Climateby Month

Santa Barbara, CA climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 41 ft elevation

Santa Barbara is mild year-round, with normal highs between 66°F in December and 78°F in August. The wettest month is February (about 7 wet days) and the driest is July (about 0). The most comfortable time to visit is June.

Warmest month
78°F
August normal high
Coldest month
46°F
December normal low
Wet days a year
40
19.0 in of precipitation
Muggy days a year
1
dew point 65°F or higher

How warm is Santa Barbara?

Normal highs range from 66°F in December to 78°F in August.

40°50°60°70°80° January: normal high 67°F (19°C), low 47°F (8°C) February: normal high 67°F (19°C), low 47°F (8°C) March: normal high 68°F (20°C), low 49°F (9°C) April: normal high 71°F (22°C), low 51°F (11°C) May: normal high 72°F (22°C), low 54°F (12°C) June: normal high 73°F (23°C), low 57°F (14°C) July: normal high 76°F (24°C), low 60°F (16°C) August: normal high 78°F (26°C), low 60°F (16°C) 78° 60° September: normal high 78°F (26°C), low 60°F (16°C) October: normal high 76°F (24°C), low 56°F (13°C) November: normal high 71°F (22°C), low 50°F (10°C) December: normal high 66°F (19°C), low 46°F (8°C) 66° 46° JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is Santa Barbara?

February has the most wet days (about 7); the year brings about 19 in of precipitation.

January: 7 wet days February: 7 wet days 7 March: 7 wet days April: 3 wet days May: 2 wet days June: 2 wet days July: 0 wet days 0 August: 0 wet days September: 1 wet days October: 2 wet days November: 3 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 Santa Barbara?

Muggy days peak in September, at about 1 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: 0 muggy days August: 0 muggy days September: 1 muggy days 1 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 Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, 8.2 mi W of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.9 hours in December to 14.4 hours in June.

January: 10.2 hours of daylight February: 11.0 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.1 hours of daylight May: 14.0 hours of daylight June: 14.4 hours of daylight 14.4 July: 14.2 hours of daylight August: 13.4 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.3 hours of daylight November: 10.4 hours of daylight December: 9.9 hours of daylight 9.9 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Santa Barbara, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysMuggy daysDaylight
January 67°F47°F 4.4 in7 0 10.2 h
February 67°F47°F 4.4 in7 0 11.0 h
March 68°F49°F 3.2 in7 0 12.0 h
April 71°F51°F 1.0 in3 0 13.1 h
May 72°F54°F 0.4 in2 0 14.0 h
June 73°F57°F 0.1 in2 0 14.4 h
July 76°F60°F 0.01 in0 0 14.2 h
August 78°F60°F 0.01 in0 0 13.4 h
September 78°F60°F 0.05 in1 1 12.4 h
October 76°F56°F 0.8 in2 0 11.3 h
November 71°F50°F 1.4 in3 0 10.4 h
December 66°F46°F 3.1 in6 0 9.9 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 Santa Barbara

By our comfort score, the best month is June.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 621450
Feb 631350
Mar 721840
Apr 812120
May 882511
Jun 932600
Jul 852100
Aug 791801
Sep 761801
Oct 772212
Nov 752120
Dec 641540

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 Santa Barbara

A night at 32°F or below happens in about 11% of years in Santa Barbara, so there is no typical frost date. In most years there is no frost at all.

Station: Santa Barbara (USC00047902), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in California.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 105°F (September 27, 2010); 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 Santa Barbara

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall, snow depth and frost dates: Santa Barbara (USC00047902), 0.8 mi ESE of the city center, 16 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Humidity and wind by hour and cloud cover: Santa Barbara Muni Airport (USW00023190), 8.2 mi W of the city center, 9 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (723925-23190), 8.2 mi W of the city center, 8 ft . Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

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