Climateby Month

Santa Maria, CA climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 218 ft elevation

Santa Maria is mild year-round, with normal highs between 64°F in December and 75°F in September. The wettest month is February (about 8 wet days) and the driest is August (about 0). Snow is rare. By our comfort score the best months are June, July and August.

Warmest month
75°F
September normal high
Coldest month
40°F
December normal low
Wet days a year
47
13.3 in of precipitation
Muggy days a year
0
dew point 65°F or higher

How warm is Santa Maria?

Normal highs range from 64°F in December to 75°F in September.

40°50°60°70°80° January: normal high 65°F (18°C), low 41°F (5°C) February: normal high 65°F (18°C), low 43°F (6°C) March: normal high 66°F (19°C), low 44°F (7°C) April: normal high 68°F (20°C), low 45°F (7°C) May: normal high 69°F (21°C), low 49°F (9°C) June: normal high 71°F (22°C), low 52°F (11°C) July: normal high 73°F (23°C), low 55°F (13°C) August: normal high 74°F (23°C), low 55°F (13°C) September: normal high 75°F (24°C), low 54°F (12°C) 75° 54° October: normal high 75°F (24°C), low 50°F (10°C) November: normal high 70°F (21°C), low 44°F (7°C) December: normal high 64°F (18°C), low 40°F (4°C) 64° 40° JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is Santa Maria?

February has the most wet days (about 8); the year brings about 13 in of precipitation.

January: 8 wet days February: 8 wet days 8 March: 8 wet days April: 4 wet days May: 2 wet days June: 1 wet days July: 1 wet days August: 0 wet days 0 September: 1 wet days October: 3 wet days November: 5 wet days December: 7 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 Maria?

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 0 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 Santa Maria Pub/Capt G A Hancock Airport, 4.2 mi SSW of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.9 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June.

January: 10.1 hours of daylight February: 10.9 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.1 hours of daylight May: 14.0 hours of daylight June: 14.5 hours of daylight 14.5 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: 10.3 hours of daylight December: 9.8 hours of daylight 9.8 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Santa Maria, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysMuggy daysDaylight
January 65°F41°F 2.7 in8 0 10.1 h
February 65°F43°F 2.9 in8 0 10.9 h
March 66°F44°F 2.6 in8 0 12.0 h
April 68°F45°F 0.9 in4 0 13.1 h
May 69°F49°F 0.4 in2 0 14.0 h
June 71°F52°F 0.06 in1 0 14.5 h
July 73°F55°F 0.03 in1 0 14.2 h
August 74°F55°F 0.01 in0 0 13.4 h
September 75°F54°F 0.07 in1 0 12.4 h
October 75°F50°F 0.5 in3 0 11.3 h
November 70°F44°F 1.1 in5 0 10.3 h
December 64°F40°F 2.0 in7 0 9.8 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 Maria

By our comfort score, the best months are June, July and August.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 601350
Feb 601160
Mar 701740
Apr 771820
May 872411
Jun 942700
Jul 942800
Aug 922800
Sep 842401
Oct 752112
Nov 721920
Dec 611340

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 Maria

The last spring frost typically comes around Feb 4, and the first fall frost around Dec 13, leaving 315 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Santa Maria
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Feb 4after Mar 16
First fall frost (32°F)Dec 13before Nov 21
Hard freeze (28°F)in about 48% of years; no typical date
Frost-free season315 daysunder 268 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: Santa Maria Public Airport (USW00023273), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in California.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 110°F (June 20, 2008); the lowest was 21°F (December 24, 1998, and 1 other day).

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

Near Santa Maria

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, frost dates and humidity and wind by hour: Santa Maria Public Airport (USW00023273), 3.8 mi S of the city center, 242 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Snowfall and snow depth: Lompoc (USC00045064), 21 mi S of the city center, 75 ft (143 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Cloud cover: Santa Barbara Muni Airport (USW00023190), 50 mi SE of the city center, 9 ft (209 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Santa Maria Pub/Capt G A Hancock Airport (723940-23273), 4.2 mi SSW of the city center, 243 ft . Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

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