec 10before Nov 21
Hard freeze (28°F)in about 36% of years; no typical date
Frost-free season325 daysunder 281 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: Salinas Municipal Airport (USW00023233), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in California.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 109°F (September 2, 2017); the lowest was 22°F (January 13, 2007).

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

Near Salinas

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain and frost dates: Salinas Municipal Airport (USW00023233), 2.8 mi ESE of the city center, 74 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Snowfall and snow depth: Salinas #2 (USC00047668), 1.4 mi SSW of the city center, 45 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: N Y. Mineta Sn Jo Intl Apt (724945-23293), 49 mi NNW of the city center, 49 ft . Hourly observations, 1991-2020.
  • Not available for this location: humidity and wind by hour and cloud cover (no station close enough or similar enough in elevation).

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