Climateby Month

Monterey vs Santa Barbara weather

Monterey, CA and Santa Barbara, CA · 195 mi apart

July highs: 67°F in Monterey, 76°F in Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara is 9°F warmer). January highs: 60°F and 67°F (Santa Barbara is 7°F warmer). Monterey has about 74 wet days a year, Santa Barbara about 40.

Monterey, CA

40°50°60°70°80° January: normal high 60°F (16°C), low 45°F (7°C) February: normal high 61°F (16°C), low 45°F (7°C) March: normal high 63°F (17°C), low 46°F (8°C) April: normal high 63°F (17°C), low 47°F (8°C) May: normal high 64°F (18°C), low 49°F (9°C) June: normal high 66°F (19°C), low 51°F (11°C) July: normal high 67°F (19°C), low 53°F (12°C) August: normal high 69°F (21°C), low 54°F (12°C) September: normal high 71°F (22°C), low 53°F (12°C) 71° 53° October: normal high 71°F (22°C), low 52°F (11°C) November: normal high 64°F (18°C), low 48°F (9°C) December: normal high 59°F (15°C), low 44°F (7°C) 59° 44° JFMAMJJASOND

Best months: July, August

Santa Barbara, CA

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

Best months: June

Which city for what

  • Milder winters: Santa Barbara (January high 67°F vs January high 60°F)
  • Cooler summers: Monterey (July high 67°F vs July high 76°F)
  • Fewer wet days: Santa Barbara (40 a year vs 74 a year)
  • More comfortable days: Santa Barbara (231 a year vs 149 a year)

Listed only where the difference is at least 3°F in highs, 10 days a year or 3 in of snow.

Season by season

SeasonAvg high MontereyAvg high Santa BarbaraWet days MontereyWet days Santa Barbara
Winter (Dec-Feb)60°F67°F3320
Spring (Mar-May)63°F70°F2212
Summer (Jun-Aug)67°F76°F72
Fall (Sep-Nov)69°F75°F136

Side by side over a year

MontereySanta Barbara
Hot days (90°F+)35
Freezing nights00
Muggy days01
Comfortable days149231
Precipitation20.4 in19.0 in
Snowfall0.3 in0.0 in
Frost datesfrost in about 20% of yearsfrost in about 11% of years
Daylight in June / December14.6 h / 9.7 h14.4 h / 9.9 h
Best monthsJuly, AugustJune

Day counts from each city's daily records, 1991-2020. Comfortable days: highs 65-80°F and dew point under 60°F.

Month by month

MonthHigh MontereyHigh Santa BarbaraWet days MontereyWet days Santa Barbara
January60°F67°F117
February61°F67°F117
March63°F68°F107
April63°F71°F63
May64°F72°F52
June66°F73°F22
July67°F76°F30
August69°F78°F20
September71°F78°F21
October71°F76°F42
November64°F71°F83
December59°F66°F116

Both charts use the same temperature scale.

Where the numbers come from

  • Monterey, CA: temperature from Monterey (USC00045795), 0.9 mi SW of the city center; precipitation from Monterey (USC00045795). NOAA 1991-2020 normals and daily records.
  • Santa Barbara, CA: temperature from Santa Barbara (USC00047902), 0.8 mi ESE of the city center; precipitation from Santa Barbara (USC00047902). NOAA 1991-2020 normals and daily records.

Every station for each city, including humidity and frost, is listed on the city page. Methodology.